Gonzaga @ Brigham Young preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 18, 2020 ) Brigham Young 69, Gonzaga 92

Second-ranked Gonzaga is in search of its 20th consecutive victory but expects a tough challenge when it faces fast-charging BYU on Saturday night in West Coast Conference play at Provo, Utah. The Cougars have ripped off seven straight wins and are a stellar 13-1 at home.

BYU didn't have senior star big man Yoeli Childs (finger) when they were routed at Gonzaga 92-69 on Jan. 18 but appears ready for this tussle due to the strong run that includes Thursday's 85-75 home win over Santa Clara. "It's two (great) teams going head to head in the Marriott Center, in a sold-out arena," Cougars coach Mark Pope told reporters after Thursday's win. "We get a chance to duke it out in front of the whole BYU nation and I couldn't ask for anything more." The Bulldogs had a rough first half against San Francisco before exploding in the second for a 71-54 home win on Thursday and coach Mark Few knows a more complete effort is necessary against BYU. "There will be 18,000 there and it will be electric," Few said after the win over the Dons. "BYU is having a phenomenal year. We have to play great to get out of there with a win."

TIME: 10 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN2

ABOUT GONZAGA (27-1, 13-0 WCC): The fitness level of senior forward Killian Tillie will be observed closely after he had 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds in 31 minutes in the victory over San Francisco. Tillie has missed nine games this season due to ankle or knee injuries but is the team's most important player and is averaging 13.5 points and 5.1 rebounds. Sophomore power forward Filip Petrusev leads the squad in scoring (17.5) and rebounding (8.0) while junior forward Corey Kispert averages 13.9 points while draining a team-leading 70 3-point baskets.

ABOUT BYU (22-7, 11-3): The Cougars had three players score 20 or more points against Santa Clara - senior guard TJ Haws had 28 points and nine assists, Childs recorded 22 points and 11 rebounds and sophomore guard Jake Toolson contributed 20 points and 10 rebounds. Childs leads BYU in scoring (20.8) and rebounding (8.6), Toolson is averaging 15.4 points and 4.1 assists and Haws is averaging 14.5 points and 5.5 assists. Childs has 42 career double-doubles while Toolson has nine 20-point outings this season.

TIP-INS

1. Gonzaga has won nine of the past 10 meetings and holds a 17-6 series edge.

2. Haws had nine assists against Santa Clara to move into second place in program history with 578, and trails only Kyle Collinsworth, who had 703 in a career that ended in 2016.

3. The Bulldogs have won a record 40 consecutive regular-season WCC games.

PREDICTION: BYU 82, Gonzaga 79