Creighton @ Gonzaga preview

No. 23 Creighton already owns victories over two top-25 ranked teams this season. The Bluejays will try to add another scalp to what is already shaping up to be an impressive NCAA Tournament resume when they visit 14th-ranked Gonzaga on Friday night.

No. 1 Duke and Texas A&M are the only other schools with two wins over ranked teams so far this season. Creighton has knocked off then-No. 20 Northwestern 92-88 on Nov. 15 in the Gavitt Tipoff Games and defeated No. 23 UCLA 100-89 five days later in the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City. The Bluejays almost added a third top-25 win the following night when they built a 40-28 second half lead against No. 16 Baylor in the Hall of Fame title game, but the Bears rallied to pull out a 65-59 victory. Now comes arguably Creighton's toughest test yet against the NCAA runner-up Zags who are 182-17 at home since the McCarthey Athletic Center opened in 2004.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT CREIGHTON (5-1): The Bluejays bounced back from their lone loss to Baylor with a 103-66 home trouncing of SIU Edwardsville last Saturday and have had a week to prepare for the Zags. Senior guard Marcus Foster, a returning first team All-Big East pick, leads the team in scoring (18.0 points per game) and is shooting 48.8 percent from the field while also making a team-best 14 3-pointers. Junior guard Khyri Thomas is second in scoring (16.8), is shooting 39.3 percent from 3-point range and is the reigning Big East Defensive Player of the Year while 6-9 sophomore forward Martin Krampelj also is averaging in double figures (12.5 points) while also pulling down 7.2 rebounds per game.

ABOUT GONZAGA (6-1): The Zags bounced back from a thrilling 111-105 double overtime loss No. 7 Florida in the PK80 Invitational last Friday to defeat Texas (76-71) in overtime and then the University of Incarnate Word (103-68) on Wednesday night. Johnathan Williams, a versatile 6-9 senior forward with an NBA future, leads the team in both scoring (16.0) and rebounding (7.1) and was spectacular in the loss to the Gators, finishing with 39 points and 12 rebounds in 44 minutes of action. Five other players average in double figures for the Zags including junior guard Josh Perkins (15.6), who also leads the team in assists (4.6), and 6-10 sophomore forward Killian Tillie (11.0), who also is averaging 6.7 rebounds and is shooting 41.7 percent from 3-point range.

TIP-INS

1. Both teams could be minus a starter because of injury. Creighton C Toby Hegner is expected to miss his fourth game with a sprained ankle while Gonzaga freshman F Corey Kispert left Wednesday's game against Incarnate Word also with a sprained ankle.

2. Gonzaga ranks eighth nationally in scoring (93.1) while Creighton is ninth (92.5).

3. Perkins is shooting 56.9 percent from 3-point range (29-of-51) which leads the West Coast Conference and ranks 10th nationally.

PREDICTION: Gonzaga 97, Creighton 90