Gonzaga @ Washington preview
Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion
Last Meeting ( Dec 7, 2016 ) Washington 71, Gonzaga 98
Gonzaga visits Washington on Sunday night in a matchup of in-state rivals coming off vastly different results in games against top-five teams. The 13th-ranked Bulldogs looked overwhelmed Tuesday night in an 88-72 Jimmy V Classic loss to No. 4 Villanova in New York, and a night later, the Huskies stunned No. 2 Kansas 74-65 in Kansas City, Mo., knocking the Jayhawks from the unbeaten ranks.
Against Villanova, Gonzaga never led again after taking an early 9-6 lead and had few answers defensively for guard Mikal Bridges (career-high 28 points) and the Wildcats, who shot 51.7 percent from the field, including 10-of-21 from 3-point range. It marked the first time in their last 65 games that a Bulldogs opponent has shot better than 50 percent from the floor. “They put it on us pretty good,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said after seeing his team endure its second loss in nine games this year after a 29-1 regular season in 2016-17. Washington, meanwhile, also is 7-2 under new coach Mike Hopkins after a 9-22 season a year ago, and shot 48.3 percent in the win Wednesday while frustrating the Jayhawks on the other end of the court with an extended 2-3 zone defense.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network
ABOUT GONZAGA (7-2): Redshirt freshman guard Zach Norvell Jr. provided one of the few bright spots against Villanova, scoring a career-high 22 points, and the reigning West Coast Conference Player of the Week is averaging 20.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists over his last three outings. Meanwhile, senior forward Johnathan Williams’ play is trending in the opposite direction as the Bulldogs’ leading scorer (14.7 per game) has scored only 39 total points in the four games since exploding for a career-high 39 against Florida on Nov. 24. Guard Josh Perkins (14.4 points), forward Killian Tillie (11.7) and guards Silas Melson (11.1) and Corey Kispert (10.4) also are averaging double figures for Gonzaga, which is tied for 10th nationally with 90.6 points per game.
ABOUT WASHINGTON (7-2): The Huskies have won five straight games since back-to-back losses to Providence (77-70) and Virginia Tech (103-79) in the pre-Thanksgiving 2K Classic in New York. Guard Matisse Thybulle led the way with a season-high 19 points, including a 5-of-8 performance from 3-point range, against Kansas and, at 12.1 points per game, is one of four starters averaging double figures. Freshman guard Jaylen Nowell leads the team with 17.8 points while forward Noah Dickerson is averaging 16.0 and a team-best 8.7 rebounds.
TIP-INS
1. Washington holds a 29-16 series series lead, but Gonzaga has won 10 of the last 11, including a 98-71 home romp a season ago.
2. The Bulldogs’ .777 winning percentage (80-23) in true road games since the start of the 2007-08 season is the best mark in the Division I ranks.
3. The Huskies are 14th nationally in free throws made and are tied for 24th with 8.8 steals per outing.PREDICTION: Gonzaga 82, Washington 78