SAN FRANCISCO — The Gonzaga Bulldogs and San Francisco Dons battle for the second time this season, with second place in the WCC and an automatic bye to the WCC Tournament semi-finals on the line for the winner. The game will be played at the Chase Center, the home of the Golden State Warriors.
How to Watch and Stream
Gonzaga (22-8) (13-4) vs San Francisco (23-7) (13-4) will be televised on ESPN at 8 p.m. pacific time Saturday.
The game will be available for streaming on the ESPN app, but TV Provider login is required. It will also stream on ESPN’s streaming service ESPN+. Streaming platforms like Hulu+ Live TV, YouTube TV, Fubo TV, and others should carry ESPN as well.
Odds
Gonzaga won the first meeting 88-77 over the Dons at home, and the oddsmakers believe they will pull out a second win, this time at the Chase Center. Gonzaga is favored by 9 points in this game, with the over/under set at 157.
THE OPENING TIP
– Gonzaga plays its final game of the regular season against San Francisco in the Chase Center Saturday at 8 p.m. The winner will be awarded the second seed in next week’s Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Championships, and earn a bye to the tournament semifinals on March 10.
– GU is coming off a 95-76 win at Santa Clara Tuesday. Graham Ike led the Zags with 24 points, Khalif Battle finished with 21 points and Nolan Hickman chipped in 11. Gonzaga shot 57.8 percent from the field, and dished out 22 assists.
– Ryan Nembhard broke the West Coast Conference for most assists in a single season (currently at 295, previous record was 284) and most assists in conference play, he is currently at 165.
– Nembhard became the 51st player in NCAA Div. 1 history to reach 800 career assists, and is now at 833. His 295 assists are first in the nation, to only 71 turnovers. He broke his own single season assist program record. Nembhard’s 9.83 assists per game also tops the country. His 4.15 assist-to-turnover ratio is second.
– As a team, the Zags are first in the nation in assists per game at 19.8 and assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.05. Gonzaga’s 344 assists are the most in conference play broke the league’s record of 341 set by Loyola Marymount in 1989-90.
– GU is 2nd in the country at 87.4 points per game, 2nd in field goal percentage (50.2), and 4th in free-throw percentage (80.2).
– Since Jan. 24, Bart Torvik computer ratings ranks GU 10th in the nation, with the 17th best offense and 23rd best defense.
– Khalif Battle is second in the nation from the free-throw line at 93.8 percent (1st in WCC). Graham Ike (59.6%) is first in the WCC, and 18th in the country, in field goal percentage.
– Ike is fourth in the WCC averaging 17.8 points, while shooting a WCC-best 60.7 percent from the field in league games. He is third grabbing 8.1 rebounds per conference game.
– Gonzaga clinched its 28th straight 20-win season, which ranks as the second longest active run in the country. (Kansas 33)
– Mark Few was named one of 17 finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a first-time nominee.
– Ryan Nembhard was named to the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Top 10 Watch List. Graham Ike was named to the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Top 10 Watch List.
– Graham Ike and Nembhard Named to Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watchlist.
SCOUTING THE DONS
– San Francisco has won three straight games, and seven of its last eight, including a 74-72 win at Oregon State Wednesday. Veniamin Abosi made a three-pointer with 10 seconds left to win the game for USF. It was Abosi’s second made shot of the game, and fifth made three of the season.
– In the win at Oregon State, the Dons rallied from a 12-point deficit late in the first half. Marcus Williams scored 21 points, going 5-of-8 from three-point range, and dished out four assists. Malik Thomas and Tyrone Riley IV contributed 14 and 12 points. Saba Gigiberia came off the bench and scored 10 points with seven rebounds in 17 minutes.
– Thomas leads the conference in scoring at 19.3 points per outing, and 20.3 per league game. He also tops the WCC with 1.7 steals per contest.
– Williams is seventh in the WCC adding 14.7 points, and seventh dishing out 4.5 assists per game.
– USF leads the conference, and is second in the nation, in three-point defense allowing only 27.4 percent shooting.
SERIES INFO
– This is the 98th all-time meeting between GU and San Francisco. The Bulldogs have a 75-22 advantage in the series.
– Gonzaga is 54-4 against San Francisco under Mark Few.
– The Zags have won 31 straight versus the Dons. USF’s last win in the series came on Feb. 18, 2012, 66-65, at USF.
– In the first meeting this season in Spokane on Feb. 13, Gonzaga beat San Francisco 88-77. Three Bulldogs finished with double-doubles, and five total finished in double-digit scoring with a sixth at nine points. Graham Ike finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Ryan Nembhard had 18 points and 13 assists. The game was tied at 38 at halftime, before GU opened the second half on a 20-8 run.
– In last season’s meeting in San Francisco, No. 23 Gonzaga pulled away from the Dons for an 86-68 in the Chase Center. Graham Ike led with 26 points, while Nolan Hickman scored 22 points and Ryan Nembhard added 15. The Zags led 35-34 at halftime, before opening the second half on a 13-0 run.
– Gonzaga has won 35 in-a-row in Spokane in the series, including all 20 in the McCarthey Athletic Center.
– The Bulldogs are 41-2 against USF in Spokane all-time. The Dons last won in Spokane in 1989, 67-64.
– GU is 27-18 all-time at San Francisco. The Bulldogs have won the last 12 matchups at USF.
– The Zags and Dons have met in the WCC semifinals in five of the last seven tournaments, including the last two.
– San Francisco edged GU, 64-62, in the first-ever meeting at USF on Jan. 28, 1961.
UP NEXT
– The Zags will head to Las Vegas for the West Coast Conference Championships.
– Gonzaga is 66-17 all-time in the West Coast Conference Tournament with 21 titles and 30 finals appearances, including each of the last 27 seasons.
– The Bulldogs are 52-6 under Mark Few in the WCC Tournament with title-game appearances in all 25 seasons.
– The Zags are 33-4 in the WCC Tournament since 2009, when the event moved to Las Vegas.
– GU’s four losses in the event in Las Vegas have all been to Saint Mary’s, the 2010, 2012, 2019, and 2024 finals.
– The Bulldogs were 34-13 in the conference tournament prior to it coming to Vegas.
– The Zags have never lost an opening game of the tournament in Las Vegas, winning all 16.
– Gonzaga has won the opening game of tournament the past 27 years, dating back to a loss in 64-59 in the 1997 quarterfinals to fourth-seeded San Diego as a fifth-seed.
– The Bulldogs are 32-6 in opening games at the event.
– Gonzaga has won in the WCC tournament semifinals in each of the past 27 years. The Zags last loss in the WCC semifinals was 1994, 83-75, to San Diego in Santa Clara.
– The Bulldogs are 30-2 in semifinal games at the tournament, winning all 16 in Las Vegas.
– Gonzaga is 12-4 in the WCC Tournament finals played in Las Vegas, and 21-9 in championship games overall.
VIE FOR BYES IN VEGAS
– Gonzaga is a win away from clinching one of the top two seeds in the 2025 Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Championships at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
– The top two seeds earn byes in the postseason event to the semifinals on March 10.
– Gonzaga has been the top seed in the WCC Tournament in 11 of the 15 years that the event has been in Las Vegas since 2009. The other four years, GU has been the two-seed.
BACK IN THE CHASE CENTER
– Gonzaga returns to the Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors, where it is 1-1 in its two appearances.
– In last season’s penultimate game of the regular season slate, the Bulldogs pulled away from USF, 86-68. The win clinched the second-seed and a bye to the WCC Tournament semifinals for GU.
– In the 2022 NCAA West Regional Semifinal, the top-seeded Zags were upset by fourth-seed Arkansas, 74-68, in the Sweet 16. Sophomore Nolan Hickman played 13 minutes.
– The Chase Center is home to the West Regional Semifinals and Finals in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
IZZO’S NIGHT
– Freshman Ismaila Diagne had a breakout performance in the 95-76 win at Santa Clara.
– In his seventh appearance of the season, Diagne played a career-high 17:56 minutes, with a plus-minus of 24.
– He made all four of his shots from the field, and his only free-throw, and finished with nine points.
– The Senegal native grabbed four records and blocked a shot.
