Gonzaga hosts Bucknell at the McCarthey Athletic Center on Saturday at 6 PM PT on ESPN+/KHQ for the final game before Christmas.
Another tune-up matchup for the Zags before their final non-conference test against #18 UCLA at the Intuit Dome on Saturday, December 28th and West Coast Conference play tips-off. A must-win for the resume if coach Mark Few’s group wants any chance at a #1 seed for the NCAA Tournament.
The Bison (4-7) out of the Patriot League have been testing themselves on the road this season. A 100-72 loss at Kentucky, a 91-76 loss at Maryland, and now this trip to Spokane. According to KenPom, Bucknell ranks #261 overall with the #332 adjusted offensive efficiency and the #157 adjusted defensive efficiency. On the season, coach John Griffin III’s squad allows 75.7 points per game.
Gonzaga is looking for their fourth game on the season scoring 100+ points as they have done it against Baylor, UMass Lowell, and Nicholls just earlier this week. The Zags are averaging 89.5 PPG which is the third most in the country.
No changes in the rotation has been seriously made after falling to Kentucky and UConn back-to-back. Few seems to have trust in his guys to not mess with anything too drastically at this point, especially Graham Ike.
“It’s a couple possessions away. We understand that, we’re not panicking. At the end of the day, it’s December. I feel like we were in a worse position last year.” – Graham Ike
The overreactions towards Gonzaga during the month of December are pretty on brand. It’s their worst month historically as they test their limits against the highest competition which only prepares them for down the road. Since 2021-22, The Zags have a 16-7 overall record in December. For context, Gonzaga has only lost 21 games since the start of the 2021-22 season.
Player to Watch For:
Josh Bascoe (senior, guard) – 14.1 PPG on 43.3 FG%, 4.7 RPG, 3.8 APG
In his fourth season with the Bison, Bascoe has moved into a full-time starting role as the lead guard. The Canadian native is familiar with Ryan Nembhard’s game growing up through the basketball scene back in their home country. It will be a battle of pride between Nembhard and Bascoe on Saturday.
He finished with 15 points on 6-12 FG/2-5 3PT and 5 assists in the loss in Lexington back on November 9th.
Ike should continue to build off his comeback performance against Nicholls after his struggles versus UConn in Madison Square Garden. His matchup against Bucknell is junior center Noah Williamson who averages 13.4 PPG to go along with a team-leading 6.5 RPG and 1.5 BPG.
Braden Huff has picked up the slack off the bench for the frontcourt when Ike doesn’t show up. In West Coast Conference play, the sophomore seems ready to take his game to a whole new level.
No. 13 Zags (8-3) hosts the Bison at the McCarthey Athletic Center on Saturday at 6 PM PT on KHQ/ESPN+ for the final game before Christmas.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on Twitter @a_cravalho