Gonzaga enters Sunday’s matchup with the Lions of Loyola Marymount still shaking off the stink of a win that demanded far more patience and late game heroics than it should have. The Zags trailed Seattle U by as many as 12 points on Friday, drifted through much of the first half, and ultimately needed overtime to escape a game that felt lifeless for long stretches before snapping into focus late. The comeback counted, but it also extended a bruising opening run to conference play that has exposed how unsettled Gonzaga has looked in recent weeks.
That backdrop frames Sunday’s LMU’s first visit to the Kennel this season, with tipoff coming at 6:00 PM PST . Gonzaga sits at 15-1, 3-0 in WCC play, and seventh nationally, yet the past week has involved a lot more lineup tinkering than fans are used to seeing as Mark Few continues to hunt for consistent production beyond Graham Ike and Braden Huff. The Seattle finish offered a revealing tell, with Few leaning on a closing group of Ike, Huff, Tyon Grant-Foster, Braeden Smith, and Adam Miller, a veteran-heavy lineup that mirrors Gonzaga’s original starting five before midseason shuffling took hold.
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LMU arrives at 10-6 with a familiar WCC profile, stronger defensively than offensively and capable of punishing complacency, as recent narrow losses to Washington State and Saint Mary’s suggest. Gonzaga has flirted with danger often enough lately to understand the margin, though the final stretch against Seattle hinted at a version of this team that still trends upward when focus sharpens. Sunday offers less about proving status than restoring the coherence that once made Gonzaga look like the nation’s most complete team.
Meet the Lions
LMU under Stan Johnson plays a controlled, perimeter-driven game that should be familiar to longtime WCC basketball fans. The Lions attempt threes at one of the higher rates in the conference and convert them efficiently (shooting roughly 37% as a team from outside), while pairing that volume with a defense that stays compact and connected rather than flashy and disruptive. The profile explains why their efficiency skews defensive and why recent losses to Washington State and Saint Mary’s stayed within single possessions.
The scoring load centers on the wings. Myron Amey Jr. and Rodney Brown Jr. each sit around 15 points per game and combine high-usage shooting with legitimate range, accounting for a large share of LMU’s three-point volume. Amey thrives as a movement shooter who punishes late rotations, while Brown adds downhill strength and shot creation when defenses chase over the top.
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The connective piece remains Jan Vide, a 6’6” transfer from UCLA whose breakout has stabilized the offense. Vide averages double figures while shooting efficiently inside and out, functioning as the release valve when primary actions stall and supplying secondary playmaking that keeps LMU from becoming one-dimensional.
Inside, LMU asks less of its frontcourt offensively. Jalen Shelley and seven-footer Rick Issanza provide size, screening, and defensive utility without drawing usage, a tradeoff that supports spacing but leaves rebounding as a potential pressure point.
The equation stays simple. LMU’s shooting volume compresses margins, their defense limits easy points, and games drift into late-clock execution. Gonzaga’s task begins with controlling the arc and the glass, because when LMU’s shooters stay on schedule, the math keeps the Lions competitive longer than their ranking suggests it should.
Keys to Victory
Simplify the offense, tighten the rotation
Gonzaga’s advantage here lives in clarity. Run the base offense, touch the paint early, play inside-out, and trust execution over invention. The last week has felt like a nightly audition, with lineups shifting possession to possession as the staff searches for which perimeter pieces have enough juice to complement Graham Ike and Braden Huff. That volatility has bled into shot quality and decision-making, producing stretches where possessions feel tentative rather than purposeful.
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Tightening the rotation sharpens everything. Leaning into consistent guard play from Braeden Smith, Adam Miller, Steele Venters, Mario Saint-Supery, and Emmanuel Innocenti allows roles to stabilize and spacing to normalize across multiple trips, which matters against an LMU defense built to punish hesitation. Fewer variables mean faster reads, cleaner entries, and fewer possessions spent searching for rhythm instead of exploiting it. At this stage, Gonzaga’s breadth of options risks turning versatility into friction, where the sheer number of tools slows decisions and dulls advantages that sharpen when choices narrow.’
Win the perimeter first
The defensive issue starts at the point of attack. Opposing guards have reached the paint far too easily over the past week, collapsing the defense and forcing rotations that arrive a half-step late, which has translated into an uncomfortable volume of clean catch-and-shoot looks from outside. When Gonzaga’s guards struggle to contain the ball, the entire defensive structure stretches, and even solid initial positioning gets undone by repeated breakdowns off the dribble.
Against an LMU team built around high-volume, high-confidence perimeter shooting, that margin disappears quickly. Keeping the ball out of the lane simplifies everything downstream, allowing Gonzaga to stay home on shooters, shrink help responsibilities, and avoid the scramble sequences that have defined recent close calls. The emphasis stays simple and unforgiving: guard the ball, trust the shell, and force contested jumpers rather than rotations born of penetration.
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Finish possessions on the glass
This matchup hinges on whether Gonzaga turns defensive stops into actual ends of possessions. Recent games have featured too many second chances created by soft box-outs and ball watching, which compounds perimeter breakdowns and keeps inferior offenses afloat far longer than structure or talent should allow. Rebounding remains the quiet stabilizer for a team still searching for lineup continuity, because it eliminates scramble situations, fuels early offense without forcing pace, and lets the defense stay honest instead of cheating toward shooters.
Against LMU in particular, the glass functions as a pressure release valve. The Lions prefer possessions that extend into kick-out sequences and late-clock threes, which only stay viable when misses turn into resets. Clean rebounds deny that oxygen, compress the game back into first actions, and allow Gonzaga’s size advantage to register without schematic overreach. When Gonzaga rebounds cleanly, everything downstream sharpens, from transition spacing to half-court shot selection, and the margin stops feeling fragile.
Final thoughts
This one feels like a vibe check more than a chess match. Gonzaga has spent the past week oscillating between stretches that look disjointed and flashes that remind everyone how overwhelming this roster can be once it settles into itself. LMU brings enough shooting and discipline to punish complacency, which keeps the stakes honest, but the larger question stays internal: whether Gonzaga plays like a group still searching or one ready to simplify and lean into what it already does well.
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If the Zags rebound with intent, defend with focus, and allow the game to breathe instead of forcing energy, the separation shows up naturally. The Kennel, even in its quieter holiday form, still has a way of amplifying momentum once it arrives, and Sunday offers a clean chance for Gonzaga to turn a week of narrow escapes into something steadier and more convincing heading deeper into conference play.
