When recently speaking to the local and national media, coach Mark Few broke the colossal news that team-leading scorer and rebounder, graduate forward Graham Ike, plans to make his return for the pivotal West Coast Conference rivalry matchup on Saturday, Jan. 31, in the Kennel.
“He’s had two really, really good practices. Sometimes when you have those ankle sprains, it’s more about the athlete finally getting back out on the floor and trusting himself and trusting that it’s going to be alright. It’s not going to feel great but it’s going to feel alright. So certainly these last two days have been kind of the Graham (Ike) of old.” – Mark Few on ESPN
The No. 6 Gonzaga Bulldogs (21-1, 9-0 WCC) will still have a tough time dealing with the Saint Mary’s (19-3, 8-1 WCC) overall size, even with Ike’s return. It’s a massive addition after being without him for the last three contests due to right ankle soreness, but having no recent impact from redshirt junior forward Braden Huff (left knee; original diagnosis was one to two months) continues to hurt a deal. Gonzaga’s small-ball lineups have done their absolute best while managing these major frontcourt injuries.
The Zags are statistically a better rebounding group at 42.6 per game (ranked No. 8 in college basketball), but coach Randy Bennett’s program is a different beast while averaging 39.6 rebounds per game (ranked No. 50 in college basketball). This is one of the deepest teams he’s had since taking the job within the now University Credit Union Pavilion back in 2001, with nine players averaging over 10 minutes played per game. Eerily similar to what Few and his coaching staff have built in this underrated run.
The implications couldn’t get any bigger in this battle for the top of the West Coast Conference standings.
Saint Mary’s Players to Watch For
Sophomore guard Mikey Lewis
2025-26 season averages: 13.2 points on 38.2 field goal percentage/37.2 three-point percentage/90.6 free throw percentage, 2.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists per game
A nearby Oakland, California native, Lewis was known as a Gonzaga killer in the regular season during his freshman campaign. He’s a premier scorer on all three levels, who is also a high-IQ defender with upbeat energy on that side of the floor. With room for still continual growth into his fully-refined stage, Lewis creates smart decisions and doesn’t make a whole lot of mental mistakes at this young juncture.
Junior forward Paulius Murauskas
2025-26 season averages: team-leading 19.3 points on 48.4 field goal percentage/29.9 three-point percentage/84.1 free throw percentage, 7.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists per game
The Arizona Wildcats transfer has found tremendous success over the course of his last two seasons in Moraga, California. He leads the West Coast Conference in scoring and is making a case for the Player of the Year. The Lithuanian Murauskas can hit tough, contested shots from anywhere on the floor.
Keys to Game in the Lilac City
Outrebound Saint Mary’s seven-footers
Much more than a tall task to box out and eliminate the likes of 7-3 redshirt sophomore center Andrew McKeever (team-leader with 9.4 rebounds per game) and 7-1 senior center Harry Wessels (5.0 rebounds per game). The Gaels actually have another seven-footer, former Pacific Tiger center Jazz Gardner, but he’s redshirting in 2025-26.
The Zags can’t get dominated on the boards, or they will have little chance to come out of this competition victorious.
Be consistent with the quality of three-point attempts
Gonzaga’s three-point woes have returned. In the month of January, the Zags are hitting just 29.2 percent of their looks from beyond the arc on 123 attempts. That’s mostly due to the struggles from graduate wing Steele Venters and graduate guard Adam Miller, who have combined for just 2-for-15 on their supposed expertise in the last two games.
Guard out on the perimeter
On the other hand, Saint Mary’s is the top three-point shooting team in the West Coast Conference at 35.4 percent, behind redshirt freshman guard Liam Campbell’s 54.1 percent and true freshman wing Dillan Shaw’s 43.0 percent. The same goes for the free-throw line at 81.0 percent throughout the entire team.
Lock in at the charity stripe
Gonzaga has struggled mightily making their free ones as of late. On the season, they rank tied for No. 285 out of the 361 programs in the country at 69.0 percent.
Make the Gaels’ ball handlers uncomfortable
Sophomore lead guard Joshua Dent (team-leader with 5.4 assists per game) is the engineer behind Bennett’s slow-paced offense that utilizes frequent ball screens, hand-offs, and crisp passing that rarely settles for mid-range jumpers.
Weird to think that he’s one of only two Australians, along with Wessels, on this modern-day roster for the Bay Area’s East Bay team. Bennett has found a ridiculous amount of aptitude “Down Under” from the near start of the 21st century, now seemingly trying to recruit more in his own backyard and all around the state of California. Just look at four-star combo guard JRob Croy from Riverside Polytechnic, who committed to Bennett over Few in the 2026 recruiting class.
These two distinguished squads take care of the ball with extreme care and precision. The Zags only turn it over 10.3 times per game, the Gaels right behind with 11.2.
Saint Mary’s at Gonzaga Betting Odds
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Gonzaga is the surprisingly heavy favorite over Saint Mary’s by 9.5 points. Moneyline for the Zags is at -630 and +450 for the Gaels. The over/under is set at 147.5. (All subject to change)
The matchup between the two prominent West Coast universities is set for 7:30 p.m. PT on ESPN with the iconic Sean Farnham and Dave Flemming broadcasting duo on the call. Expect the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington, to have its most lively environment this season, with the students hyped after camping out at Herak Quad the freezing night before.
The Unique West Coast Rivalry’s History and Potential Future
Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s have played 67 times since 2001, more than any other two schools in the nation. The Zags may be riding high on their 14-game winning streak since that upsetting, subconscious Players Era Festival title finish, but these two have been evenly matched over the last 12 meetings at six wins apiece. In fact, Few has lost to Bennett at least once in the last four seasons. When the two friends get together, it always makes for a high-level basketball affair. This will be the most challenging face-to-face since that unsatisfactory finish in Las Vegas, Nevada, way back in late November.
In the all-time series, it’s the small Jesuit institution found in the Pacific Northwest that leads over the smaller Northern California liberal arts college, dating back to 1979, 82-37.
Let’s hope this isn’t the last time that Saint Mary’s competes in the Kennel, as the future of the rivalry is up in the air. Will the Gaels eventually join the Pac-12 Conference? Do the two programs set up a home-and-home series? At this point in time, who truly knows. Just make sure that this feud between the two of the winningest programs in the nation over the course of the last 20+ years continues.
For those attending this upcoming historic edition, more free giveaways from the popular Japanese anime “One Piece,” plus a special halftime show that features ‘King of the Pirates’ Monkey D. Luffy and a t-shirt toss, will be handed out. Keep an eye out.
KenPom/NET Update for Zags and Gaels
Gonzaga has dropped down to No. 10 overall with the No. 19-ranked offense and No. 12-ranked defense in the NCAA, according to KenPom. They’re mostly on the No. 3 seed line for the NCAA Tournament. Saint Mary’s is on the No. 9.
As for the NET rankings, the Zags are No. 4 with a 3-1 record in Quad 1 opportunities and 4-0 in Quad 2. This will be a Quad 1 opportunity for Few’s unit with the No. 30 Gaels playing on the road.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
