With college basketball heavyweights falling across the nation, Gonzaga is the last undefeated team standing. There were seven combined losses in the Top 10 last week. Meanwhile the No. 1 Bulldogs marched on undeterred with two more victories.
Gonzaga is six games away from a perfect regular season, with its next game at 7 p.m. Thursday at Loyola Marymount. The Bulldogs could clinch their 10th consecutive 25-win season with a victory before a nationally televised matchup at No. 20 Saint Mary’s on Saturday.
“They’re all big,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said after his team’s first two wins as the No. 1-ranked team last week. “They get bigger as you progress along here.”
The Bulldogs (24-0, 12-0 West Coast Conference) have four players averaging double-digit points, led by point guard Nigel Williams-Goss (15.6). Williams-Goss, a Washington transfer who sat out last year, is on the midseason watch lists for the John R. Wooden Award and the Bob Cousy Award.
Even without Williams-Goss, Gonzaga has plenty of depth to still dominate in the WCC. The redshirt junior was nursing a sprained ankle last week against Santa Clara and the Bulldogs demolished the Broncos 90-55 with Silas Melson in the starting lineup and Williams-Goss resting on the bench.
The former Husky is one of three transfers from power conference programs, including forward Johnathan Williams, a transfer from Missouri, and former Cal player Jordan Mathews.
Przemek Karnowski, who missed the majority of last season with a back injury, is a finalist for the Kareem Adbul-Jabbar Award, which is presented to the nation’s top center. When LMU (11-12, 4-8) lost to Gonzaga in Spokane, Washington on Jan. 12, Karnowski led the Bulldogs with 17 points on 7 of 10 shooting with two blocks.
The Lions turned the ball over a season-high 22 times in the January matchup, which led to 25 points for Gonzaga. LMU averages 12.6 turnovers per game and is third in the conference in turnover margin (plus-1.57). Gonzaga leads the WCC (plus-2).
Guard Brandon Brown leads the Lions in scoring with 14 points. Forward Shamar Johnson pulls down a team-high 5.0 rebounds per game.
No. 1 Gonzaga at LMU
Records: Gonzaga (24-0, 12-0 WCC), LMU (11-12, 4-8)
Time: 7 p.m.
Where: Gersten Pavilion
Notable: Gonzaga is the last undefeated team in the country, with a nation-leading 24-game winning streak. … The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 68-21 with LMU’s last win coming on Jeb. 18, 2010. … Gonzaga is trying to secure its 10th consecutive 25-win season.
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