Gonzaga beats Saint Mary’s for eighth straight win, is peaking at right time
Gonzaga was 11-5 with zero Quadrant 1 wins — and hovering around 50th in the NET — following a mid-January loss at Santa Clara. At that point, with only four more Q1 opportunities remaining on the schedule, it was fair to wonder whether the Zags would do enough to make a 25th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
But the wondering is now over.
Or at least it should be.
Because Gonzaga won 70-57 at Saint Mary’s late Saturday to finish the regular season 6-6 in the first two quadrants with three Q1 wins and only one loss outside of Q1. The Zags are now 17th in the NET. Simply put, no matter what happens to them in the WCC Tournament, the committee will not be able to find 36 at-large resumes better than the one Gonzaga will submit on Selection Sunday. Anybody suggesting otherwise is creating drama where there is none.
“We’re playing our best basketball,” said Gonzaga coach Mark Few. “It’s March — and that’s a great sign.”
Indeed, it is.
The Zags will take an eight-game winning streak into the WCC Tournament featuring Q1 wins on the road against Kentucky, San Francisco and Saint Mary’s. They’re being led by Graham Ike, the transfer from Wyoming who has averaged 23.3 points and 7.6 rebounds in Gonzaga’s past seven games to raise his season averages to 16.9 points and 7.3 rebounds. The 6-foot-10 forward is the first Zag to score at least 20 points in seven straight games since Adam Morrison did it in the 2005-06 season.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Ike said. “Credit to my guys. I wouldn’t be here without them.”
Gonzaga is No. 23 in Sunday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Purdue remains No. 1 for the 12th consecutive day. The Zags will not play again until the WCC Tournament semifinals on March 11.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
|
RK
|
TEAMS
|
CHG
|
RCRD
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 |
Zach Edey finished with 32 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday’s 80-74 win over Michigan State. The Boilermakers’ next game is Tuesday at Illinois. | — | 26-3 |
| 2 |
 |
Cam Spencer finished with 25 points and four rebounds in Saturday’s 78-054 win over Villanova. The Huskies’ next game is Sunday against Seton Hall. | — | 25-3 |
| 3 |
 |
Jamal Shead finished with 14 points and six assists in Saturday’s 87-85 win at Oklahoma. The Cougars’ next game is Wednesday at UCF. | — | 26-3 |
| 4 |
 |
Zakai Zeigler finished with 18 points and four assists in Saturday’s 81-74 win at Alabama. The Vols’ next game is Wednesday at South Carolina. | — | 23-6 |
| 5 |
 |
Tre King finished with 16 points and six rebounds in Saturday’s 60-52 win at UCF. The Cyclones’ next game is Saturday against BYU. | — | 23-6 |
| 6 |
 |
Harrison Ingram finished with 22 points and six rebounds in Saturday’s 79-70 win over NC State. The Tar Heels’ next game is Tuesday against Notre Dame. | 1 | 23-6 |
| 7 |
 |
Caleb Love finished with 22 points and seven assists in Saturday’s 103-83 win over Oregon. The Wildcats’ next game is Thursday at UCLA. | 1 | 23-6 |
| 8 |
 |
Baylor Scheierman finished with 26 points and 16 rebounds in Saturday’s 89-75 win over Marquette. The Bluejays’ next game is Saturday at Villanova. | 1 | 22-8 |
| 9 |
 |
RayJ Dennis finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday’s 82-74 win over Kansas. The Bears’ next game is Monday against Texas. | 2 | 21-8 |
| 10 |
 |
Marquette allowed the Bluejays to shoot 54.1% from the field in Saturday’s 89-75 loss at Creighton. The Golden Eagles’ next game is Wednesday against UConn. | 4 | 22-7 |
| 11 |
 |
Johnny Furphy was 1 of 5 from the field in Saturday’s 82-74 loss at Baylor. The Jayhawks’ next game is Tuesday against Kansas State. | 1 | 21-8 |
| 12 |
 |
Johni Broome finished with 17 points and six rebounds in Saturday’s 78-63 win over Mississippi State. The Tigers’ next game is Tuesday at Missouri. | — | 22-7 |
| 13 |
 |
Ian Martinez finished with 21 points and six rebounds in Friday’s 72-60 win over Air Force. The Aggies’ next game is Wednesday at San Jose State. | — | 24-5 |
| 14 |
 |
Kyle Filipowski finished with 21 points and seven rebounds in Saturday’s 73-48 win over Virginia. The Blue Devils’ next game is Monday at NC State. | — | 23-6 |
| 15 |
 |
Jaedon LeDee finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds in Tuesday’s 72-64 win over San Jose State. The Aztecs’ next game is Tuesday at UNLV. | — | 22-7 |
| 16 |
 |
Marcus Domask finished with 31 points and eight rebounds in Saturday’s 91-83 win at Wisconsin. The Illini’s next game is Tuesday against Purdue. | — | 22-7 |
| 17 |
 |
Trevin Knell finished with 20 points and two rebounds in Saturday’s 87-75 win over TCU. The Cougars’ next game is Wednesday at Iowa State. | 1 | 21-8 |
| 18 |
 |
Antonio Reeves finished with 22 points and four rebounds in Saturday’s 111-102 win over Arkansas. The Wildcats’ next game is Wednesday against Vanderbilt. | 1 | 21-8 |
| 19 |
 |
Rylan Griffen was 2 of 11 from the field in Saturday’s 81-74 loss to Tennessee. The Crimson Tide’s next game is Tuesday at Florida. | 2 | 20-9 |
| 20 |
 |
Dayton committed 23 turnovers in Friday’s 77-72 loss at Loyola Chicago. The Flyers’ next game is Tuesday at Saint Louis. | — | 22-6 |
| 21 |
 |
Jaylen Wells finished with 27 points and two rebounds in Saturday’s 77-65 win over UCLA. The Cougars’ next game is Thursday against Washington. | — | 23-7 |
| 22 |
 |
Meechie Johnson finished with 25 points and four rebounds in Saturday’s 82-76 win over Florida. The Gamecocks’ next game is Wednesday against Tennessee. | — | 24-5 |
| 23 |
 |
Graham Ike finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday’s 70-57 win at Saint Mary’s. The Zags’ next game is March 11 in the semifinals of the WCC Tournament. | NR | 24-6 |
| 24 |
 |
Omar Stanley finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday’s 89-79 win over New Mexico. The Broncos’ next game is Tuesday against Nevada. | NR | 21-8 |
| 25 |
 |
Jarod Lucas finished with 21 points and two assists in Friday’s 74-66 win over Fresno State. The Wolf Pack’s next game is Tuesday at Boise State. | NR | 24-6 |
| 26 |
 |
Will Richard was 0 of 4 from the field in Saturday’s 82-76 loss at South Carolina. The Gators’ next game is Tuesday against Alabama. | 3 | 20-9 |
