Santa Clara is having fun with a memorable season, however it may well enhance its success to a different degree when it hosts No. 12 Gonzaga on Saturday evening in a battle for first place within the West Coast Convention.
The Broncos have received 9 straight video games since dropping 89-77 to the Bulldogs on Jan. 8 in Spokane, Wash. This contest additionally marks the final regular-season battle between packages which have been in the identical convention for the previous 46 seasons and first met in 1959.
“We’ll preserve it easy,” Santa Clara guard Sash Gavalyugov mentioned. “It is our final recreation in opposition to Gonzaga within the WCC, so we glance to beat them for a goodbye. We glance to be undefeated for the remainder of the season.”
The Broncos (22-5, 13-1 WCC) stand a half-game forward of the Bulldogs (24-2, 12-1) with Saint Mary’s (22-4, 11-2) looming shut behind in third place.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few feels Santa Clara should not have any hassle being a part of March Insanity regardless of the varsity final qualifying in 1996.
“They’re an NCAA Match crew,” Few mentioned. “They go the attention check.”
The Steve Nash-era Broncos went to the match 3 times within the Nineties and went 2-3, together with the still-talked about upset of No. 2 seed Arizona in 1993.
Santa Clara is 13-0 at dwelling getting into the conflict with Gonzaga, and coach Herb Sendek is doing his greatest to downplay the hype.
“It is the subsequent recreation on our schedule,” Sendek mentioned after the Broncos’ 84-72 dwelling win over Seattle College on Wednesday. “We do not have a look at the identify on the jersey or the tip time or the climate or whether or not it is a vacation or every other factor that may enter somebody’s thoughts.
“When it is time to play, our convention schedule calls for one of the best of us.”
Gavalyugov, a freshman, made 5 3-pointers and scored 21 factors in opposition to Seattle. He had scored in single digits seven straight instances since his explosive 37-point outing in opposition to Loyola Marymount on Jan. 10.
One recreation forward of his career-best outing, he had eight factors on 2-of-7 taking pictures in opposition to Gonzaga. Bulldogs star Graham Ike scored 34 factors on 13-of-17 taking pictures and picked up 11 rebounds within the Gonzaga win.
“We guarded them actually, actually good and rebounded the ball nicely,” Few mentioned of the competition that was tied at halftime and noticed the Bulldogs lead by as many as 23 within the second half.
Ike has scored 30 or extra in three of his previous six appearances and has made 21 of 28 field-goal makes an attempt over the previous two video games. He matched his profession better of 35 factors whereas making 13 of 18 pictures in an 81-61 rout of Oregon State on Feb. 7, and he adopted up with 20 factors on 8-of-10 taking pictures in an 83-53 dwelling shellacking of Washington State on Tuesday.
Freshman Davis Fogle added 17 factors on 8-of-11 taking pictures off the bench vs. the Cougars and was lauded by Few for his protection. Fogle had a season-high three blocked pictures and matched his excessive of three steals in 23 minutes.
“I believe on the defensive finish, the sport’s slowed down lots,” Fogle mentioned. “… Nonetheless engaged on it day by day in apply and taking all the recommendation I can from coaches.”
Regardless of the Broncos splitting the regular-season collection with the Bulldogs the previous two campaigns, that is one other a kind of WCC rivalries lengthy owned by Gonzaga.
The Bulldogs had received 26 straight matchups and 35 of 36 previous to the current splits.
Gonzaga has received 22 of the previous 24 conferences at Santa Clara. The Broncos received in 2011 and 2024.
Gonzaga will transfer into the rebuilt Pac-12 subsequent season.
–Area Degree Media
