Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs have just two regular-season games remaining as members of the West Coast Conference before one last trip to the Orleans Arena for the WCC Tournament in early March.
On July 1, the Zags will join the new look Pac-12 alongside Washington State, Oregon State, Texas State, and five former Mountain West schools: Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Utah State, and Colorado State.
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Unfortunately, Gonzaga’s departure from the WCC signals the end of a long history against Saint Mary’s, with one final regular-season matchup set for this Saturday in Moraga.
While this weekend’s matchup between the Zags and Gaels may not have major implications for Gonzaga – who can lock up the No. 1 seed in the WCC Tournament with a win over Portland on Wednesday – it is still one of the best matchups of the week, at least according to NCAA Insider Andy Katz.
Katz ranked the ten best games of the week on Monday, and Gonzaga vs Saint Mary’s came in at No. 10. Michigan at Illinois, St. John’s at UConn, Michigan State at Purdue, Houston at Kansas, and Virginia at Duke made up the top five, with Arkansas at Florida, Alabama at Tennessee, Texas Tech at Iowa State, and Louisville at North Carolina rounding out the top ten.
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Gonzaga (27-2, 15-1) defeated Saint Mary’s (25-4, 14-2) in Spokane back on Jan. 31, 73-65, behind 30 points from Graham Ike in his heroic return following a three-game absence with ankle soreness.
The Zags will look to pick up a season sweep of the Gaels for the first time since 2020-21, while Saint Mary’s would love nothing more than to hand Gonzaga a loss in what could be their final trip to Moraga for a long time.
While Saint Mary’s has been tossed around as a potential Pac-12 addition to bolster the conference’s standing in men’s basketball and baseball, a move does not appear imminent – with Pac-12 leadership focused on solidifying the football side of things, as well as the new media rights deal.
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Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s could certainly choose to square off against each other in the non-conference slate, especially since both coaches have shown willingness to challenge themselves with rigorous schedules before conference play.
Saint Mary’s Gaels head coach Randy Bennett (left) and Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few (right). | Photo by Myk Crawford
Even so, it seems plausible – likely even – that a non-con matchup would be played on a neutral site rather than in Spokane or Moraga. A one-off game in Las Vegas, or a neutral site series with one game at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle and the next at Chase Center in San Francisco, would still be an excellent way for fans to indulge in this fantastic rivalry, but it will lose a lot of luster not having this matchup played on each campus every year.
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Before this Saturday’s finale, Gonzaga needs to prioritize taking care of business on Wednesday in Spokane against Portland, who defeated the Zags at the Chiles Center, 87-80, back on Feb. 7. A win against the Pilots solidifies Gonzaga as the top seed in the WCC Tournament, which takes some of the pressure off the finale against the Gaels.
The rematch with Portland will tip off at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, Feb. 25, and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/gonzaga as Gonzaga vs. Saint Mary’s earns national spotlight ahead of rivalry showdown.
