No. 6 Gonzaga embracing first of two matchups with rival Saint Mary’s: ‘A big opportunity to show we run this league’

Many of Gonzaga’s key rotation players will get their formal introduction to one of the West Coast’s top rivalries Saturday night, but most already have a good sense of what they’ll be in for when the first regular-season meeting with Saint Mary’s tips off at McCarthey Athletic Center.

Jalen Warley, Braeden Smith and Steele Venters didn’t appear on the box score, but all three were on the bench last year navigating many of the same emotions their teammates did when Gonzaga encountered Saint Mary’s twice in the regular season and once more in the West Coast Conference Tournament.

Tyon Grant-Foster hasn’t participated in the rivalry series, but he’s matched up with the Gaels before – coincidentally in a game that took place in Spokane. Grant-Foster had a big hand in Grand Canyon’s 75-66 win over Saint Mary’s in the 2024 NCCA Tournament, scoring 22 points in an opening-round game at the Arena.

First-year starter Emmanuel Innocenti goes way back with Saint Mary’s, taking an official visit to the Gaels’ campus in Moraga before ultimately transferring to Gonzaga and contributing off the bench in all three matchups last season.

Mark Few’s program will establish new rivalries next season in the Pac-12, but it may be a while – three to four decades, possibly – before any carry the same significance or sentimental value as Gonzaga’s longtime grudge with Saint Mary’s.

Take it from Venters, who’s eager to have a say in the rivalry after watching six installments of Gonzaga-Saint Mary’s from the bench while recovering from injuries the last two seasons.

“It’s super exciting,” Venters said. “It’s a big opportunity for us to show our physicality and show that we run this league.”

There haven’t been many mysteries in 66 prior meetings between Gonzaga teams coached by Few and Saint Mary’s teams led by Randy Bennett. That shouldn’t change heading into two final regular-season matchups between the Zags (21-1, 9-0) and Gaels (19-3, 8-1) as WCC opponents.

Saint Mary’s has won each of the last two meetings held in Spokane and four of the last six matchups in general. The Gaels captured the WCC’s regular-season title on the Zags’ home floor last season, winning 74-67, but Gonzaga returned the favor in Las Vegas, beating Saint Mary’s 58-51 in the championship game of the league tournament.

There’s no hardware on the line Saturday, and second-place Santa Clara could have a say in who claims the conference title this season, but a two-game lead on Saint Mary’s would be significant as the Zags look to win their first outright regular-season crown since 2022 in their final year in the WCC.

“I think coming to Gonzaga, coach Few talks about this is the reason why you came to Gonzaga, these are the types of games,” Warley said. “So kind of having that mindset coming into the week, that opportunity to make a statement on our home floor.”

Delivering on that goal won’t be easy but should be easier with senior forward Graham Ike back in the fold for Gonzaga. A candidate for WCC Player of the Year, Ike missed the last three games with right ankle soreness but returned to practice in Spokane and is on track to suit up against the Gaels.

Ike’s averaging 18.8 points and 8.1 rebounds this season for Gonzaga, but he’s also averaged 16.6 points and 7.8 rebounds in six career matchups against Saint Mary’s.

The Gaels are traditionally strong on the defensive end of the floor and typically one of the better teams in the country on the glass. This may be a rare year where the Zags edge Saint Mary’s in both categories, ranking No. 8 in rebounds per game (42.6) and No. 10 in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency. The Gaels are No. 40 in rebounding (39.6) and No. 39 in defensive efficiency.

Saint Mary’s doesn’t own a victory over a top-50 KenPom team, but the Gaels are still receiving AP Top 25 votes and have won 19 games sticking to many of the same offensive and defensive principles that have made them one of the most consistent midmajor programs in the country under Bennett.

“They’re really, really, really solid,” Few said. “They do not beat themselves, they almost always stay between you and the basket so you have to make shots over them. It sounds simple, but they’re really, really solid there. They’re always a great rebounding team. Then you’re just going to face a lot of middle pick-and-roll and post-ups by their bigs.”

A number of players on both teams will get to experience the rivalry for the first time. Because of Braden Huff’s knee injury, Ike and Innocenti are the only Zags from last year’s team that will see the court Saturday. Just three of the seven Saint Mary’s players that appeared in the WCC title game – Paulius Murauskas, Mikey Lewis and Harry Wessels – returned to the Gaels’ roster a year later.

Sophomore Joshua Dent succeeded two-time WCC Player of the Year Augustas Marciulionis at point guard. Dent’s impressed up to this point, averaging 13.3 ppg and 5.4 rpg while shooting 93.6% from the free -throw line.

“The development they did with Dent shouldn’t be a surprise,” Few said. “They do it all the time but especially with that point guard spot but boy has he made a big jump.”

Ike will wrestle with Wessels and fellow 7-footer Andrew McKeever in the post. The Saint Mary’s centers are interchangeable, but McKeever’s been more productive, averaging 8.4 ppg and 9.4 rpg.

With six underclassmen and one senior in their primary eight-man rotation, the Gaels have one of their younger teams in recent memory. By contrast, Gonzaga has one of the oldest teams in the country, with two freshmen in the rotation but seven other players that have spent anywhere from three to eight years playing college basketball.

Bennett, who’s been at Saint Mary’s since 2001, acknowledged Saturday’s game in front of a hostile Kennel crowd will be an important test for his group.

“It’s how they grow, it’s how they get good, you have to get through this step,” Bennett said this week on the Field of 68’s WCC Insider Podcast. “We’ve had guys that have gone up to Spokane, first two years they didn’t score and they played. It’s real.”