Zags turn page to USF
Gonzaga didn't have much time to celebrate its big win over Saint Mary's. The Bulldogs left McKeon Pavilion around 11 p.m. Thursday and will be back on the floor against San Francisco at 1:30 Saturday for a rare afternoon game, roughly a 38-hour turnaround.
The fifth-ranked Zags are the highest ranked team to play at San Francisco since No. 3 Santa Clara visited the Hilltop on Feb. 15, 1969. GU has lost its last three games to USF at War Memorial Gym, two in overtime.
Read on for my unedited game preview.
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An overtime setback to
The fifth-ranked Bulldogs (24-2, 11-0 WCC) created some separation with a 77-60 victory over second-place Saint Mary’s (21-5, 10-2) on Thursday. To maintain it, they need a victory over
“We’ve put ourselves in great position to win the conference,” junior forward Kelly Olynyk said. “We got the job done (at Saint Mary’s), now it’s time to move on.”
No current Zag player has experienced a win at War Memorial Gym. Mike Hart made the 2009 team during walk-on tryouts and redshirted when GU last won, 78-73, at USF. Gonzaga has lost three straight years here and witnessed three storm-the-court celebrations.
“They’ve had some success against us,” coach Mark Few said. “It’s late February and teams that aren’t ready to go or aren’t dialed in are putting themselves in position to fall flat on their face. Our guys understand that. They know what they’re playing for.”
