NCAA basketball

Graham Ike’s back-down game was a central part of the scouting report No. 23 Creighton put together before traveling to Spokane for Tuesday’s contest at No. 19 Gonzaga.

Most pre-season questions about Gonzaga centered on point guard play, a predictable angle following the exit of star point guard Ryan Nembhard and the return of frontcourt duo Graham Ike and Braden Huff. If early returns are any indication, it appears the position is in capable hands with junior Braeden Smith and freshman Mario Saint-Supery.

Here are three takeaways from Gonzaga’s 90-63 rout over Creighton on Tuesday at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Richard Fox and yours truly took a swing at comparing Jalen Warley’s game with former Gonzaga players on the latest Zags Insiders Podcast. Not sure we connected, but it wasn’t an easy task considering the 6-foot-7 Warley’s versatility can impact games in a variety of ways.

PULLMAN – Before his American college basketball career was two games old, Adria Rodriguez was already beginning to look like a fish out of water. In his debut, a concerning loss for his Washington State club, he scored one point. Later in the week, he managed two, his Cougars dropping another.

The list of Division I programs with at least 10 consecutive 20-win seasons isn’t long. Kansas leads the way with 36 straight, followed by Gonzaga (28), Belmont and Oregon at 15 and Creighton and Houston at 10.

Gonzaga’s arduous non-conference schedule should provide ample opportunities to move up or down in the college basketball rankings.The Zags, No. 21 in the preseason Associated Press poll, climbed up to No. 19 in the first regular-season rankings Monday after a 2-0 start, including a dominant 83-68 win over Oklahoma.

Owen Freeman’s conversations with Mark Few’s coaching staff never went far enough to warrant scheduling a time for the forward to see Gonzaga’s facilities in person, but for at least a handful of days there seemed to be mutual interest between the touted Iowa transfer and West Coast hoops power in Spokane.

As season-opening wins go, Creighton’s 92-76 decision over South Dakota last Wednesday was on the more unsettling side.

One week into the college basketball season, Gonzaga's Graham Ike is still garnering preseason All-American recognition. 

It was the type of game the Gonzaga women’s basketball team found a way to lose a year ago.

Within the larger goal of winning Saturday’s nonconference game against Oklahoma, Tyon Grant-Foster and Jalen Warley had another objective Saturday night at the Arena.

After making short work of Kentucky in 2022, steamrolling Baylor last season and outclassing Oklahoma on Saturday, Gonzaga may have to wait awhile before another SEC or Big 12 opponent agrees to make the cross-country trek for a nonconference game at the Arena.

Eastern Washington guard Isaiah Moses hit a deep 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation to send the game into overtime, but Colorado held on in the extra period to deny the Eagles’ upset bid and win a nonconference thriller 102-97 on Saturday afternoon at the CU Events Center in Boulder, Colorado.

21st-ranked Zags and Sooners meet up at the Arena for nationally-televised game.

CEDAR CITY, Utah – Washington State’s disappointing start to the season continued with a surprising loss to a Western Athletic Conference program that wasn’t expected to do much of anything this year.

It’s early, but Gonzaga’s defense has certainly been impressive through two games.The Zags put the clamps on Texas Southern 98-43 in the season opener, limiting the Tigers to five second-half field goals and 16 points.Gonzaga’s length and interior size bothered Oklahoma from the outset.

Tyon Grant-Foster had an abbreviated preseason with Gonzaga, first waiting for the NCAA to rule on his waiver and eventually going to court to gain his eligibility on Oct. 27. He’s proven to be a quick study on the basketball court, even though some rust would be understandable given the limited amount of time around his teammates and coaches.

MOSCOW, Idaho – Idaho outmatched Whitman, blowing past the Division III program for a 94-49 win Friday night at ICCU Arena in the Vandals’ home opener.