NCAA basketball

In a season-opening loss earlier this week, Washington State coach David Riley lamented his group’s slow start. The Cougars picked up the intensity as the game unfolded, but by the n, they didn’t have enough time to avoid falling to nearby Idaho in an upset.

Plus, UCLA and the Rose Bowl tangle, counting UW's ranked wins, TV selections and more.

Mark Few, of all people, understands the heavy lift that comes with transforming a low-major college basketball program into a perennial NCAA Tournament contender.

Sept. 12, 2022, was supposed to be a joyous day for Myles Rice. He had been looking forward to speaking with his mother on her birthday, though they were putting an official celebration on hold while the native of South Carolina was on the opposite side of the country preparing for his redshirt freshman season at Washington State.

Before arriving at Oklahoma, Nijel Pack played 122 career games over five college basketball seasons in the Big 12 and ACC, so it was a safe bet the veteran guard probably had at least one encounter with someone on Gonzaga’s roster during his time at Kansas State and Miami.

The Detroit Pistons have filled their 15th and final spot on the active roster after claiming second-year big man Isaac Jones off waivers, ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported on Thursday.

Fourth-year Gonzaga assistant Stephen Gentry made just one game-winning shot during his competitive basketball career. In 2001, Gentry, who attended Fort Scott High School in rural southeast Kansas, was playing a rivalry game against F.L. Schlagle High School, located roughly 95 miles north in Kansas City. The ball found Fort Scott’s senior guard on the final possession and Gentry pumped in the shot that sealed a narrow victory.

Gonzaga begins a challenging six-week, non-conference stretch against Oklahoma on Saturday and Creighton on Tuesday.

From staff reports

LAS VEGAS – UNLV separated in the second half and beat visiting Washington State 64-51 on Wednesday night at The Pavilion.

It’s a hypothetical that Corey Kispert has occasionally pondered – what if he hadn’t chosen Gonzaga and played under legendary coach Mark Few? 

Gonzaga’s nonconference game against Oregon on Dec. 21 at Portland’s Moda Center will be the first of two meetings between the Pacific Northwest powers over the next few seasons.

The season is just getting started but we’re already setting records on the Zags Basketball Insiders Podcast with former GU center and current TV analyst Richard Fox and yours truly.

The Sacramento Kings are making a move to improve their frontcourt depth and defense after losing five of their first seven games while dealing with injuries.

Gonzaga players and coaches deserve credit for the defensive adjustments they made toward the end of the 2024-25 season, allowing the Zags to transform from a group that was painful to watch at times into one that finished inside the top 30 of KenPom’s defensive efficiency ratings.

PULLMAN – As summer flipped to fall and the leaves turned orange on the Palouse, David Riley found himself talking about defense more than ever. He was headed into his second season as Washington State’s head coach, and among the improvements he wanted to make from his first, defense hovered near the top of the list.

LOS ANGELES – A quartet of newcomers scored in double figures for Eastern Washington’s men’s basketball team in an 80-74 loss at 12th-ranked UCLA on Monday night at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.

PULLMAN – Debora Dos Santos hit two foul shots with 4 seconds left to lift the Idaho women’s basketball team to a season-opening 87-85 win over Washington State on Monday, the Vandals first win over the Cougars in 22 years.

Gonzaga’s choppy start during Monday’s season opener against Texas Southern had nothing on the starting lineup fiasco that occurred minutes before tipoff at McCarthey Athletic Center.