NCAA basketball

Crunch time has been tough on the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Gonzaga’s one-point overtime loss to Kentucky on Saturday resulted in a one spot drop for both the Bulldogs and Wildcats in the latest AP college basketball poll.

Progress was made Sunday afternoon even if the Gonzaga women’s basketball team lost for a fourth straight time.

SEATTLE – One by one during Saturday’s post-game media session, Gonzaga coach Mark Few, point guard Ryan Nembhard and post Graham Ike detailed the second half and overtime issues offensively with a common refrain.

SEATTLE – Here are three observations from No. 7 Gonzaga’s 90-89 overtime loss to No. 4 Kentucky Saturday night at Climate Pledge Arena.

Washington State just keeps finding ways to win.

BROOKINGS, South Dakota – The Eastern Washington men’s basketball team made a season-low 16 field goals on Saturday in a 74-53 loss at South Dakota State.

Oregon State caught fire midway through the second half and ran away with a 78-62 win over Idaho in a nonconference game on Saturday at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis.

Kentucky ended Gonzaga’s streak of 175 consecutive wins when leading by double figures at halftime with an overtime win at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Saturday.

SEATTLE – Okay, I’ll take the blame for this.

Gonzaga got it half right. And that wasn’t nearly enough.

Gonzaga players and coaches were interested spectators monitoring Kentucky’s road loss to Clemson on television earlier this week with the Wildcats next on the Zags’ schedule. The Wildcats reminded senior guard Nolan Hickman of another team in blue jerseys that the Zags used to face in the West Coast Conference. Makes sense since Kentucky’s head coach Mark Pope spent the previous five years at BYU.

The Wildcats’ Otega Owey, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound transfer from Oklahoma, is probably tops on Gonzaga’s scouting report for Saturday’s Battle in Seattle at Climate Pledge Arena.

Kentucky coach Mark Pope hasn’t had much success against Mark Few and Gonzaga, but that hasn’t changed the coaches’ friendship on or off the court. Pope is 1-9 as a head coach against the Few-coached Zags.

Earlier this fall, Tyson Degenhart was toiling through a preseason practice at Boise State, struggling to channel the effort, execution and activity level that’s made the Spokane native and Mt. Spokane High product one of the most consistent big men in the country.

Round three of Gonzaga’s six-game series with Kentucky is Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

During shootaround on Wednesday, Dan Monson pointed out to the Eastern Washington men’s basketball team just how close they’ve been this season to winning more games.

Five years ago, Gonzaga’s Nolan Hickman turned vision into reality when he launched a nonprofit foundation in his hometown of Seattle.

Arizona State soars, Arizona slides in latest assessment.