NCAA

The conference that doesn’t exist is tracking for the same fate on Selection Sunday as the conference that used to exist.

Gonzaga returns home to face Washington State on Tuesday before visiting Santa Clara on Saturday in a clash of the top two teams in the West Coast Conference standings.

Gonzaga’s upset loss to Portland was obviously a blemish on the Zags’ NCAA Tournament resume, but perhaps not quite as damaging as some predicted initially.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – In a buzzing auditorium in Alabama, nobody really knew who Cooper Kupp was. It was the 2017 Senior Bowl, back when Kupp was a largely anonymous wide receiver out of Eastern Washington, and when they shook his hand, members of the Mobile community had to guess what position he played.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Gonzaga players didn’t spend much time listening to the discourse surrounding their team in the 48 hours that followed a seven-point upset loss at Portland.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Braden Huff won't be back on the court anytime soon, but it may not be long before Gonzaga determines whether the team's second-leading scorer is able to suit up again this season.

MALIBU, Calif. – Washington State couldn’t keep pace with a surging Pepperdine team, which built a big early lead and breezed past the Cougs 78-62 on Saturday at Firestone Fieldhouse.

It’s common for a basketball team coming off a signature win to have an immediate letdown in its next game.

The conference-leading Idaho women’s basketball team extended its winning streak to eight games, dispatching Big Sky also-ran Montana 89-65 on Saturday afternoon at ICCU Arena in Moscow.

The Eastern Washington men’s basketball team took a revitalizing road trip to Montana. Suddenly, the Eagles’ season has new life.

PULLMAN – Santa Clara pulled away from sticky Washington State with a 21-11 run over the opening 7:15 of the second half, and though the Broncos never got a comfortable edge, they held off the Cougars the rest of the way in a 96-92 victory to improve to 21-5, 12-1 in the West Coast Conference. WSU slipped to 11-15, 6-7.

Graham Ike ties his career-high with 35 points in No. 6 Gonzaga's win.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Long before he turned his life over to football, Efton Chism III could really swing it. Playing baseball growing up, he found a niche in the outfield in the Monroe area, using his speed to patrol the green and his bat speed to rack up hits at the plate.

Graham Ike’s broad shoulders carried the Zags' offense again. The 6-foot-9 senior forward scored at all three levels operating against a wave of OSU big men – 6-11 Johan Munch, 7-2 Noah Amenhauser, 6-11 Jorge Diaz Graham and 6-11 Yaak Yaak – as well as several zone defenses.

Graham Ike hadn’t played 39 minutes since transferring to Gonzaga in 2023-24. Ike hadn’t scored 35 points in a game since his 2021-22 season at Wyoming. Before Gonzaga's trip to Oregon State, the forward had made 13 shots just one other time in his career.

Forward Caden Bateman had 18 points and 11 rebounds, and Whitworth cruised to a 67-58 Northwest Conference win over Linfield on Friday night at the Whitworth Fieldhouse.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The transfer portal carousel started spinning and never stopped for Oregon State this offseason.

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Gonzaga’s next road test never projected as a game Mark Few’s team would overlook. Not against an Oregon State team that snatched a 97-89 overtime victory the last time Gonzaga visited Gill Coliseum.

SAN DIEGO – Washington State’s women’s basketball team protected a narrow lead throughout the second half to earn a hard-fought West Coast Conference win, holding on for an 80-76 decision on Thursday night at Jenny Craig Pavilion.