PORTLAND – Gonzaga was still coming to grips with the fact it wouldn’t have Braden Huff for at least four weeks when it traveled to Washington State on Jan. 15, less than 24 hours after the forward sustained a left knee injury during practice back home in Spokane.
PORTLAND – It didn’t take Antoine Pettway long to phone a friend after Kennesaw State learned who it would be playing in the first round of the program’s second-ever NCAA Tournament.
For Blassingame and 15th-seeded Idaho, the hope is that history repeats itself when the Vandals (21-14) take on second-seeded Houston (28-6) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at 7:10 p.m. (PST) Thursday at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City (TruTV).
Fact: People who have accidents tend to become safer drivers. I’m applying that theory to Gonzaga men’s basketball team’s 2026 NCAA Tournament prospects.
Vandals coach Alex Pribble noted Wednesday that Monson's legacy has been important for him to soak in during his three years at Idaho, and knows the history of successful coaches in the Palouse sets a high standard.
Lisa Fortier had an inkling of the kind of basketball team she had when players gathered for preseason practices in late September. What developed the last five months has her as proud of any team she’s had in her 12 years as head coach.
As college basketball teams continue to score more and look for more opportunities, Houston (28-6) plays at one of the slowest paces in the country. The Cougars average just 67.2 offensive possessions per game, ranking 328th out of 365 Division I teams.
After the UI men face Houston on Thursday in OKC, the Vandals women will get down to business in their own first-round game Friday at the Lloyd Noble Center on the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman.
PORTLAND – Braedan Lue has tackled many of the top defensive assignments this season for a Kennesaw State team that’s making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2023.
An axiom of successful NCAA Tournament teams centers on quality guard play and older rosters. Saint-Supery and Fogle are light on experience but have demonstrated an ability to shine on a big stage and play beyond their years.
For the Gonzaga women’s basketball team to win in an NCAA Tournament first-round game, it will take its best. It likely will require more than its best.
Gruden was seen holding a gold football helmet with a "Grumpy Joe" sticker on the side, saying that he was taking the No. 15th-seeded Vandals over second-seeded Houston.
Millions of college basketball fans spent Sunday and Monday penciling in winners on NCAA Tournament bracket sheets. Richard Fox and yours truly were decidedly less formal offering our impromptu tourney predictions on Gonzaga, the Final Four and national champion toward the end of the latest Zags Insiders Podcast.
Considering he had been immersed in a long, award-winning career as a sports broadcaster in New York City, Otis Livingston was surprised to be touched so deeply by a basketball tidbit that hit the news last week. The Idaho Vandals men’s basketball team had qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 36 years.