Gonzaga commentary

Of the many hundred dunks Graham Ike has slammed in his career, this one seemed special. Exclamatory. Defiant. And extraordinarily timely. Maybe even career-defining.

Over the years, critics of the Zags have claimed that a weak conference contributed to their consistent collection of tournament bids. Even if true, the success once in the tournament (two title games, three Elite 8s, eight Sweet 16s) invalidates those beliefs.

PORTLAND – At least Gonzaga avoided the upset bug that was going around the NCAA Tournament on its first day.

PORTLAND – For context, John Stockton played 107 games at Gonzaga.

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.

My on-site scouting report on Gonzaga’s Braden Huff last week: Despite a stubborn knee injury suffered in January, Huff was still able to elevate and was dangerous at the rim.

When Graham Ike was announced as the Most Outstanding Player of the West Coast Conference Tournament for the second consecutive year, his Gonzaga teammates all started jumping around and flashing signs.

Let’s consider this a Quad 1 win for Gonzaga. Not because the vanquished Oregon State (17-16) was highly regarded by those who rank such things. The Quad in question belonged to Jalen Warley who returned to action Monday night after missing the last two games with a quadriceps contusion, and being limited by it for an unknown number of previous games.

Twenty years ago, March 2006, Adam Morrison executed his own celebratory leap onto the scorer’s table before surfing back onto the court on the shoulders of surging Zag zealots.