Week ahead

Gonzaga Bulldogs

Saturday: vs. Georgia at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Ga., 2 p.m. (ESPN).

Outlook: This intersectional battle of the Bulldogs presents a difficult challenge for Gonzaga, which must travel cross country to face a young, but immensely talented and well-rested Georgia team that is 6-1 after having soundly thumped Gardner-Webb 96-67 in its last outing Dec. 5. Georgia’s top offensive threat is Mike Mercer, a 6-foot-4 sophomore guard averaging 17.6 points a game.

EWU Eagles

Saturday: at Oregon, 7 p.m.

Outlook: In their first meeting with No. 22 Oregon, the Eagles take on a ranked team on its home floor for the third time this season. The Ducks moved into the rankings Monday for the first time since January 2003 and then increased their record to 8-0 with a 92-64 victory over Bethune-Cookman. All five starters for the Ducks average more than 11 points a game, led by Tajaun Porter, a 5-6 freshman out of Detroit, at 19.3.

Idaho Vandals

Saturday: at North Dakota State, 5 p.m.

Outlook: Idaho (1-8) has dropped seven straight, six by 12 points or more. The Vandals are hoping to have 6-10 junior college transfer Darin Nagle available, but he hasn’t been cleared academically. North Dakota State (5-3) defeated Idaho 91-76 on Nov. 10 in Moscow as forward Brett Winkelman poured in 32 points.

WSU Cougars

Saturday: Cal State Northridge, 2 p.m.

Outlook: The Cougars will have a good chance to push their record to a surprising 10-1 against Northridge, an opponent that should make for an interesting contrast in styles. While WSU is playing at a much more aggressive pace than it did in years past under Dick Bennett, Tony Bennett’s team is still a snail in comparison to Saturday’s opponent, one of the most up-tempo teams in the college game. Northridge is 5-4 with a non-Division I game tonight before it travels to Pullman for the weekend. Earlier this month, it defeated Eastern Washington 102-98.