Destanni Henderson scored a career-high 23 points and Zia Cooke added 16 to help No. 1 South Carolina top 21st-ranked Gonzaga 79-72 in the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic

A GRIP ON SPORTS • It’s not many years there comes a Saturday in late November without a Washington State football game or a Gonzaga basketball game to observe. Or a Sunday Seahawks’ game to anticipate. But that was yesterday. It was the final Saturday in November of the weird year, 2020. Thank goodness.

We look at Nembhard’s impact on the rotation and the offense, sophomore Anton Watson’s role and more in the first Gonzaga rewind of the young season.

After yet another crazy week off the court, Coach Lisa Fortier and the Gonzaga women appear to have a handle on their future.

A GRIP ON SPORTS • We’re all tired of it. And by “it,” we could be referring to so many things. Even in the world of sports. Whatever “it” is in your mind, I’m sure it intruded on your joyfulness Friday. It certainly did for us.

The sport's opening week has been part triumph, part train wreck. Prominent schools like Butler, Creighton and Utah, among others, have put their programs on pause. Prominent coaches like Jim Boeheim and Scott Drew have tested positive. And schedules are being ripped up and replaced by a roulette wheel.

There was no letdown after a huge win over No. 6 Kansas on Thursday.

Difference makers and turning point from Gonzaga's 90-67 victory over Auburn in Fort Myers, Florida.

No one would blame top-ranked Gonzaga if it suffered a bit of a Thanksgiving hangover Friday morning against overmatched Auburn. No, not the food type, though that might have been in play considering the holiday. But the intoxicant in question was Thursday’s impressive win over No. 6 Kansas. And some troubling news that occurred before the game.

Two Gonzaga players were in COVID-19 protocols following testing after Thursday’s win over Kansas and weren't on the bench for Friday’s game against Auburn.

A GRIP ON SPORTS • There is an old newspaper adage about the missteps that crop up from time to time. Basically, the idea is to admit them and move on, because today’s paper is tomorrow’s bird-cage liner. And you get another opportunity to get it right today. Boy is that true this weekend.

This is how profoundly COVID-19 has altered the landscape of college basketball.

Drew Timme scored 28 points, Corey Kispert had 25 and the No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs defeated the Auburn Tigers 90-67 Thursday in Fort Myers, Florida.

Gonzaga doesn’t get much time to bask in a performance that had the college basketball world buzzing Thursday. The top-ranked Zags, who thumped No. 6 Kansas 102-90 on Thanksgiving, return to action Friday with a breakfast special against Auburn at 8 p.m. PT at the Fort Myers (Florida) Tip-Off.

Is there some place higher than No. 1 where the Bulldogs can be slotted in the next poll?

Top-ranked Gonzaga opened the college basketball season looking very, very much like the No. 1 team in the country. The Zags did it all against Kansas, one of college basketball’s storied programs. And the Zags made it look almost easy at times, at least on the offensive end, against an opponent that prides itself on toughness and stingy defense. Gonzaga pulled away in the final 10 minutes for a wildly entertaining 102-90 victory over the sixth-ranked Jayhawks at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Florida.

Difference makers and turning point from Gonzaga's 102-90 season-opening win over Kansas in Fort Myers, Florida.

There aren’t many better ways to begin the college basketball season than a matchup of the top-ranked team in the nation and last year’s season-ending No. 1, ranked sixth to start this one. No matter who the teams are.

ormer Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Zach Norvell Jr. is heading home to continue his professional career. Norvell, who played in two games with the Los Angeles Lakers and three with the Golden State Warriors last season, agreed to a one-year contract with the Chicago Bulls, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported. Norvell was a prep standout at Chicago’s Simeon Charter Academy.