It seems like the toughest time for Gonzaga’s foreign players is right around the holiday break, but for some their families visit them in Spokane, and a few even get the chance to head home for a couple of days.

In Gonzaga’s last two games, the Zags have turned to Rui Hachimura and the sophomore forward from Japan has finished in the lane and applied foul pressure on the opponent.

Brian Pete’s role extended beyond just practice when he came off the bench for the first time this season in the final minutes of Gonzaga’s 81-48 win over Pacific on Thursday.

Josh Perkins might be lacking a few inches in height, but he can certainly hang with the bigs. “They know I’m the best dunker in practice,” the Gonzaga guard joked.

The key moment, offensive player of the game and defensive player of the game from Gonzaga’s 81-48 win over Pacific on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017 at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Rui Hachimura came off the bench to score a game-high 19 points and lead No. 20 Gonzaga to a 81-48 rout of Pacific in the West Coast Conference opener for both teams Thursday at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Jahlil Tripp is Pacific’s sixth-leading scorer but he is one of the more versatile players in the WCC. The sophomore guard nearly averages a double-double (8.7 points, 9.5 rebounds).

The year was 1996 and Gonzaga’s top five scorers in order were Paul Rogers, Jon Kinloch, Scott Snider, Kyle Dixon and Lorenzo Rollins. The question: When was the last time Gonzaga lost its West Coast Conference opener?

The men’s basketball team at Pacific has been punished by the NCAA for academic and recruiting violations under former coach Ron Verlin. The NCAA says Verlin failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance when he violated academic misconduct and recruiting rules to get prospects eligible.

The key moment, offensive player of the game and defensive player of the game from Gonzaga’s 82-50 win over Pacific on Saturday, March 4, 2017 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

The first 20 minutes of Gonzaga's 82-50 win over Pacific on Saturday night wasn't a crowd-pleaser.

Did a little research into how the Gonzaga Bulldogs bounced back this season after dropping a tough one and ... couldn’t find a thing.

Gonzaga needed something.

Mark Few has done about 10 instructional DVDs over the course of his Gonzaga coaching career. Maybe he should do one more. And use a couple of the games this season against the University of the Pacific, including the Zags’ West Coast Conference tournament opener, as the instructional part.

The patient appears to be half cured. Gonzaga, stung by a loss to BYU in the regular-season finale, sleepwalked through the 20 minutes against Pacific before looking more like the outfit that won its first 29 games.

The No. 1 ranking, the possibility of an undefeated regular season and a probable No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

There was a time in November and December when Gonzaga augmented its man-to-man defense with an occasional zone.

Caveat: this column is for entertainment purposes only. Unlike all the other ones that are devoted solely to, you know, the dogged pursuit of truth.

The key moment, offensive player of the game and defensive player of the game from Gonzaga’s 82-61 win over Pacific on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017 at the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane.