Gonzaga vs. Idaho State: College basketball game preview, TV schedule

Gonzaga Basketball takes on Idaho State in the season opener. Will the Bulldogs steamroll the Bengals or will it be closer than expected?

TV schedule: Tuesday, November 6, 9:00 p.m. ET. Check local listings

Location: Macarthy Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington

With their highest ever preseason ranking and loads of potential ahead, the Gonzaga Bulldogs open up their 2018-19 season with a home meeting against the Idaho St. Bengals.

However, despite all the excitement surrounding this team, a good share of the attention will not be about the players on the court, but the one that will not be on it Tuesday night, as the Zags’ star junior forward Killian Tillie will miss this and another eight weeks of games with an ankle injury. With Tillie being sidelined, sophomore Corey Kispert will most likely start at the three spot, with junior Rui Hachimura and redshirt junior transfer Brandon Clarke filling out the Zags’ frontcourt.

In the backcourt, redshirt senior Josh Perkins and sophomore Zach Norvell Jr. will most likely be leading the Zags in the respective one and two spots. On the other side of the ball, the Bengals will most likely be led by last season’s two leading scorers juniors Brandon Boyd and Jared Stutzman at the guard positions. With the loss of their most prolific big man, 7-foot Novak Topalovic to Utah, the Bengals are certainly presented with a tough task of defeating the Bulldogs’ stacked frontcourt.

Even without Tillie, the Zags should have little trouble in the paint Tuesday night. Highly-anticipated transfer Clarke made an instant impact in Gonzaga’s exhibition match against Central Washington Thursday night, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Clarke, mixed with Hachimura and Kispert, plus top-100 recruit Filip Petrusev coming off the bench, its hard to see any issues Gonzaga will have Tuesday night.

The more competitive aspect of the game should certainly come between the two teams’ backcourts. To relieve Perkins and Norvell, graduate transfer Geno Crandall, a potential starter, will be a great threat. Crandall recorded eight points and four assists in his first competitive match in a Zags jersey Thursday night. For the Bengals, the majority of play will come through Boyd and Stutzman, as well junior Balint Mocsan.

Boyd and Stutzman both averaged 14.9 ppg in 2017-18, while Mocsan, coming off the bench, added 10.1 ppg. The three also combined for 11.1 rpg and 4.9 apg last season. Stutzman’s 56.7 field goal percentage last season, including a staggering 52% from 3-point, will be the focus on the Zags’ defense.

Overall, the No. 3 team in the country should have little trouble with the squad that finished 14-16 and No. 7 in the Big Sky last season. The Zags should cruise to victory, with a predicted score of 88-65.