After coming off of a dominant win on the road, Gonzaga comes back home against a sneaky San Diego squad. Could the Bulldogs suffer a letdown to the Toreros this Saturday?
TV schedule: Saturday, February 2, 8:00 pm ET. Check Local Listings
Arena: McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington
After going down 3-0 to start the game against BYU, Gonzaga 20-2 (7-0) completely dominated every aspect of the game going forward. The Bulldogs shot 59% from the field and went 10/20 from three-point range in route to a 93-63 beatdown over the Cougars in Provo.
Brandon Clarke led all players with 23 points and nine rebounds, while Rui Hachimura had 20 and nine boards in the frontcourt. Corey Kispert dropped 16 points on four made three-pointers and Josh Perkins dished out 10 assists.
The Bulldogs are now on an 11 game winning streak, beating WCC opponents by an average of 30 points. With the No. 1 scoring offense in the country at over 90 ppg, this team looks unstoppable in league play.
Gonzaga returns home for a tough three-game homestand, starting with San Diego 15-7 (4-3). The Toreros had an outstanding non-conference campaign, with wins over Washington State, Colorado and San Deigo State. But they have had their up and downs in the WCC, dealing with a pair of key injuries since the start of the new year.
Two of the team’s top three players (Olin Carter and Isaiah Wright) have each missed various games as of late. Considering that they combine to average a combined 30 ppg, 7.0 rpg and 6.8 apg on the season, their absences have been huge for the Toreros.
But Isaiah Piniero has still been around, leading San Diego on the season with 19.5 ppg and 8.8 rpg. He was huge in their team’s upset win over San Francisco. The senior had a game-high 22 points and 13 rebounds, with Wright chipping in with 17 points.
Coming into Spokane, Carter is questionable for the game. Fully healthy, San Diego might be best suited to play in the Kennel, having the size and athleticism to compete as well as having four senior starters in the lineup.
In the last time these teams faced off, the Toreros went toe-to-toe with Gonzaga at home, losing by just five points. Ironically, Carter led all players with 21 points in that game. It was one of the closest calls on the road in the Bulldogs’ record 28-game conference road winning streak.
If Carter is able to play and play effectively in this one, San Deigo should remain close for a while with Gonzaga. But the Bulldogs will win in the end and could turn it into another blowout if the senior guard can’t suit up.
Prediction: Gonzaga 86 – San Diego 69
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