Pepperdine at Gonzaga: 2021-22 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
Both Gonzaga and Pepperdine start out WCC play this weekend after individual pauses. Can the Waves end a 20-year drought against the Bulldogs on the road?
TV schedule: Saturday, January 8th, 9:00 pm ET. Check Local Listings
Arena: McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington
The No. 4 ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs (11-2) is currently on a four-game winning streak but hasn’t played since December 28th in a 30-point victory over North Alabama. Gonzaga went on a “pause” afterward due to covid issues on its team, postponing several games in WCC play.
The good news is that the Bulldogs are back this weekend and hopefully at full strength against the Pepperdine Waves (6-9). After losing stars Colbey Ross and Kessler Edwards, it was expected that Coach Lorenzo Romar’s squad would have to undergo a full rebuild with a fairly young roster.
Pepperdine doesn’t have any “stars” but does have some solid depth, with seven players averaging between 7.5-12.4 ppg. Forward Jan Zidek leads the way with 12.4 ppg on 40% shooting from the field, while freshman point guard Mike Mitchell Jr. has shown real promise for the future, producing 8.1 ppg and 4.9 apg.
But the Waves’ “depth” of scoring doesn’t compare to Gonzaga’s, who ranks in the top-10 in scoring overall at 85.6 ppg. All-American center Drew Timme leads the way with 16.7 ppg, while Julian Strawther is second at 13.2 ppg and 6.0 rpg. The Bulldogs’ own promising freshman is Chet Holmgren, a 7’0 forward currently averaging 13.0 ppg, 8.4 rpg, and 3.3 blocks per game, good for 9th in the country.
Gonzaga has dominated all of the WCC but really Pepperdine in particular. The streak of victories for the Bulldogs is at 41 straight, with the last one coming in favor of the Waves in 2002. If the underdog was going to beat the Bulldogs while they’re a top-5 national program, it would’ve been last year when they had Ross and Edwards. Now, it’s just a complete mismatch on paper.
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With the game being in Spokane, it’s more likely that Gonzaga wins by 40-50 points rather than losing in its entirely. But with both teams coming off a pause, maybe things get real ugly early on, creating an opportunity for Pepperdine to keep it close enough to possibly make some magic. It could happen but I won’t predict it, as the Bulldogs make it win No. 42 in a row.
Prediction: Gonzaga 96, Pepperdine 69