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Gonzaga vs Pepperdine: 2022 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

By Tuck Clarry

Feb 26, 2022; Moraga, California, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few during the first half against the Saint Mary's Gaels at University Credit Union Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 26, 2022; Moraga, California, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few during the first half against the Saint Mary's Gaels at University Credit Union Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports /
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Conference play begins with two teams with the most professional talent in the WCC battling to bring in the New Year in Gonzaga and Pepperdine.

TV schedule: Saturday, December 31st, 2022 – 5:00 PM ET, ROOT Sports / WCCSports.comArena: McCarthey Athletic Center – Spokane, WA

The 10th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs kick off their conference season with a New Year’s Eve bash with one of the most talented though young teams in the WCC, the Pepperdine Waves.

After KenPom’s sixth-toughest nonconference schedule in the country, Gonzaga faces an underrated Waves team that plays with a frenetic pace and rosters a surefire NBA player in Maxwell Lewis with high major talent in Houston Mallette and Mike Mitchell in the backcourt.

Gonzaga enters the contest with an 11-3 record and 6-1 for the month of December, with the lone loss being a 1-point defeat to Baylor. Pepperdine is fresh off of an up-and-down trip to Honolulu where they finished 1-3 in the Diamond Head Classic over the holiday break, bringing their season record to 7-7.

Pepperdine is the third top-25 adjusted tempo team the Zags will face this season, a trademark for head coach Lorenzo Romar who has the Waves in the top 50 in tempo for the third straight season. It’s a pace that the Zags would likely love to play at, considering their 44th adjusted tempo is the slowest pace head coach Mark Few’s offense has run in his last four seasons.

While the Waves do not seem likely to break Gonzaga’s nation-leading 73-game home winning streak, this game should serve as a great test for both clubs and a showcase for scouts with Lewis taking on fellow NBA hopeful Julian Strawther head-to-head.

Lewis is going to be a great test for Gonzaga’s defense, which has had ups and downs throughout the season (the worst KenPom adjust defensive ranking since 2010). Few has consistently chosen the route of limiting a team rather than an individual throughout his coaching career, most recently allowing Brandon Miller to go for 36 points in a 10-point victory over Alabama.

It’s a shame that this game is during winter break for students as seeing Lewis, Mallette and company in a packed gym could have been electric. Lewis is a special offensive player, averaging 19.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists this season. He has a 64% effective field goal percentage and is a true three-level scorer shooting 66% at the rim, 51.9% on jumpers and 42% from three-point.

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Drew Timme continues to quietly be one of the best scorers in the country, averaging 23.57 points and 9 rebounds per game. His 18 points in 17 minutes were the first time Timme didn’t cross the 20 point threshold for the first time since December 2nd. The Waves’ lack of interior defense should be something to keep an eye on during this contest.