SPOKANE, Wash. — In the second-to-last week of the regular season, No. 11 Gonzaga will face two familiar foes — possibly for the final time — before the Zags depart the West Coast Conference for the Pac-12. Mark Few knows they are going to get the best versions of San Francisco (15-13, 7-8 WCC) and Pacific (17-11, 8-7) this week as both teams get their final chance to take down the league’s longtime powerhouse.
“I mean, they always play with extra against us,” Few said on his weekly TV show. “I mean, just look at the crowds we garner at each of these places.”
Gonzaga opens the week with a matchup against the Dons at the Chase Center.
“Obviously, we’ve had some incredibly competitive games with USF, and this will be the last one down in San Francisco, and they’re fighting for their lives right now,” Few said. “We had a heck of a game with them up here in Spokane. It was a battle that I don’t think either one of us played great, but both teams played really, really, really hard and it came down to the wire. So I’d expect nothing less.”
The last time the Zags and Dons met, on Jan. 24 at the Kennel, USF fought back from a 14-point deficit, pulled within two points in the final minute and had a chance to take the lead with what would have been a game-winning 3-pointer with just seconds left. But Junjie Wang’s 3-pointer was off the mark and Davis Fogle secured the rebound as the final whistle blew, as Gonzaga escaped with a 68-66 win.
GU went 3 of 18 from 3-point range and shot 44% from the field in a game in which Graham Ike and Braden Huff were sidelined with injuries. It was GU’s second-lowest point total of the season, but with Ike back and healthy, it should be a much different game.
Since that meeting, San Francisco has lost four of six games — falling to Santa Clara, Loyola Marymount, Saint Mary’s and Oregon State — and is tied for fifth in the WCC standings, while Gonzaga has won four of five and reclaimed first place in the league.
No. 11 Gonzaga will visit San Francisco for the 101st time Wednesday at 8 p.m., looking for its 35th consecutive win over USF dating back to 2012. The game will air on ESPN2.
On Saturday, Gonzaga will host Pacific in the teams’ only regular-season meeting.
The Tigers have quietly put together their best start since the 2019-20 season, racking up 17 wins, including eight in WCC play. Pacific sits in fourth place in the league and would love nothing more than to upset Gonzaga in what will likely be the final time it plays at the Kennel.
“Listen, Pacific is having a really, really good year, and I mean, they’re cruising in on 20 wins here for the year,” Few said. “And they’re physical, and they’re tough, and the coach has done a really, really nice job kind of flipping that thing in two years.”
Over the past two seasons combined, the Tigers totaled just 15 wins and only four in WCC play. Since 2012, Gonzaga is 22-0 against UOP, but the Zags cannot overlook this team.
Gonzaga and Pacific will meet at the Kennel on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 6 p.m. The game will air on NonStop Local KHQ and stream on SWXLocalSports.com.