SPOKANE, Wash. — Coming off arguably its best win of the season, considering time and place, the No. 11 Gonzaga Bulldogs (8-1) return home to host North Florida (2-6) on Sunday, Dec. 6, at 6 p.m. The game will air locally on KAYU-TV Fox28 and stream on SWXLocalSports.com.
The Bulldogs head back to Spokane after handing No. 18 Kentucky its worst loss since 2008 — a 94-59 rout in which Gonzaga held the Wildcats to 27% shooting while Graham Ike and Braden Huff combined for 48 points.
North Florida, of the Atlantic Sun Conference, comes to the McCarthey Athletic Center with just two wins this season, both against non-NCAA Division I opponents: a 111-67 win over Trinity College last Saturday and a 122-67 win over New College (Fla.) earlier in the year.
The Ospreys most recently lost to SIU Edwardsville 72-63 on Tuesday.
Gonzaga and North Florida have met once before, when the Zags picked up a 104-63 win at home on Nov. 7, 2022.
Following the win over Kentucky, Gonzaga sits at No. 3 overall at KenPom, with the fourth-best defensive efficiency rating and seventh-best offensive efficiency rating. GU is also No. 2 in the NCAA NET rankings with a 2-1 record against Quad 1 opponents and a 2-0 mark across Quad 2, 3, and 4 teams.
North Florida ranks No. 335 out of 365 teams at KenPom, with the 361st defensive rating and 240th offensive rating, and sits at No. 319 in the NCAA NET.
The Zags are led by three double-digit scorers: Ike, averaging 16.4 points and 8.1 rebounds; Huff at 16.2 points per game; and Tyon Grant-Foster at 11.2.
As a team, Gonzaga is averaging 91.1 points, 44.4 rebounds, 19.8 assists, 8.9 steals and 10.3 turnovers while shooting 51.1% from the field and 33.8% from 3-point range.
The Ospreys also have three players averaging double figures: 6-foot-3 senior guard Kamrin Oriol (17.5), 6-foot-2 guard Kent Jackson (12.5), and 6-foot-8 freshman forward Try Cady (10.3).
North Florida averages 83.6 points, 31.5 rebounds, 15.6 assists, 7.3 steals, and 13.6 turnovers while shooting 47% from the field and 37.1% from beyond the arc.
With Gonzaga’s size, depth, and experience, this should be a runaway win for the Bulldogs at home.
Gonzaga and North Florida tip off at 6 p.m. Sunday on Fox 28 Spokane, with streaming available at SWXLocalSports.com.
