Payback Time
Spokane,Wa – Gonzaga’s last game certainly kept it from getting complacent. This one shouldn’t change that.
The 20th-ranked Bulldogs, coming off arguably their biggest win of the season, look to avenge a loss to San Diego in last season’s conference tournament title game as the teams meet Saturday night.
Oddsmakers from Online Sportsbook Sportsbook.com have made the Gonzaga –19.5 point spread favorites for Wednesday’s game against the San Diego. Current College Basketball Public Betting Information shows that 71% of more than 153 bets for this game have been placed on the Gonzaga –19.5.
Gonzaga’s current seven-game winning streak includes two victories over Top 25 teams, topping then-No. 15 Tennessee 89-79 on Jan. 7 and beating No. 22 St. Mary’s 69-62 on Thursday night.
It was a matchup of the West Coast Conference’s top teams, and moved the Bulldogs (15-4, 6-0) into first place as they ended the nation’s longest winning streak at 15 games.
"We beat a very, very, very good basketball team," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said.
Few’s team had to rally from a second-half deficit to beat the Gaels after blowing out each of its first five conference foes, winning by an average of 30.4 points.
The Bulldogs will now try to build a cushion atop the league standings, but know the Toreros (12-9, 4-2) won’t back down.
Gonzaga won the WCC regular-season title last year and had won eight straight entering the conference tournament championship game only to lose 69-62 to San Diego in a stunning upset. Toreros coach Bill Grier, a former assistant under Few, beat his old boss and helped San Diego earn its first NCAA tournament beth since 2003.
The Toreros went on to upset Connecticut in the NCAA tournament before losing in the second round to Western Kentucky. Gonzaga, meanwhile, got an at-large bid, but lost to Davidson in the first round.
The Bulldogs had won 13 in a row against the Toreros after being upset in the 2003 tournament title game, and have swept them in the regular-season series five straight times. Gonzaga is 52-20 all-time versus San Diego.
The Bulldogs were outrebounded 38-25 by the Toreros and were 0-for-9 from 3-point range in last year’s league title game. Gonzaga had gone 491 consecutive games with a 3-pointer since going 0-for-5 at Portland on Jan. 27, 1993.
In their last three games, though, the Zags are shooting 41.4 percent (24-for-58) from beyond the arc. However, they were held under 80 points for the first time in five games Thursday.
Matt Bouldin led Gonzaga with 17 points. He’s averaging 16.7 points and 4.4 assists while shooting 45.5 percent (15-for-33) from 3-point range during the Bulldogs’ seven-game win streak.
Bouldin scored a combined 29 points in two meetings with San Diego last season before being held to six in the league title game.
Jeremy Pargo, Bouldin’s backcourt mate, led all scorers with 22 points in that contest. The senior, though, is averaging 6.5 points in his last four games and 9.3 on the season after posting at least 12.0 per game in his previous two seasons.
Pargo has been slowed by a left thumb injury, suffered in a win over San Francisco on Jan. 17.
San Diego leading scorer Gyno Pomare had 18 points against Portland on Thursday night, but the Toreros lost 69-55.
The senior forward is averaging 14.5 points on the season. He had 14 points and 10 rebounds in last March’s meeting with the Bulldogs.
San Diego has lost two straight after winning its previous six.
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Posted: 1/31/09 2:55AM ET
