The Dons are in for an incredibly daunting task. They’re up against the only undefeated team remaining this season—No. 1 Gonzaga—whom they already lost to last month, 95-80, their tenth-consecutive loss in the overall series.
Another loss, which would extend the losing streak to 11 games and complete the regular-season sweep, seems inevitable with the Zags also having home court advantage. San Francisco’s defense might make things interesting at least, having held its last nine opponents below 70 points.
It’s not the same case on offense lately, however. The Dons, winners of seven of their last nine games (6-3 ATS), shot just 24.7 percent from the floor in Saturday’s 68-52 loss to Brigham Young. Regaining their touch against a proven Bulldogs’ defense—61.7 points allowed per game this season—would be wishful thinking.
Only two players are scoring in double figures for San Francisco this season: senior guard Ronnie Bryce (13.9 PPG) and first-year guard Charles Minlend (10.2 PPG).
No. 1 Gonzaga cemented its supremacy over the WCC in last week’s 64-54 victory over then-No. 20 Saint Mary’s—the only WCC team that had the best shot of ruining the Zags’ still-perfect season.
They have four games left, starting with tonight’s matchup with San Francisco, to potentially become the first team to go undefeated in the regular season since Kentucky’s run in 2015. The Bulldogs took care of business against the Dons last month, during which Nigel Williams-Goss had a performance to remember.
The WCC Player of the Year candidate erupted for a career-high 36 points together with 11 rebounds and six assists in that win. Williams-Goss has also scored in double digits in all but one of his past 10 games, including a 33-point effort against BYU about two weeks ago. He leads the Zags in points this season with 15.7 points per game.
And with him likely to garner most of the attention of the Dons’ defense, it should open up more opportunities for senior center Przemek Karnowski, who collected a team-best of 19 points in the victory over the Gaels. He’s the second-highest scorer of Gonzaga with 12.4 per outing.
The Bulldogs are 7-2-1 ATS in their previous 10 contests.
