February 25, 2026; Spokane, Washington, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Eich, 15, received a basket for the ‘most consecutive 20-point games in the modern era’ after a game against the Portland Pilots at the McCarthy Athletic Center. The Gonzaga Bulldogs won 89-48. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Image Gonzaga is preparing for its final regular season contest in the West Coast Conference, but it’s Saint Mary’s who will be looking to win the title for the fourth straight year.
The No. 9 Bulldogs will look at the Gaels in their latest campaign when two of the best teams in the West collide Saturday night in the cozy gym of Saint Mary’s in Moraga, California.
Gonzaga (28-2, 16-1 WCC) moved ahead of the Gaels (26-4, 15-2) in the conference race with a 73-65 home win over Saint Mary’s on Jan. 31. The Bulldogs won the crown and will be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming WCC postseason tournament.
If they beat Saint Mary’s a second time, the Zags would clinch the outright crown in their final season before leaving for the rebuilt Pac-12.
A win for Saint Mary’s would extend the Gaels’ impressive streak. Saint Mary’s shared the regular season crown with Gonzaga in 2023 and has won back-to-back league titles the past two seasons.
Longtime Gaels coach Randy Bennett said a regular-season win is much more impressive than a postseason conference tournament win.
“I would say it means the most, it’s on our bucket list,” Bennett said after Wednesday’s 86-67 win over visiting Santa Clara. “We’ve won a few times in a row now, that’s the norm.
“We have a chance to do that on Saturday. It’s going to be a battle between us and Gonzaga.”
Bulldogs coach Mark Few said he sees the tournament as a bigger deal.
Few people said “This is a good thing” after his team clinched the regular season crown with an 89-48 home shellacking of Portland on Wednesday. “It’s even better to have the No. 1 seed in the tournament and I think that’s really, really pivotal for us.”
The Gaels have won seven straight since losing to Spokane. The Bulldogs are also hot, having won six straight games.
Gonzaga was pleased with its last showing as the Pilots defeated the Zags 87-80 in Portland earlier this month.
Bulldogs star Graham Ike scored 19 points and set a school record with seven steals. But it was important to him to win the title.
“This is the first time I’ve done this in all the years I’ve been here, and it’s really special,” said Ike, who is in his third season at Gonzaga.
Few were impressed with Ike’s work on the defensive end.
“To go around and drop some balls and have seven steals, I think that’s a program record,” Few said. “It’s amazing to do something like that at 5. It’s something guards usually do.”
In the first meeting, the Bulldogs held Saint Mary’s to 34% shooting from the floor.
“We have to be aggressive,” the minority said. “We did a really good job in the beginning. We really had to fight against St. Mary’s.”
Ike scored 30 points in the contest, one of three 30-point efforts this season.
Now Ike has his eyes set on cleaning up Saint Mary’s.
“That would be amazing.” Ike said. “It would be a great way to wrap up this regular season schedule, so we’ve got to make sure that gets done.”
Gaels big man Harry Wessels is hoping to be part of the title team for the fourth straight season.
“Anything can happen in a big game,” Wessels said. “This is a big rivalry game. Obviously you live for this.”
Bennett addressed the sentimental aspects of the game. The Gaels and Bulldogs have been fierce rivals, splitting their last 12 meetings with Gonzaga leaving for a new adventure.
“They made us better,” Bennett said of the Bulldogs. “People say they shouldn’t get any credit, but they are the winningest program in college basketball in the last 25 years. That’s ridiculous. There’s no shame in it.”
–Field level media
