Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs have lost a grand total of 19 games in the West Coast Conference dating back to 2012, and more often than not, the following game hasn't been pretty for their opponent.
The Zags are 17-2 against WCC opponents following a loss over the last 14 years, and will look for their 18th such win on Saturday against Wayne Tinkle and the Oregon State Beavers.
Oregon State (13-12, 6-6) beat Gonzaga last year in overtime, 97-89, at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis thanks to 29 points from forward Michael Rataj and another 20 from Nate Kingz. Rataj is now at Baylor while Kingz is at Syracuse, joining the three other starters from last year's OSU team who entered the transfer portal. Guard Damarco Minor (Pitt), wing Liutauras Lelevicius (TCU), and center Parsa Fallah (Oklahoma State) also found greener pastures at the power conference level, leaving Tinkle to pick up the pieces with a few key returners and additions of his own via the portal.
Josiah Lake has stepped into a big role as the team's go-to scorer, averaging 13.5 points while shooting 37.7% from three on the year. Isaiah Sy and Missouri State transfer Dez White each average 9.6 points, and both shoot over 36% from three on more than five attempts per game.
Gonzaga (22-2, 10-1) is looking not only to avenge last year's loss in Corvallis, but to get back in the win column after a disastrous performance on Wednesday in Portland against the Pilots. The Zags got beat 87-80 in a game they led for just 32 seconds. It was UP's first-ever win over an AP Top 10 team, and ended Gonzaga's 15-game winning streak and a streak of 20 straight wins over the Pilots.
The Zags were seemingly tentative in the paint, often settling for outside shots rather than pounding the ball down low to Graham Ike, who was coming off a 30-point performance in Spokane against rival Saint Mary's. Ike still finished the UP game with 24 points and 10 rebounds – his 12th double-double of the year – but the Zags shot 10-30 from three and struggled to get offensive rebounds.
The Beavers have quite a bit of size on the interior, with five rotation players taller than 6'10, and will likely look to get the ball out of Ike's hands as often as possible. If Gonzaga gets back to dominating down low and winning on the boards, they should get back in the win column before heading home and hosting Washington State next Tuesday.
Below is a look at how to watch Saturday's matchup between Gonzaga and Oregon State:
How to watch Gonzaga vs. Oregon State
Date:Saturday, Feb. 7
Gametime: 3:00 p.m. PT
Where: Gill Coliseum (Corvallis, OR)
Howtowatch: ESPN+
Howtolisten: 96.1 FM (local) and Varsity Sports App
MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS
- Point spread, betting odds for Gonzaga vs. Oregon State men's basketball game
- Gonzaga loss opens door for Santa Clara and Saint Mary's in WCC race
- Gonzaga's Graham Ike named top-10 candidate for nation's top power forward award
- College basketball world reacts to Gonzaga's surprising loss to Portland
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/gonzaga as How to watch, listen to Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Oregon State Beavers.