Dec. 7—Follow along with this thread for updates and highlights throughout the night.
Starting fives
Gonzaga: Ryan Nembhard, Michael Ajayi, Nolan Hickman, Khalif Battle, Graham Ike.
Kentucky: Otega Oweh, Jaxson Robinson, Kerr Kriisa, Andrew Carr, Amari Williams.
Pregame
No. 7 Gonzaga won’t find any reprieve after returning from the Battle 4 Atlantis, with the first of two consecutive high-profile matchups tonight against No. 4 Kentucky.
The Zags (7-1) will tipoff against the Wildcats (7-1) at 7 p.m. from Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2. Next week GU will play two-time defending champion Connecticut at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The Bulldogs bounced back from an overtime loss to West Virginia in the Bahamas with wins over Indiana and Davidson. Tonight’s game is the Zags second top 10 game of the season, the first a rout of Baylor in the season opener.
Kentucky is coming off its first loss, 70-66 to Clemson in the SEC/ACC Challenge on Wednesday. The Wildcats have a top 10 win over Duke on Nov. 9.
First-year UK coach Mark Pope has plenty of experience against GU during his time with Brigham Young.
Series history
Gonzaga holds a 2-1 all-time record against Kentucky, winning in each of the last two seasons. The Wildcats won the first meeting during the 2002 Maui Invitational.
Team stats
Kentucky (7-1)
Gonzaga (7-1)
Points
92.9
90.4
Points allowed
68.4
66.1
Field goal pct.
50.0
49.2
Rebounds
44.9
41.4
Assists
19.9
19.9
Blocks
6.0
2.9
Steals
7.6
8.5
Streak
Lost 1
Won 2
Individual leaders
POINTS
PPG
FG%
FT%
Otega Oweh (UK)
16.0
54.0
78.0
Graham Ike (GU)
13.8
52.8
76.7
REBOUNDS
RPG
DRPG
ORPG
Amari Williams (UK)
10.1
7.8
2.4
Graham Ike (GU)
6.5
4.3
2.3
ASSISTS
APG
TOPG
MPG
Lamont Butler (UK)
3.9
1.3
22..0
Ryan Nembhard (GU)
10.8
1.8
34.6
Game preview
Key matchup: Otega Oweh leads the way for Kentucky’s productive offense
The Wildcats’ Otega Owey, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound transfer from Oklahoma, is probably tops on Gonzaga’s scouting report for Saturday’s Battle in Seattle at Climate Pledge Arena. — Read more
More in the Zags
Gonzaga coach Mark Few, Kentucky counterpart Mark Pope friendly rivals
Kentucky coach Mark Pope hasn’t had much success against Mark Few and Gonzaga, but that hasn’t changed the coaches’ friendship on or off the court. Pope is 1-9 as a head coach against the Few-coached Zags. — Read more
Q&A: Lexington columnist on Mark Pope’s popularity, Kentucky’s first loss, 3-point slump and keys vs. Gonzaga
Round three of Gonzaga’s six-game series with Kentucky is Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. — Read more
Seattle-area products Nolan Hickman, Michael Ajayi looking for success in ‘backyard’ when Gonzaga faces Kentucky
Five years ago, Gonzaga’s Nolan Hickman turned vision into reality when he launched a nonprofit foundation in his hometown of Seattle. — Read more
‘It’s a fraternity that will last forever’: Malachi Smith leans on Gonzaga experience as he shapes professional game
FRISCO, Texas — Malachi Smith knows a little about the grind it takes to make a difference on the basketball court — whether it was his one season at Wright State, where he earned Horizon League All-Freshman honors; at Chattanooga, where he earned first-team all-conference honors and was also named Big South Conference Player of the Year; or his year at Gonzaga, when he was a solid role player off the bench for a team that advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight. — Read more
NIL-driven tournaments could be a game-changer on future holiday hoops schedules
Is there room for traditional tournaments like Maui, a mainstay for four decades, and the Battle 4 Atlantis, which began in 2011, to continue thriving and/or co-exist with NIL-driven counterparts? Will NIL-driven tournaments have staying power and become regular additions to the holiday tournament slate? — Read more
Zags Basketball Insiders Podcast: Dealing with physical opponents, keys vs. Kentucky and a Ben Gregg resurgence
The Gonzaga Bulldogs are moving from one battle to the next. — Read more
