SPOKANE, Wash. - After five days away from the hardwood, the University of San Francisco (USF) men's basketball team (13-8, 5-3 WCC) will head to The Kennel for one final time in West Coast Conference (WCC) action, as the Dons will face off against No. 8/8 Gonzaga (20-1, 8-0 WCC) in a nationally televised contest on Saturday evening.
 
GAME 22 DETAILS:
Opponent: Gonzaga (20-1, 8-0 WCC)
Date: Saturday, January 24, 2026
Time: 5:00 p.m. PT
Location: McCarthey Athletic Center/Spokane, Wash.
Watch: CBS Sports Network (Rich Waltz, Dan Dickau)
Listen: KNBR 1050 (Pat Olson)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• Bouncing back from their first conference loss on the Hilltop in two years, the Dons got back in the win column with a gritty 85-80 win over Washington State on Sunday evening at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. Trailing 80-76 with 2:31 left on the clock, USF ended the game on a 9-0 run, scoring on each of its final four possessions of the game to seal the victory.
• Putting together his best performance in the green and gold, Guillermo Diaz Graham scored a season-high 14 points off the bench, hitting a career-high four three-pointers, to go along with three rebounds, three assists, and one steal in 24 minutes. Continuing his recent excellence from beyond the arc, Junjie Wang led the Dons in scoring with 15 points without missing a single shot, shooting 4-for-4 from distance and 3-for-3 from the line. As a team, San Francisco shot 54.5 percent from deep (12-for-22), the highest single-game three-point percentage for the Dons this season.
• Notably, USF shot 53.7 percent (29-for-54) from the field against Wazzu, the second-best single-game field goal percentage for the team this season, improving to 6-0 on the year when shooting at least 50.0 percent from the field and 27-0 in Chris Gerlufsen's four years as head coach.
• With four weeks of WCC action in the books, San Francisco sits at fourth in the conference standings at 5-3, one of four teams in the league with a record above .500 along with No. 8/8 Gonzaga, Saint Mary's and Santa Clara.
• Saturday evening brings another opportunity for USF to pick up its first Quad 1 victory of the season, after falling just short in its first two Quad 1 games against Saint Louis (L, 85-75, Dec. 13) and Saint Mary's (L, 82-68, Jan. 13). Additionally, the matchup with the Bulldogs will mark San Francisco's first game against an AP-ranked opponent since the 2023-24 season, when the Dons fell to No. 17/15 Gonzaga, 89-77, in the 2024 WCC Championship semifinals on Mar. 11, 2024.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS:

• In its final season as members of the West Coast Conference, Gonzaga has been one of the nation's best with a 20-1 record, winning each of its first eight games in conference play, ranking eighth in both the AP and Coaches polls. After an overtime scare against Seattle U to begin the new year, the Bulldogs have dominated since, winning each of their last five games by double-digits with an average margin of 22.6 points.
• Last time out, the Zags capped off a three-game week in Washington with an 84-60 home victory over Pepperdine on Wednesday night, which saw four Gonzaga reserves score in double-figures, led by freshman Davis Fogle's 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the free throw line.
• Gonzaga has one of the best offenses in the nation, shooting 52.0 percent from the field on the season, the 3rd-best shooting team in Division I, and averaging 89.9 points per game, the 14th-highest scoring average in the country.
• Graham Ike and Braden Huff have been leading the way for the Bulldogs, averaging 18.1 and 17.8 points per game, respectively, ranking second and third in the WCC in scoring. Ike has also been dominating the glass, grabbing 8.8 rebounds per game (2nd in WCC), and logging 11 double-doubles this season, the sixth-most in the country.

SERIES HISTORY:

• Saturday evening marks the 100th all-time meeting between San Francisco and Gonzaga, and will begin the final season series between the two programs as the Bulldogs will transition into the newly-reformed Pac-12 conference next season, with GU holding a 77-22 all-time series advantage against USF.
• The green and gold will get one final chance to pick up a win in Spokane in conference play on Saturday evening, as the Dons seek their first victory at Gonzaga in nearly 37 years, when Jim Brovelli coached USF to a 67-64 victory in The Kennel on Feb. 10, 1989.
• Overall, the Dons look for their first victory against the Bulldogs at any location since Dec. 18, 2012, as the Zags have won each of the last 33 meetings, having last beat USF in the WCC Championship semifinals, 85-76, on Mar. 10, 2025.

FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the San Francisco men's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsMBB on Twitter, @USFDonsMBB on Instagram, and @USFDonsMBB on Facebook.
 
MERCHANDISE:
Want to dress like the Dons? Get your official San Francisco Dons gear from the University of San Francisco bookstore today! Click here to purchase.
 
SPONSOR US:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our sponsor - Corona - for their continued support of University of San Francisco Athletics. Interested in sponsoring the Dons? Please contact Frank Allocco, the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations, at fallocco@usfca.edu or at (415) 422-4561.