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Gonzaga Basketball

Know Gonzaga’s foes: Taking a look at the teams the Bulldogs could face in Salt Lake City

By Theo Lawson theol@spokesman.com(509) 459-5584

Gonzaga could either face two teams from the northeast corner of the country, or two from Texas, in the first couple rounds of the NCAA Tournament, which opens for the Bulldogs on Thursday at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City.

It’ll either be the champion from the Northeast Conference, Fairleigh Dickinson, or the title-winner from the SWAC, Prairie View A&M, awaiting the Zags in the Round of 64 after the Knights and Panthers square off in a play-in game Tuesday. If top-seeded and heavily-favored Gonzaga wins its opener, it would then play a familiar Syracuse team – the Zags and Orange have seen one another twice in the tourney since 2010 – or Baylor in the Round of 32. The Bulldogs and Bears have never met in March.

Below is a breakdown of Gonzaga and each of the four teams the Bulldogs could meet this week in Salt Lake City.

1 Gonzaga

From: Spokane

Coach: Mark Few

Conference: West Coast

Bid: At-large (30-3)

NCAA Tournament record: 29-20, 20 years

Last in: 2018

Last 10: 9-1

Scoring: Team – 88.8 points per game scored, 65.1 points per game allowed; F Rui Hachimura 20.1, F Brandon Clarke 16.5, G Zach Norvell Jr. 15.3. Rebounds: Team 38.6 per game; Clarke 8.4, Hachimura 6.6. Assists/turnovers: Team 18.2 per game/10.3 per game; Perkins 6.5/2.0, Norvell Jr. 3.0/1.3. 3-pointers: Team .365 pct.; Norvell Jr. 87, Kispert 55, Perkins 46.

16 Fairleigh Dickinson

Fairleigh Dickinson's Tyler Jones, bottom center, celebrates with teammates Mike Holloway Jr., top center, and Darnell Edge, with the trophy, after defeating St. Francis Pa. in an NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the Northeast Conference men's tournament, Tuesday, March 12, 2019, in Pittsburgh. Fairleigh Dickinson won 85-76. (Keith Srakocic / AP)
Fairleigh Dickinson’s Tyler Jones, bottom center, celebrates with teammates Mike Holloway Jr., top center, and Darnell Edge, with the trophy, after defeating St. Francis Pa. in an NCAA college basketball game for the championship of the Northeast Conference men’s tournament, Tuesday, March 12, 2019, in Pittsburgh. Fairleigh Dickinson won 85-76. (Keith Srakocic / AP)

From: Teaneck, New Jersey

Coach: Greg Herenda

Conference: Northeast

Bid: Champion (20-13)

NCAA Tournament record: 0-5, five years

Last in: 2016

Last 10: 9-1

Scoring: Team – 75.4 ppg, 71.3 ppg allowed; G Darnell Edge 16.4, G Jahlil Jenkins 13.5, F Mike Holloway Jr. 12.5. Rebounds: Team 32.9; F Kaleb Bishop 6.3, Holloway Jr. 5.5, F Eyjah Williams 5.3. Assists/turnovers: Team 14.1/13.3; Jenkins 3.0/2.0. 3-pointers: Team .404; Edge 84, G Xzavier Malone-Key 47, Jenkins 41.

16 Prairie View A&M

Prairie View A&M forward Devonte Patterson (5) shoots over Texas Southern center Trayvon Reed (5) during the first half of the SWAC championship NCAA college basketball game Saturday, March 16, 2019, in Birmingham, Ala. (Julie Bennett / AP)
Prairie View A&M forward Devonte Patterson (5) shoots over Texas Southern center Trayvon Reed (5) during the first half of the SWAC championship NCAA college basketball game Saturday, March 16, 2019, in Birmingham, Ala. (Julie Bennett / AP)

From: Prairie View, Texas

Coach: Byron Smith

Conference: SWAC

Bid: Champion (22-12)

NCAA Tournament record: 0-1, one year

Last in: 1998

Last 10: 10-0

Scoring: Team – 75.0 ppg, 72.5 ppg allowed; G Gary Blackston 15.2, F Devonte Patterson 13.4, G Gerard Andrus 10.0. Rebounds: Team 33.1; Blackston 7.0, Andrus 5.7, Patterson 4.9. Assists/turnovers: Team 12.5/12/7; G Dennis Jones 4.1/2.7, G Taishaun Johnson 2.4/1.7. 3-pointers: Team .438; G Chancellor Ellis 46.

8 Syracuse

Syracuse guard Tyus Battle, right, shoots while defended by Virginia guard De'Andre Hunter during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Syracuse, N.Y., Monday, March 4, 2019. (Adrian Kraus / AP)
Syracuse guard Tyus Battle, right, shoots while defended by Virginia guard De’Andre Hunter during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Syracuse, N.Y., Monday, March 4, 2019. (Adrian Kraus / AP)

From: Syracuse, New York

Coach: Jim Boeheim

Conference: Atlantic Coast

Bid: At large (20-13)

NCAA Tournament record: 65-38, 38 years

Last in: 2018

Last 10: 7-3

Scoring: Team – 69.7 ppg, 65.7 ppg allowed; G Tyus Battle 17.2, F Elijah Hughes 13.4, F Oshae Brissett 12.4. Rebounds: Team 34.8; Brissett 7.5, C Paschal Chukwu 5.4. Assists/turnovers: Team 12.0/12.4; G Frank Howard 2.5/2.0. 3-pointers: Team .323; Hughes 81, Howard 51.

9 Baylor

Baylor guards Makai Mason, right, and Mark Vital, left, hug after beating Iowa State 73-69 in an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019, in Ames, Iowa. (Matthew Putney / AP)
Baylor guards Makai Mason, right, and Mark Vital, left, hug after beating Iowa State 73-69 in an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019, in Ames, Iowa. (Matthew Putney / AP)

From: Waco, Texas

Coach: Scott Drew

Conference: Big 12

Bid: At large (19-13)

NCAA Tournament record: 13-13, 11 years

Last in: 2017

Last 10: 4-6

Scoring: Team 71.6 points per game socred, 67.1 points per game allowed; G Makai Mason 14.6, F Tristan Clark 14.6, G/F Mario Kegler 10.7, G Jared Butler 10.1. Rebounds: Team 38.0; G/F Mark Vital 7.2, Clark 6.3, Kegler 6.0. Assists/turnovers: Team 13.8/13.2; Butler 2.7/1.9; Mason 2.6/2.1. 3-pointers: Team .341; Butler 55, Mason 54.