ESPN2 to broadcast Saturday’s game between No. 2 Gonzaga, No. 22 Saint Mary’s

The first ranked matchup of the West Coast Conference season will be on national television.

ESPN2 has picked up the broadcast rights for Saturday’s game between No. 2 Gonzaga and No. 22 Saint Mary’s, GU announced on Monday. Tipoff at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane is set for 7 p.m.

It’ll be the first meeting between GU and SMC this season, but also the first meeting of ranked WCC teams after the Gaels (19-4, 7-1) cracked the Associated Press Top 25 poll on Monday morning. The Bulldogs (19-2, 8-0) remained at No. 2 in the rankings. 

Saint Mary’s will be playing for the third time this week when Saturday’s game tips off. The Gaels will make a short trip across the Bay Area on Tuesday to play a surging Santa Clara team that’s won five of its last six games before hosting San Diego in Moraga on Thursday. Gonzaga, meanwhile, hosts Pacific on Thursday at 6 p.m.

The longtime WCC rivals have played a total of 106 times since 1972, with Gonzaga owning a 75-31 record in the all-time series. The Bulldogs have won nine of the last 10 games between the teams, though Saint Mary’s was the last team to win a game at the Kennel, beating GU 74-71 in 2018. Since then, Mark Few’s team has maintained the nation’s longest active win streak, which is currently at 63 games.