Gonzaga, San Diego State trying to enhance résumés at other’s expense
They are Western powers that have been the top dogs in their respective conferences and reached national championship games recently only to come up short.
Gonzaga and San Diego State have gone about it differently. The Zags have been No. 1 in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency four of the past five years while the Aztecs have been in the top 10 in defensive efficiency three of the past four seasons.
They find themselves in a similar position entering Friday’s 6 p.m. matchup at the McCarthey Athletic Center: Both could use an attention grabbing, résumé-boosting victory.
No. 13 Gonzaga (9-3) is 0-3 in Quad 1 games and No. 45 in the NET. The Aztecs (10-2) are receiving votes in the Associated Press poll, 0-2 vs. Quad 1 and 29th in the NET.
Other than a Feb. 10 date with Kentucky in Lexington, Gonzaga probably doesn’t have many Quad 1 opportunities left with San Francisco (48) and Saint Mary’s (59) the only West Coast Conference squads inside the NET top 60. San Diego State has more chances with the Mountain West Conference boasting five teams in the top 40 and Boise State at 75.
“They’re always incredible defensive teams and just absolutely incredible rebounding teams,” Zags coach Mark Few said of the Aztecs. “They’ll just pound you on the glass if you’re not ready, so those two things need to be addressed.
“And like I was describing with UConn, we’ve been through that twice when you get to that national championship game, there’s an edge and confidence that you bring. I’m sure they’re playing with that.”
The fifth-seeded Aztecs trailed by five with 5 minutes, 20 seconds remaining before falling to UConn 76-59 in the title game last April. The Huskies routed GU 82-54 to reach the Final Four.
Gonzaga point guard Ryan Nembhard and post Graham Ike have history with the Aztecs at their previous stops. Nembhard, battling a wrist injury, and Creighton lost to SDSU 57-56 in the 2023 Elite Eight. The Blue Jays, with Nembhard sidelined with a broken wrist, edged the Aztecs 72-69 in overtime in the opening round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
Ike, a transfer from Wyoming, averaged 9.8 points and 7.0 rebounds while going 0-4 against San Diego State in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
“Super active on defense, super active on the boards, definitely going to be a physical game from what I’ve seen from them and when I played against them,” Ike said. “It’s going to be a fun one, too.”
Ike will be one of the main storylines against the Aztecs, who are led by 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward Jaedon LeDee (21.6 points, 9.4 rebounds). Ike has been in double figures in 10 of 12 games and averages 14.1 points and 7.9 rebounds in 21.1 minutes. He had just five points against UConn but bounced back with 22 points in 17 minutes vs. Jackson State.
“We’ve been after Graham to really start posting harder,” Few said after the Jackson State win. “It’s what we do at Gonzaga, whether it’s on the break or against zone or at the end of a possession. I think he got the message and he got himself to the line (10 of 14). And Braden (Huff) surely got the message. He came in and gave us a big lift (with 17 points).
“Hopefully, that’s going to kind of filter through and we’ll get more consistent with that because to be honest that’s what we were missing against UConn.”
Another key factor in Friday’s showdown: Can either team consistently knock down 3-pointers? The Zags are shooting just 32% from deep, No. 240 nationally. The Aztecs are at 33.5%, 179th nationally.
Gonzaga’s best NET wins have been against No. 80 USC and No. 83 Syracuse. GU’s losses were to Purdue and UConn, both ranked in the top five, and a disappointing 78-73 road loss to Washington.
San Diego State defeated No. 58 Washington (100-97 in overtime), No. 59 Saint Mary’s (79-54) and No. 65 UC Irvine (63-62). The Aztecs’ two losses were road games against BYU, third in the NET, and No. 41 Grand Canyon.
The return game of the two-game set will be next season at Viejas Arena in San Diego. San Diego State edged Gonzaga 72-70 in December 2017 to even the series at 2-2.