One-loss WCC teams Gonzaga and San Francisco tangle at the Kennel

Gonzaga has cruised to four West Coast Conference wins by an average of 30 points against Pepperdine and San Diego, two teams on course to finish in the bottom half of the conference.

The Zags’ only matchup thus far against a conference contender ended with a disappointing 77-76 road loss to Santa Clara.

Gonzaga will see a steadier diet of the WCC’s upper tier nearly every week – one exception coming Feb. 10 when the Zags step out of conference to visit No. 6 Kentucky – beginning Thursday against San Francisco at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

“Like I told them in there,” Zags coach Mark Few said outside the locker room after a 105-63 blowout over San Diego last Saturday, “we’re trending upward, but now we’re going to play one of the better teams in the league, one you’re going to have to beat if you have designs on winning the league championship.”

The Dons (15-5, 4-1 WCC) were trending upward before falling 77-60 on their home court in a first-place showdown with Saint Mary’s (14-6, 5-0) last Saturday. It was USF’s most lopsided loss of the season, eclipsing a 72-61 setback to Arizona State, No. 110 in the NET. Four of the Dons’ losses are to foes in the top 53 in the NET rankings.

Gonzaga (13-5, 4-1) and USF share third place, but they’re even in the loss column with Santa Clara (14-7, 5-1).

GU will play in front of the Kennel Club for the first time in more than six weeks.

“We know that’s a big game for us,” GU point guard Ryan Nembhard said. “We’ll be at the crib, so that’ll be fun to get back. The students will probably all be there, probably be jumping in there. We’re looking forward to it.”

The Dons bring one of the stingiest defenses in the nation, limiting foes to 63 points and 40.9% shooting. USF averages 79 points and hits 50% from the field, second in the WCC in both categories to Gonzaga’s 85.6 points and 50.4%.

Missouri State transfer Jonathan Mogbo averages a double-double (15.4 points and 10.5 rebounds) and leads the WCC in steals (36) and shooting percentage (68), the latter ranking second nationally. The 6-foot-8 forward is eighth nationally in rebounding and tied for eighth with 10 double-doubles.

Guard Marcus Williams, who played at Wyoming and Texas A&M before transferring to San Francisco last season, chips in 13.9 points and a team-leading 3.7 assists and 35 made 3-pointers.

“They’re playing great defense, they’re really physical, they’ve got really good size,” Few said. “And they got a heck of a gem in a transfer from Missouri State.”

Mogbo, held to 11 points and six boards, and Williams, two points on 1-of-8 shooting from the field, will look to rebound after struggling against Saint Mary’s.

Six of the nine Dons averaging double-digit minutes are 6-7 or 6-8.

“They’re real tough, real bulky,” Gonzaga guard Nolan Hickman said of his USF counterparts. “But I feel like the real challenge is going to be with that big fella (Mogbo). I feel like that’s where we need to focus in at and honestly do a good job containing him.

“They shoot the 3-ball very well and they’re a really good cutting team. We have a bad tendency of getting cut on.”

Gonzaga dominated Pepperdine and San Diego for roughly 70 of the 80 combined minutes. The Zags hit 56.4% of their shots and limited the Waves and Toreros to 36.8%.

“That our defense can travel,” Nembhard said of what he took from the road sweep. “When you go on the road and have two defensive performances like the ones we had, I think that’s huge. That’s something we can bring back to the Kennel and just bring back for the rest of the year.

“Try to allow our defense to dictate how the game goes, regardless of if shots are falling or not, our defense can be at a point that just stays consistent.”