Gonzaga (0-0) vs. Texas Southern (0-0)
MONDAY, NOV. 3 | 6 P.M. | SPOKANE | McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER
TELEVISION: KHQ/ESPN+
LIVE VIDEO (Only in SWX Broadcast Area) | LIVE RADIO | LIVE STATS
 
THE OPENING TIP
- Gonzaga hosts Texas Southern in the 2025-26 season-opener in the McCarthey Athletic Center Monday at 6 p.m. It's the first game for both teams, as it is opening night across the country.
- The Zags have won 21 straight regular season-openers dating back to 2003. GU has won 35 consecutive regular season home-openers since 1988. In last season's opener, the No. 6 Bulldogs rolled to a 101-63 win in the Spokane Arena over seventh-ranked Baylor.
- In their second exhibition, the Zags eased past Western Oregon, 111-53. GU used a 28-0 run in the first half to pull away. Braden Huff led five Bulldog double-digit scorers with a game-high 21 points. Graham Ike added 18 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the field. The Zags made 64.1 percent from the field and 25-of-28 from the free-throw line. Gonzaga outrebounded WOU, 41-21 and had a 74-10 advantage in points in the paint.
- While the Bulldogs only return 36 percent of their scoring from last season, along with 34 percent of their rebounding, the current roster features four 1,000-point career scorers and two more at 842 and 713. Seven Zags have played at least 65 games in their careers, with six averaging at least 20 minutes per game. GU's 2025-26 roster features the 2022-23 Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year, the 2022-23 Big Sky Player of the Year, the 2023-24 WAC Player of the Year, and the 2023-24 Patriot League Player of the Year.
- The Zags are ranked No. 21 in the preseason Associated Press poll. GU received 387 points in the preseason ranking. It marks the 25th straight season Gonzaga has been ranked in the AP poll. It's the 16th consecutive year the Bulldogs have appeared in the preseason poll. GU joins Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, and North Carolina as the only programs that have appeared in each of the last 16 preseason AP Polls.
 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
- Texas Southern was picked fifth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Preseason Poll.
- The Tigers went 12-6 last season in the SWAC and 15-17 overall.
- TSU welcomes back Zaire Hayes, who averaged 10.3 points per game. He was named Preseason All-SWAC, after he was second on the team with 47 three-pointers made last year. He also shot 46 percent from the field and 84 percent from the free throw line with season highs in points scored against Grambling State (24), Alabama State (24) and Alcorn State (20).
- The Bulldogs are 5-0 all-time against Texas Southern, all since 2009. In the most recent meeting, GU beat the Tigers in Spokane, 101-62, in 2019.
- Gonzaga opened the 2017-18 season with a 97-69 win over Texas Southern. The following season, the Zags beat TSU, 104-67, in the second game of the year.
 
UP NEXT
- Gonzaga and Oklahoma square off in the Bad Boy Mowers Series at the Spokane Arena on Nov. 3.
- Gonzaga has won three of the four all-time meetings against the Sooners, including the last three matchups.
- In the most recent meeting, GU won in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis, 87-71. Drew Timme led the Zags with 30 points and 13 rebounds, while Austin Reaves scored 27 points for the Sooners.
- Oklahoma ranks No. 6 nationally in On3's Team Transfer Portal Index. And according to 247Sports, three of OU's incoming transfers rank among the SEC's top 11 (Xzayvier Brown at No. 8, Derrion Reid at No. 9 and Nijel Pack at No. 11), and a fourth (Tae Davis) ranks No. 19.
- The Sooners were ranked 11th out of 16 in the preseason SEC poll.
 
ZAGS AT SPOKANE ARENA
- Gonzaga is 15-6 all-time in their games inside the Spokane Arena since it opened in 1995.
- Last season in the Spokane Arena, GU eased to a 101-63 victory over No. 7 Baylor in a battle of Top-10 ranked teams on opening night. On Jan. 2 in the Community Cancer Fund Classic in the Spokane Arena, the Bulldogs beat Portland, 81-50.
- Early in the 2022-23 season, GU cruised to an 88-72 victory over Kentucky in the Spokane Arena. The Top-5 matchup drew 12,333 fans, the largest crowd ever for any event in the history of the Spokane Arena.
 
SEASON-OPENING SUCCESS
- The Zags have won 21 straight regular season-openers dating back to a 73-66 loss to Saint Joseph's in the 2003 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in New York City.
- GU has won 35 consecutive regular season home-openers since a 73-65 loss to Boise State on Dec. 7, 1988.
- Gonzaga has won all 20 regular season home-openers in the McCarthey Athletic Center and all 26 regular season home-openers under Mark Few.
 
IKE NAMED TO NABC PRESEASON WATCH LIST
- Graham Ike was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches preseason watch list for the NABC Division I Player of the Year.
- Ike is 41 points from 2,000 in his career. He has started in 108 of his 115 career appearances. Last season led the WCC in field goal percentage (59.8), was third in scoring (17.3), and fifth in rebounding (7.3). He is coming off back-to-back First Team All-Conference selections. The Colorado native was named Preseason All-American by multiple outlets after earning the WCC Tournament Most Outstanding Player honor last year.
- The 2026 NABC Division I Player of the Year - selected by a nationwide vote of Division I head coaches - will be announced the week of the 2026 Men's Final Four.
 
IKE NAMED TO MALONE AWARD WATCH LIST
- Graham Ike was named to the Karl Malone Award Watch List. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the 20 watch-list candidates.
- Named after Class of 2010 Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Karl Malone, the annual honor in its 11th year recognizes the top power forwards in Division I men's college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates in November, which has now been narrowed to 10.
- In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2026 Karl Malone Award will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February, to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Malone and the Hall of Fame's selection committee, where winners will be selected. The Selection Committee for the Karl Malone Award is composed of top men's college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.
- The winner of the 2026 Karl Malone Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Men's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Award (Point Guard), Jerry West Award (Shooting Guard), Julius Erving (Small Forward), and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center).