MBB Opens Season Against Purdue in Las Vegas - Gonzaga University Athletics

#15/12 Gonzaga (0-0) vs. #RV/24 Purdue (0-0)
MONDAY, NOV. 2 | 4:30 PM | LAS VEGAS | T-MOBILE ARENA
TELEVISION: TNT, truTV, HBO MAX
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE RADIO | LIVE STATS

THE STORY LINES
- The Zags are ranked No. 15 in the preseason Associated Press poll. GU received 637 points in the preseason ranking. It marks the 26th straight season Gonzaga has been ranked in the AP poll. It's the 17th consecutive year the Bulldogs have appeared in the preseason poll.
- Gonzaga joins Duke, Kansas, and Kentucky as the only programs that have appeared in each of the last 17 preseason AP Polls.
- The Zags enter the season ranked 12th in the preseason USA Today/Coaches poll.
- GU opens in the top 20 of the poll for the 14th straight year. GU appears in the Coaches' preseason poll for the 17th consecutive season.
- Last season, the Bulldogs advanced to their 27th straight NCAA Tournament, the third-longest active streak in the nation, and finished with a 31-4 record. Gonzaga finished No. 18 in the final AP Poll.
- It was the program's seventh 30-win season over the last 10 seasons. GU has 10 30-win seasons, all over the last 14 seasons. In that span since 2012-13, the Bulldogs have won a national-best 86.7 percent (431-66) of their games.
- Last season, the Zags extended its NCAA Div. 1 record to 19 straight seasons of at least 25 wins. GU's 29-straight 20-win seasons ranks second for the longest active run in the country.
- Over the last six seasons, Gonzaga is 174-32 (.845), the second-best winning percentage in the nation over that span. Only Houston was better at .860 (190-31), with Duke third at .797 (169-43).
- Few was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Aug. 15, 2026.
- In July it was announced that Few will return to the Team USA coaching staff for the 2027 FIBA World Cup and Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 as an assistant, a role he had at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 when he won a gold medal.
- Few enters his 28th season with a 772-156 (.832) record at Gonzaga, the highest winning percentage in NCAA Div. I history.

COUTING THE BOILERMAKERS
- Purdue was picked to finish sixth in the Big Ten preseason media poll conducted by The Columbus Dispatch.
- Purdue returns just 41 starts and 34.6 percent of its scoring from last season's team, which finished 30-9 overall and reached the Elite Eight. The 41 returning starts are the fewest of the Matt Painter era, with C.J. Cox accounting for 39 and Benter adding two.
- Purdue has reached 11 consecutive NCAA Tournaments and has ranked in the KenPom Top 25 in each of the last 12 seasons.
- Through their three exhibitions, Cox averaged a team-high 15.3 points per game, while Omer Mayer chipped in 10 points per outing. Cox made 7-of-14 from behind-the-arc. Daniel Jacobsen averaged 8.7 points on 62.5 percent shooting from the field.
- The Boilermakers closed their exhibition schedule with a 76-53 loss at No. 4/5 UConn Tuesday. Cox scored a game-high 18 points, while grabbing seven rebounds.
- Purdue opened exhibition play with an 87-55 win over Ball State on Oct. 18. The Boilermakers made a school exhibition-game record 17 three-pointers.
- The Boilermakers followed with a 92-62 win at Purdue Fort Wayne on Oct. 22. Antione West Jr. led Purdue with 16 points off the bench, making four three-pointers. Omer Mayer added 15 points. C.J. Cox scored 13 points and Daniel Jacobsen contributed 11 points. Jack Benter grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
- Purdue has made 30 three-pointers through its first two exhibition games, shooting 30-of-73 (.411) from beyond the arc. The Boilermakers have also outrebounded their opponents by a combined 86-48 margin.

ABOUT THE SERIES
- Purdue leads the all-time series against Gonzaga, 5-0, entering the sixth meeting between the programs on Nov. 2, 2026, in Las Vegas. The Boilermakers have won all five matchups, including three consecutive games from 2022-24.
- Three of Purdue's five victories over Gonzaga have come in postseason NCAA Tournament play or high-profile early-season tournaments since 2022. Purdue went on to reach the national championship game in 2024 after eliminating Gonzaga in the Sweet 16.
- The programs first met Nov. 18, 1998, in West Lafayette, Ind., during the Preseason NIT. Purdue won, 83-68.
- The teams met again in the 2000 NCAA Tournament, facing off in the West Regional semifinals in Albuquerque, N.M. No. 25 Purdue held off Gonzaga, 75-66, on March 23, 2000.
- After a 22-year gap, the teams renewed the series in the semifinals of the Phil Knight Legacy in Portland, Ore., on Nov. 25, 2022. Purdue won, 84-66, behind its size and interior scoring.
- Purdue rallied to defeat Gonzaga, 73-63, in the quarterfinals of the Maui Invitational on Nov. 20, 2023, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Zach Edey scored 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Boilermakers, while Graham Ike led Gonzaga with 14 points and seven rebounds.
- The most recent meeting came in the 2024 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in Detroit on March 29. Top-seeded Purdue defeated fifth-seeded Gonzaga, 80-68, to advance to the Elite Eight. The Boilermakers held a 40-36 halftime lead and outscored the Zags by four in the second half.
UP NEXT
- Gonzaga begins the regular season against No. 24 Purdue in the TNT Hall of Fame Series - Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena Monday at 4:30 p.m.
- The Boilermakers

SEASON-OPENING SUCCESS
- The Zags have won 22 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 36 consecutive regular season home-openers since a 73-65 loss to Boise State on Dec. 7, 1988.
- Gonzaga has won all 21 regular season home-openers in the McCarthey Athletic Center and all 27 regular season home-openers under Mark Few.

GONZAGA IN T-MOBILE ARENA
- The Zags return to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for their sixth game in the building, after winning three of their previous five games.
- GU cruised to a 107-54 win over Central Michigan in the first game of the Empire Classic on Nov. 22, 2021.
- The following night, the No. 1 Bulldogs rolled to an 83-63 victory over No. 2 UCLA.
- On Nov. 26, 2021, No. 5 Duke held off GU, 84-81.
- UCLA and Gonzaga met again in T-Mobile Arena in the Sweet 16 in 2023, with the Zags winning a thrilling game, 79-76, after Julian Strawther made a deep three in the final seconds.
- Two nights later, UConn beat the Bulldogs, 82-54, in the Elite. The Huskies went on to win the national title.

GONZAGA TAKES PRESEASON PAC-12 TOP SPOT
- In its first year in the league, Gonzaga unanimously topped the 2026-27 Pac-12 Conference Preseason Media Poll.
- The Zags' Davis Fogle and Braden Huff were selected to the conference's Preseason Player Impact List.
- The Preseason Media Poll was voted on by a panel of league media members, while the Impact List was selected by the league's nine head coaches.
- With the exception of the 2023-24 and 2017-18 seasons, the Zags have been first place in all their respective conference preseason polls since 2001.

TRIO NAMED TO PRESEASON WATCH LISTS
- Davis Fogle was named to the Julius Erving Award (Small Forward) Watch List, Braden Huff was named to the Karl Malone Award (Power Forward) Watch List, and Massamba Diop was named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center) Watch List.
- In February, the watch lists of 20 players for the awards will be narrowed to 10, then to five in March. In late March, the five finalists will be presented to the Hall of Fame's selection committees, where the winners will be selected.
- The selection committees for the awards are composed of top men's college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.

ZAGS CRUISE TO EXHIBITION WIN
- In its final tuneup before the regular season, No. 15 Gonzaga eased past Lewis-Clark State, 91-59, in an exhibition inside McCarthey Athletic Center.
- Twelve Bulldogs scored in the victory, including five in double-digits. Izan Almansa and Parker Jefferson both scored 12 points, with Jefferson grabbing a game-high six rebounds. Braden Huff and Javon Bennett added 11 points each, and Massamba Diop chipped in 10 points.
- Gonzaga made 56 percent of its shots from the field, including nine three-pointers.
- Xaivian Lee dished out five of the Zags' 23 assists. GU turned 14 Warrior turnovers into a 24-7 advantage in points off turnovers.
- The Bulldogs, who never trailed in the game, led 27-23 at the 8:05 mark in the first half, but closed the half on a 27-4 run to pull away. GU's largest lead was 85-48 with 6:53 remaining in regulation.

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Players Mentioned

Izan Almansa

Javon Bennett

Massamba Diop

Davis Fogle

Braden Huff

Graham Ike

Parker Jefferson

Xaivian Lee

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