first matchup of the season between the Gaels and Zags this season
Later tonight at 6:30pm PST, Gonzaga will face-off against St. Mary’s in Moraga for their first of two games against the Gaels in the coming two weeks.
Jeff Cameron’s team entered the season predicted to finish 8th in the WCC, a reasonable selection given their 13-8 (6-10) campaign last season along with the departure of players like Tayla Dalton and Ali Bamberger, but the Gaels are outperforming those expectations thus far.
Over halfway through the WCC slate, SMC currently sits at 11-10 overall with a 7-5 record that has them checking in 4th in the conference standings prior to tonight’s tip-off. However, the WCC record belies an important truth: they haven’t beaten the big teams yet and, with the exception of one remaining game against LMU in March, they will be facing the gauntlet for the next month.
Of those seven conference wins, the best team the Gaels have taken down was Pacific, twice, which is respectable given the Tigers’ last outing against the Zags, but St. Mary’s has only beaten Santa Clara, USD, LMU, and Pepperdine. Conversely, they’ve lost their matches against Portland, Oregon State, Washington State, and San Francisco with all but one being by ten or more points.
As such, I’m intrigued to see how this matchup tonight goes, particularly since SMC is coming off a three game losing streak with their last matchup being an absolute demolition, 45-80, at the hands of the OSU Beavers. Make sure you tune-in to ESPN+ to catch the matchup later tonight and hit the thread below to share your thoughts!