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Leaving aside a meeting between the two teams in 1949, the BYU-Gonzaga rivalry began in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, when the Cougars, playing as a favored seed but heavy underdog, easily handled the Zags in Denver, paced by national Player of the Year Jimmer Fredette.
That game preceded BYU's admission to the West Coast Conference the following season, and their first meeting as conference foes also went the Cougars' way: an 83-73 decision at the Marriott Center, on February 2nd of last year.
Since that time, the series has been all Gonzaga. Mark Few's team has ripped off three straight wins against BYU, each more dominant the one preceding it. An 11-point win last season in Spokane, followed by a 19-point victory in the 2012 WCC Tournament, and then a 20-point shellacking last month at The Kennel.
That 83-63 win was the first win in the Zags' current ten-game win streak, which they take--along with a No. 2 national ranking--into Thursday night's Senior Night matchup with BYU at the Marriott Center. The Bulldogs are the highest-ranked team ever to face BYU at the Marriott Center, which was constructed in 1971.
"We talked to our guys today about what a great opportunity it is for us," said BYU head coach Dave Rose after Tuesday's 90-minute practice in Provo, "to play a really good team on a national stage in our building, late in the year. Hopefully our guys will be ready; hopefully we'll be able to have the right mindset in this game."
Referencing last month's road loss at Gonzaga, in which BYU trailed 40-21 at halftime, Rose said "we got off to a tough start and tried to play from behind up there, and never really got on top of that game."
"Hopefully we can make some improvements on how we played up there."
You can hear Rose's post-practice media session, as well as interviews with seniors Brandon Davies, Brock Zylstra, and Craig Cusick, in "Cougar Cuts," above left.
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Thursday's game will include preseason honors for the aforementioned senior trio, along with injured players Stephen Rogers and Chris Collinsworth, both of whom had to call it quits before the season began, due to lingering health issues.
Of the quintet, Rose said "they all came in at different times, they all came in, in different situations, but they were all able to accomplish a lot of the same things. They all played in NCAA Tournament games, all of them were able to win a conference championship--at least one--and those are things that those kids will be able to remember forever."
"You're always proud of the guys who come through and what they've given you, but this class is pretty unique...they're all leaving in interesting circumstances."
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Finishing at home to 8th-place Portland on its own Senior Night, Gonzaga's last real obstacle blocking an undefeated conference campaign will be Thursday night's game in Provo. A potential one seed in the NCAA Tournament, Gonzaga enters Thursday's game ranked 2nd nationally in FG%, 3rd in scoring margin and 4th in Pomeroy's overall ratings and offensive efficiency.
The Bulldogs have shot 50% or better from the field in six of the ten games in their current streak, and 40% or better from the three-point line in seven of the games. Center Kelly Olynyk is an All-America candidate and a shoo-in for WCC Player of the Year honors.
At 27-2 on the season, Gonzaga leads the nation in total victories and win-loss percentage; they've won 25 or more games in each of the last six seasons. Last weekend, the Bulldogs clinched a share of the West Coast Conference title, and will be the top seed at the conference tournament. Gonzaga has won or shared the WCC regular season crown in 12 of the last 13 seasons.
"They've been so consistent in winning that the expectation for them to win just permeates through their program," said Rose on Tuesday.
Asked if, after last month's loss in Spokane, he thought that Gonzaga could come into Thursday's game as the number-two team in the country, Rose said "the way they handled that game, we knew they were really good. As far as a (ranking) number in front of your team, it's just a matter of how consistent you can be, in winning. They've actually answered every challenge...that's what's so impressive about Mark (Few's) tenure there, is that they're just so consistent, in being able to win games, no matter what the style is."
Of Olynyk, who is averaging 18 points and seven rebounds per game, while shooting 66% from the field and 80% from the stripe, Rose said he had NBA guys tell him during Olynyk's redshirt season of 2011-12 that "the best player on Gonzaga's team wasn't suiting up. We knew that he was good, and that he was going to have a great season, but I don't think anybody could have predicted how he has played."
"Again, consistency has been the key for him; he has just been good every night, over and over."
In last month's win over BYU, Olynyk scored 26 points on 9-for-9 shooting, with an 8-for-8 performance at the free throw line. He added nine rebounds and five assists.
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BYU and Gonzaga tip it Thursday night at 9:00; pregame coverage begins on KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM) and BYU Radio (SiriusXM 143) at 8:00.
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Photo: Courtesy BYU Photo
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