Feb. 20—Even two years ago, it might have been easy to look at Gonzaga's upcoming home swing and pencil the Zags in for two routine victories.
But things tend to change fast in college basketball.
In 2023-24, Pacific cratered to a 6-26 record, lost to Pepperdine 102-43 in the West Coast Conference Tournament and finished the Leonard Perry era ranked No. 354 at KenPom.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThose dark days are now distant memories — a testament to the work second-year coach Dave Smart has done in a short time rebuilding the Tigers program.
The Pacific team visiting McCarthey Athletic Center for a 6 p.m. (KHQ/ESPN+) tipoff on Saturday is on the verge of breaking into the top 100 at KenPom, currently ranked No. 110. If the regular season ended today, the Tigers (17-12, 8-8) would earn a bye to the quarterfinals of the West Coast Conference Tournament as the fourth-place team in the league standings.
Four days after Pacific swings through the Inland Northwest, the Zags get a Senior Night visit from Portland. No reminder is needed as to why Mark Few's team shouldn't overlook the Pilots (12-16, 5-10), who are tied for eighth in the WCC standings.
Gonzaga can't afford to drop either game if it wants to raise a WCC regular-season trophy at the end of a consequential eight-day stretch that begins with Saturday's test against Pacific and concludes the following Saturday at Saint Mary's.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"We just got done with a really tough back-to-back down here in the Bay Area," Mark Few said after Wednesday's 80-59 win over San Francisco at the Chase Center. "That was marked on my calendar as a really tough stretch. Got through that one, now we've got to get home tonight and rest up."
The Zags need two wins in their final three games to secure the No. 1 seed at the WCC Tournament. If Gonzaga, Santa Clara and Saint Mary's all finish with identical records, the Zags would control the tiebreaker against both teams due to their 2-0 record against the Broncos. The Gaels dropped their first game against Santa Clara and will face the Broncos again on Wednesday in Moraga.
For Gonzaga, the cleanest path to securing the program's first outright WCC championship since 2021-22 would be winning the three remaining games. If Santa Clara and Saint Mary's both lose once more, the Zags only need to go 2-1 to clinch the regular-season title.
Step one is handling Saturday's game against much-improved Pacific. Last year's 9-24 record signified progress from a 6-26 mark the year prior, but the Tigers have taken another sizable step forward in Smart's second season and could reach 20 wins for just the third time since 2008-09 and first time since 2019-20.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe top three teams in the WCC have separated from everyone else, with six games between the teams in third and fourth place, but Pacific is one of seven that could still finish in fourth and earn a coveted bye to the quarterfinals of the league tournament.
"Pacific's having a heckuva year," Few said. "The best I can remember."
The Tigers are in a position to finish top four in the WCC after replacing every rotation player not named Elias Ralph. A preseason All-WCC selection, Ralph is leading Pacific in scoring at 16.6 points per game and rebounding at 6.8 boards per game.
Senior guard TJ Wainwright, a Long Beach State transfer who scored just two points on 1 of 10 shooting when the 49ers visited the Kennel last season, is the other Pacific player scoring double figures at 13.7 ppg.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWainwright is one of four transfers in Pacific's starting unit, alongside Dayton's Isaac Jack (9.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg), Maine's Jaden Clayton (7.5 ppg, 4.4 apg), and UC San Diego's Justin Rochelin (6.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg).
Smart, who's considered one of the most successful Canadian college basketball coaches of all time, won 656 career games at Carleton University before accepting the Pacific job on March 27, 2024, giving him a short window to build his first roster in Stockton, California.
"Last year I recruited, we had to find guys," Smart said in October at WCC Media Day. "I came in so late, we had no money, we were so late, we had no high school recruits. We had to find guys and I had to recruit the way I used to tell the young coaches ... do not do it this way.
"We paid a price for it and we knew we were going to pay a price for it. This year, we recruited the way we recruited at Carleton. I can tell you, we just said if you don't want to be a high-level pro, then do not come here. But if you think you're a high-level pro right now, do not come here."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Tigers have been a defensive- and rebounding-oriented team this season. They rank No. 58 nationally in scoring defense, allowing 68.8 ppg, and No. 59 in rebounds per game at 38.1.
Gonzaga hasn't lost to Pacific under Few, winning all 22 matchups and 24 of the previous 25 games against the Tigers.
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