Gonzaga looks to rebound vs. Mississippi Valley State

After a tough loss to Washington, the Bulldogs return home to face one of the worst teams in the country

As much as a loss to an in-state rival might sting, there's no time for the No. 10 Gonzaga Bulldogs to dwell on what could or should have happened against Washington in Seattle.

In a quick 48-hour turnaround, the Zags (7-2) return to Spokane to take on a Mississippi Valley State squad in search of its first win of the 2023-24 season. The Delta Devils (0-9) have endured a tough nonconference slate away from home with road games against Oklahoma, UConn, TCU and Liberty thus far, while a matchup against Baylor awaits on Dec. 22. Credit to head coach George Ivory for putting together a rigorous 13-game nonconference slate with plenty of matchups against high-level competition, though it hasn't panned out well for his experienced squad.

Overall, the Delta Devils rank last in the country according to KenPom at No. 362, with the worst offense and 355th-best defense. Their average margin of defeat is 33.3 points with the closest loss being a 3-point letdown in overtime to Pacific (ranked 341st in KenPom). Averaging just under 50 points per game, Mississippi Valley State has shot 35.5% from the field and 27.5% from beyond the arc, as its 2-point field goal percentage of 37.9% is the second-worst mark in all of college basketball.

Their offensive struggles stem from the lack of scoring options outside of 6-foot-6 senior and leading scorer Rayquan Brown, who averages 15.3 points. But after losing two double-digit scorers in Terry Collins and Tyronn Mosley, there isn't a consistent scorer to help Brown. Junior guard Donovan Sanders has looked good at times, including 18 points and six rebounds against Liberty, though he's also had a 1-for-10 outing against Cal-State Northridge and back-to-back 3-for-10 shooting nights against Oklahoma and UConn.

On the other end of the court, the Delta Devils' zone defense hasn't taken much of a positive stride from where it was last season. After being one of just 20 teams in the country to play more zone than man-to-man defense, per Synergy, Ivory didn't change much schematically to start the 2023-24 season. Though its 3-point defense is near average, Mississippi Valley State still allows its opponents to shoot 49.5% from the field and 61.7% on 2-point attempts, the second-worst mark in the country.

Size certainly plays a role in both offensive and defensive deficiencies — the Delta Devils' don't have a player taller than 6-foot-8 in the rotation. The height disparity is also evidenced by the -11.3 average rebound margin on the season, as they rank 360th in opponent's offensive rebound percentage according to KenPom.

Simply put, Gonzaga should face as much resistance from the Delta Devils as it did against Arkansas-Pine Bluff a week ago. Considering how the last 15 minutes against the Huskies went, Monday's game should be an opportunity to hit the reset and find a rhythm before another test against UConn on Friday.  

Dan Dickau reacts to Gonzaga's loss at Washington: ‘The game came down to energy and activity on the glass’