Gonzaga travels to Pepperdine for pivotal WCC road game

Bulldogs eye first win on the road against the Waves

If 2024 has proven anything, it's that winning on the road is difficult. Over half of the AP Top 25 college basketball teams found that out the hard way last week. 

Human and computer rankings don't matter much, nor which team was favored by the sportsbooks. Even if the home team hasn't won a head-to-head matchup since 2011, the first two weeks of the new year have simply reminded the college basketball world that going into a hostile environment and walking out with a win is easier said than done.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs (11-5, 2-1 WCC) received that memo loud and clear from the sellout crowd at the Leavey Center in Santa Clara. Shear hustle and grit helped the Broncos gain an early advantage, as they led by as many as 13 points and held a 27-11 rebounding advantage at halftime. Anton Watson kept the Bulldogs in the fight throughout, finishing with 32 points, while Ryan Nembhard and Braden Huff helped in spurts in the second half. But the lack of energy and production from others wasn't enough, as Adama-Alpha Bal sunk the go-ahead basket with four seconds remaining to lift Santa Clara past Gonzaga, 77-76, for the first time in a dozen years.

It wasn't the first time the Bulldogs didn't execute for a full 40 minutes on the road. They couldn't take the lid off the basket for roughly 11 minutes in the second half against Washington, which overcame a double-digit deficit to edge out a 78-73 win at home. Credit where it's due to the opposition, but some of the woes away from Spokane can boil down to mental lapses and, in the game against the Broncos, a lack of fight.

NCAA Tournament Bracketology: Gonzaga officially on the bubble

"Obviously, this is a skilled group. We’ve had a decent nonconference schedule, but they need to understand you’re going to get everyone’s best shot and you just can’t come out flat," Adam Morrison said on an episode of Talking Zags. "We’re not talented enough as years past to sleep walk through a half and blow a team out in the second [half]. You got to make it more of a concerted effort to have more effort."

With its at-large hopes of making the NCAA Tournament slipping, Gonzaga's margin of error moving forward is minimal. ESPN Bracketology has the Bulldogs on the outside looking in as a bubble team, in large part because they don't have a single standout victory on the season. Based on how the NET Rankings stand, Gonzaga will have to build its resume from the ground up by doing the very thing it's struggled to do thus far — win on the road.

Thursday's matchup at Pepperdine, which coincidentally was the last opponent Gonzaga beat on the road in February 2023, won't count as a Quad 1 or 2 game. But it will be important for building confidence away from home. Somewhat similar to how the Bulldogs rebounded from their home loss to San Diego State with a win over the Waves to start West Coast Conference play.

Gonzaga rolled to an 86-60 triumph against Pepperdine (9-10, 2-2 WCC) behind a strong night from behind the arc coupled with a collective focus on shutting down the Waves' top scorers. Michael Ajayi, Houston Mallette and Jevon Porter shot a combined 8-for-36 from the field and scored 35 points in the blowout. That trio has since played closer to what their respective season averages would indicate, but expect Gonzaga's attention to be glued on them.

In WCC games, Ajayi is second in scoring (21.5 points per game) and rebounds (10.8 boards per game). Mallette has knocked down the second-most 3-pointers since league play started. Porter has looked solid since his return from injury, including a 26-point performance in a win over Pacific last week, and is still considered to be an NBA talent in the near future. Together, the Waves' trio can be a lot to handle for any WCC team.

Offensively for the Bulldogs, Graham Ike will need to stay out of foul trouble so he can be more involved than he was against Santa Clara. When he's getting touches on the low block as opposed to 10-12 feet away from the rim, the offense can work inside to outside much more effectively. That was the case in the previous matchup with the Waves, when Ike went for 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting while his teammates shot 8-for-19 from beyond the arc.

Likewise, Nolan Hickman will look to bounce back from a season-low four points last time out. The Bulldogs are much better when he's clicking offensively — in the team's five losses, he averaged 9.4 points on 31.6% shooting from the floor. In the 11 wins, he averaged 13.4 points on 49.1% shooting.

Talking Zags: Adam Morrison 'disappointed' with Gonzaga's energy in loss at Santa Clara