Seasoned squads Gonzaga and Bucknell square off Saturday at the Kennel

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Dec. 20—Gonzaga and Bucknell don’t share too much in common with each other and, in a general sense, college basketball these days.

The transfer portal, as well as name, image and likeness (NIL), have changed college sports, particularly basketball and football. Both the Zags and Bison, however, boast loads of familiar faces and rank among Division I’s oldest teams heading into Saturday’s matchup at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

No. 13 Gonzaga returned 10 from last season, including six of its top seven scorers, accounting for 81% of the scoring, 71% of the rebounding and 81.4% of the minutes played. The latter ranks fourth nationally.

It’s a similar story for Bucknell, which lost just three players and has four seniors and six juniors on the roster. The returners contributed 71.4% of last season’s points, 78% of the rebounds and 84% of the assists.

Gonzaga (8-3) has dominated the West Coast Conference while Bucknell, located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, has the Patriot League’s best all-time record but hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2018.

Both programs are trying to build momentum before taking holiday breaks.

The Zags were undefeated and ranked No. 3 entering the Battle 4 Atlantis late last month in the Bahamas. They’ve since gone 3-3 with two overtime losses and setbacks against current No. 4 Kentucky and No. 11 UConn before rebounding with a 102-72 win over visiting Nicholls State on Wednesday.

Bucknell (4-7) is on a five-game losing streak mainly because its offense hit a rough patch. The Bison averaged 80.3 points through six games, but that has faded to 59.0 over the last five. They’re shooting just 39.3% from the field, 24.2% on 3-pointers and 57.8% at the foul line in that stretch.

Gonzaga traditionally dials back its schedule to a game per week during dead week and finals week. With those completed, Bucknell marks GU’s second contest this week.

The Zags are heavy favorites, much like they were against Nicholls State on Wednesday, but they endured a slow start…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/seasoned-squads-gonzaga-bucknell-square-030200371.html

Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.

Publish date : 2024-12-21 03:02:00

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