Gonzaga Rolls Past North Florida, 109-58

Gonzaga returned to the Kennel on Sunday for an early December tune-up on the heels of a stretch that had already delivered a 40-point collapse to Michigan and a 35-point correction against Kentucky. As expected, the Zags handled business at home, pummeling the Ospreys of North Florida, 109-58.

Up next comes UCLA, Oregon, and a narrowing runway of nonconference opportunities to beef up their résumé before conference play begins. North Florida supplied precisely the level of resistance that reassures a home crowd and lifts the confidence of a roster still looking for a consistent identity and a roster full of good options.

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Prior to tip-off, it was announced that the team’s leading scorer, Graham Ike, would be sitting this one out, nursing an ankle injury that’s hobbled him since the opening round of the Players Era Festival against Alabama. Credit to the dude’s toughness for playing through three games since sustaining the injury and still notching a new career high of 28 points along the way. Graham Ike is an absolute force of nature.

The final outcome of this one was never really in question. The Zags attacked the Ospreys from every angle and with every weapon available, comfortably weathering the barrage of threes North Florida relied on to try and keep things competitive.

It was the kind of night that let the Zags lean into what they do best without revealing anything about how the group handles real strain. The lead stretched early, the shot clocks stayed short, and the Bulldogs kept stacking clean looks in a matchup whose outcome was never really in question. The win still carried one meaningful ripple, since the blowout lifted Gonzaga to No. 3 in KenPom behind only Michigan and an Iowa State team that keeps forcing its way into the national picture following their 20-point route of No. 1 Purdue.

New lineup, same outcome

Without Ike, the Zags rolled out their fifth different starting lineup in 10 games. Braden Huff slid into a full shift at the five…

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Publish date : 2025-12-08 06:26:00

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