What Gonzaga must do to avoid another stunning upset vs. Portland on senior night

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs have one final home game in the 2025-26 college basketball season, set for Wednesday night against the Portland Pilots.

Gonzaga (27-2, 15-1) lost a stunner in Portland back on Feb. 4, 87-80, in what is unquestionably the worst loss of the season – and arguably the worst of coach Few’s career. The Zags rebounded well from the defeat, winning five straight to retake first place in the WCC and keep their hopes of earning a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament alive.

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Now the Zags have to ensure the unthinkable doesn’t happen again, especially not on senior night when the program will honor Graham Ike, Jalen Warley, Tyon Grant-Foster, Adam Miller, Steele Venters, and Noah Haaland for their contributions to the program.

A win guarantees Gonzaga at least a share of the WCC regular season title, and cements them as the No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament in Las Vegas – regardless of whether they win or lose against Saint Mary’s on Saturday in Moraga.

Below is a look at three things Gonzaga needs to do to make sure it gets a much-needed victory on Wednesday against the Pilots:

1. Don’t let Joel Foxwell control the game

Gonzaga fans will remember the name Joel Foxwell for a long time – especially if the Australian freshman is able to command the game in Spokane as he did in Portland.

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Foxwell carved up Gonzaga the entire game, finishing with 27 points and eight assists, while shooting 8-10 on two-pointers and 3-8 from three. Gonzaga hedged on high ball screens and Foxwell was crafty enough to follow Ike out of the hedge, allowing him to get to his spot at the top of the key – where he could pull up for a midrange jumper, continue driving to the rim, or make a pass to an open cutter or shooter while Gonzaga’s defense was still scrambling.

Portland’s Joel Foxwell, right, shoots over Oregon’s Wei Lin during the first half at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene Dec. 17, 2025. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY…

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Publish date : 2026-02-25 04:11:00

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