Game Preview: Zags to face captivating LSU at Spokane Arena

When the Gonzaga Bulldogs beat the Oklahoma Sooners 88-72 in last year’s matchup at the Spokane Arena, the venue drew 12,233, the largest in the arena’s history, creating an unbelievable atmosphere at Gonzaga’s home away from The Kennel.

On Saturday, the LSU Tigers will become the latest Power Five team to make their way to the Lilac City and into one of college basketball’s greatest environments, with a fanbase now more amped than ever with the announcement that Florida State transfer Chauncey Wiggins (13.3 points per game, 39% from beyond the arc) is now eligible.

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Wade fully understands how tough it is to play in the Spokane Arena. After Gonzaga throttled the Baylor Bears by 38 points in the season-opener two years ago and handily beat Oklahoma in the raucous environment last year, LSU (3-0) will face their first big test of the season against No. 14 Gonzaga (2-0) in a 12:30 p.m. PT Saturday matchup at the Numerica Veterans Arena.

“[Gonzaga has] another phenomenal team… I think I was the only one dumb enough to go up there and play them. They tried to get everyone else, and we were the only ones dumb enough to sign up for it.” – LSU coach Will Wade

Scouting LSU

While the undefeated Tigers are off to a hot start, they did not receive any votes in the Week 2 AP Poll and have beaten the LSU-New Orleans Privateers, Texas Southern Tigers, and Louisiana Tech Bulldogs by an average of 41.3 points.

The last time Wade and Hall of Fame coach Mark Few matched up was in the NCAA Tournament two years ago, as the No. 5-seeded Zags cruised to a 21-point win over No. 12-seeded Wade’s McNeese State Cowboys, a popular pick in a potential upset. Now, Wade is in his second stint at the helm for LSU, commanding a team that had more offseason fuss than the Zags did. No player from last year’s roster is back for this year.

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After all that, the Tigers put together a very intriguing team full of experienced backcourt talent paired with young and talented international bigs…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/game-preview-zags-face-captivating-220854358.html

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Publish date : 2026-11-13 22:08:00

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