THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: More tests for the Zags in league are a good thing

I watched something on TV a week or so ago that I hardly ever see. 

A West Coast Conference men’s basketball team not backing down from Gonzaga. 

And then it happened again Thursday. 

Maybe it was because they hadn’t played the Zags in 10 seasons. Maybe they hadn’t read all the press clippings, or seen the glowing praise on television. Maybe they just didn’t care. 

But the Washington State Cougars went toe-to-toe with the Lovables last Saturday night in Spokane, even led for parts of the first half, which certainly caused an unusual and nervous scene at The Kennel. 

In the end the Cougs, shorthanded due to injury, faded a bit in the second half, the Zags eventually showed some fight of their own, and eased away for an 88-75 victory. 

That bodes well for the future. Next season, WSU (and Oregon State) will be in their second season as affiliate members of the WCC. The year after that, the Zags, WSU and OSU will be in the remodeled Pac-12, joined by most of the best schools in the Mountain West, including Boise State. 

SAINT MARY’S, until this season, was the only other WCC school with remotely any success against the Zags. And even then, starting with the Gaels’ win in the 2010 WCC tourney, Gonzaga is 29-12 against the Gaels — though the teams have split the last eight meetings. 

(And Gonzaga is 25-7 against BYU, which left the WCC for the Big 12 following the 2022-23 season). 

Other than the Gaels? Sorry, but except for a rare exception, the outcome is pretty much decided before the game begins. 

Pepperdine? Gonzaga has won 48 in a row over the Waves since 2002. 

San Francisco? The Lovables have beaten the Dons 30 straight times stretching back to 2012 — and USF is considered perhaps the one WCC team other than Saint Mary’s most likely to bump off the Zags. 

Loyola Marymount? The Zags have won 58 of the last 62 against the Lions. 

Pacific? Gonzaga has won all 21 since the Tigers joined the WCC in 2013. 

Portland? The Lovables have won 19 in a row over the Pilots, and 53 of the last 55 since 1997.  

San Diego? Gonzaga has won 19 straight over the Toreros, and 54 of the last 58 dating back to 2000. 

Santa Clara? Entering Saturday, the Zags have taken 49 of the last 52 from the Broncos since 2001 — and that’s including an upset win by Santa Clara last season. 

Heading into Thursday’s game, we weren’t sure what kind of Oregon State team we were going to see against the Zags. But the Beavers, inspired by their first sellout in five seasons, looked like another team that wasn’t going to back down in upsetting the Lovables in overtime. 

Zag fans would likely rather have the usual blowouts in league — a lot less stressful to watch — but these types of games will turn out to be better for their team in the long run.

EVEN ON the women’s side, watching Gonzaga and WSU go at it with more than just regional pride on the line adds something to the matchup — and intrigue to the league. Hopefully the Zag women’s games with Oregon State will do the same, though the gap between Gonzaga’s women and the rest of the WCC is not as pronounced as it is on the men’s side. 

Back to the men. 

In any event, hopefully, BSU, San Diego State, Utah State and Colorado State will also challenge the Zags on a consistent basis when they join their league in 2026-27. 

But before that, we’re looking forward to Zags-Cougs Part 2, set for Feb. 19 in Pullman. 

And even before that, OSU at Gonzaga on Jan. 28. That game will give us an idea whether the Beavers can be a consistent challenger to the throne, or just an every-now-and-then challenger. 

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @CdAPressSports.