The in-state rivalry between Gonzaga and Washington State for the past decade is similar to that of family members who only see each other around the holidays.
The two schools separated by less than 80 miles from one another have met on the hardwood 150 times since their first matchup in 1907. The Cougars dominated the series early on before the tides started to turn in favor of the Bulldogs heading into the 21st century, as Mark Few and company won 13 of the last 16 head-to-head contests.
Since 2015, however, the two programs have not crossed paths as they went their separate ways. The Zags rose to a national powerhouse under Few, appearing in two Final Four games amid a streak of nine consecutive trips to the Sweet 16 or further. WSU, meanwhile, went through two head coaching changes and finished above .500 three times over the decade.
Even after all these years, though, there’s no respect lost between the Bulldogs (13-4, 4-0 WCC) and Cougars (13-4, 3-1 WCC) as they prepare to meet for the first time as West Coast Conference foes on Saturday…