3 keys to victory for Gonzaga Bulldogs against Washington State in Pullman

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are off to a blistering 17-1 start in the 2025-26 college basketball season, with an ugly 40 point loss against Michigan in the Players Era Championship the lone blemish on an otherwise sparkly resume for coach Mark Few's team.

Five of those wins have come in conference play as the Zags look to win the WCC one final time before making the jump to the new look Pac-12 in 2026-27.

Joining Gonzaga in the new Pac-12 will be Thursday's opponent, Washington State, who is currently an affiliate member of the WCC alongside Oregon State after the rest of their conference abandoned them and split up among the Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC.

Washington State (8-10, 3-2) got off to a slow start to begin coach David Riley's second season, but the Cougs have fared better in league play, winning at Portland and at home against Oregon State and LMU with road losses to Seattle and a close one against Saint Mary's in Moraga, 88-82, on Saturday.

Gonzaga is heavily favored Thursday night in Pullman, but a road game against a local rival is never easy, and the Cougs have almost certainly had this game circled on their calendar all year long.

Below are three keys for Gonzaga to secure a win over WSU on Thursday, with the game set to tip at 7:00 PM on the CBS Sports Network.

1. Get off to fast start

Although Gonzaga is undefeated in 2026, they have yet to get off to a strong start in any of their three January games. Graham Ike willed them to a win over Santa Clara despite a tie game at halftime, while the Zags needed a late push to force overtime at home against conference newcomer Seattle U before Tyon Grant-Foster carried them to an eight point victory.

Beasley Coliseum is likely going to bring the noise on Thursday night, and it's crucial Gonzaga doesn't slog through the first five minutes in Pullman - which will only invigorate the crowd and in turn the Cougars, who are coming off a very strong road performance against Saint Mary's.

2. Force turnovers and get out in transition

Washington State is among the most turnover prone teams in college basketball. They average 13.5 turnovers per game, which ranks 306th in the country, while KenPom calculates an 18.8% turnover rate for the Cougars, which isn't much better at 270th overall.

Meanwhile, Gonzaga has done an excellent job of forcing turnovers this year, with their 20% opponent turnover rate putting them 52nd in the country.

The fastest way to quiet an opposing crowd, especially one as lively as WSU's, is to generate live ball turnovers and convert them into easy points in transition. If Gonzaga is able to secure live ball turnovers early in this game it will go a long way toward taking the Cougars out of this game early and allowing the Zags - and their fans - to watch the second half without needing heart medication on Thursday night.

3. Contain Ace Glass III

Glass was the No. 223 ranked freshman in the country when the 6'3 guard committed to Washington State, and he clearly came to Pullman with something to prove. The Rancho Cucamonga native is averaging 15.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists for the Cougars, which included a ridiculous 40 point outburst against Arizona State in the Maui Invitational, and a stellar 24 point, six rebound night in Moraga against Saint Mary's on Saturday, a game the Cougars lost by just six.

Gonzaga will likely start the game with Emmanuel Innocenti - one of coach Few's best on-ball defenders in recent memory - lined up opposite Glass, with Jalen Warley, Tyon Grant-Foster, and potentially Mario Saint-Supery getting cracks at him as well.

Glass is tough because he can get downhill and score at the rim, can shoot adequately from beyond the arc, and has grown in his ability to draw contact and get to the free throw line. However, he's not much of a facilitator, while WSU's offense does not have much punch outside the freshman.

Simply put, the path to a WSU victory becomes really, really hard if Glass doesn't have a strong performance. Shut him down and the Zags almost certainly leave Pullman with a win and a 6-0 start in conference play.

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