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College basketball world reacts to Gonzaga’s surprising loss to Portland

Gonzaga's historic loss was the talk of college basketball media on Wednesday
Andy Patton|
Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Jalen Warley (8).
Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Jalen Warley (8). | Photo by Erik Smith

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Gonzaga BulldogsPortland Pilots

A relatively pedestrian Wednesday slate of games across college basketball was turned on its head by a handful of big-time upsets, none more shocking than Gonzaga's road loss to Portland, which snapped a 15-game winning streak and can be argued to be the worst loss of Mark Few's career.

Gonzaga came out flat at the Chiles Center, going down 15-5 in the opening minutes, and basically never recovered; briefly taking a 26-25 lead at the 6:55 mark in the first half, which lasted just 32 seconds before the Pilots closed on a 14-7 run and never looked back.

"They beat us in all facets," Few said after the game. "They just outplayed us, out-executed us, outshot us. When they got open shots, they made them and we didn't."

The Zags dropped to 22-2 on the year and 10-1 in league play, taking their first loss in 2026 and first since the beatdown at the hands of Michigan in the Players Era Championship back on Nov. 26.

The Pilots came into the game as 21.5-point underdogs, per FanDuel, and had never beaten an AP Top 10 team. It had been 12 years since they last defeated Gonzaga, who held a nearly unfathomable 47-2 record against Portland in the coach Few era.

As if that all wasn't enough, Portland was dealing with significant injuries and illness in the locker room, so much so that coach Shantay Legans was participating in a team practice due to a lack of available players - and he tore his Achilles, spending this game on a riding scooter.

Portland Pilots head coach Shantay Legans.
Portland Pilots head coach Shantay Legans. | James Snook-Imagn Images

“I’ll take an Achilles’ for a couple wins,” Legans cracked after his team's monumental performance, which snapped a three-game losing streak.

The Pilots played inspired basketball, led by Australian freshman sensation Joel Foxwell, who scored a game-high 27 points with eight assists and four rebounds. The 6'1 guard carved up Gonzaga's defense all game long in pick and roll actions, getting to his spots with ease and distributing effectively for his teammates - all while playing 39 minutes.

Even on a night when No. 10 Michigan State went down to unranked Minnesota, Gonzaga's loss to Portland stole most of the headlines nationally - and for good reason.

Below is a look at some of the reactions from national media following Gonzaga's unprecedented loss to the Pilots:

Gonzaga will look to restart a winning streak on Saturday, Feb. 7 in Corvallis against the Oregon State Beavers. The game will tip at 3:00 PM PT and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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Andy Patton
ANDY PATTON

Andy Patton is a diehard Gonzaga fan and alumnus who has covered the Bulldogs extensively since 2021. He hosts the Locked On Zags podcast and co-hosts the Locked On College Basketball podcast, bringing years of experience covering Gonzaga, the West Coast and college basketball nationally. Andy also covers the Arizona Wildcats for Arizona Wildcats On SI, where his longtime familiarity with former Gonzaga assistant and current Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd provides a natural connection between two of college basketball’s premier programs. Andy has worked in sports media since 2017, with experience covering nearly every major sport. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for USA TODAY from 2017–21, where he also spent time covering the USC Trojans and Oregon Ducks, and previously served as lead writer for College Sports Wire. He has also covered the NBA, NHL and MLB for various TEGNA outlets, including KREM in Spokane, 12News in Phoenix and KING 5 in Seattle. A 2013 Gonzaga graduate, Andy now lives in Spokane, Washington, with his wife, daughter and dog.

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