Gonzaga's Mark Few provides injury update on Graham Ike following blowout win over North Florida

Bulldogs didn't have their leading scorer for their 51-point victory over the Ospreys

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike. | Photo by Erik Smith

Gonzaga forward Graham Ike was ruled out for Sunday night's game against North Florida due to an ankle injury that's apparently been nagging the 6-foot-9 forward since the Bulldogs' first couple of games in the Players Era Festival tournament over Thanksgiving week.

Ike's coach, Mark Few, believes the Zags' leading scorer tweaked his ankle during their 100-61 victory over Maryland in the second game of the Las Vegas-based event on Nov. 25. That would've meant Ike played through team's ensuing two games against Michigan and Kentucky in pain before sitting out Sunday night's 109-58 blowout win over the Ospreys.

"He tweaked that ankle," Few said of Ike after the game. "So that was bothering him, and bothered him kind of all week. We kind of got it right for Kentucky, but then him and [Otega Oweh] kind of collided there the second half and kind of tweaked it again so, he'll be fine."

The context behind Ike's ailment only augments his 28-point, 10-rebound outing against the Wildcats. Despite a slow start, Ike finished 11-for-18 from the field to match his Gonzaga career high and spearhead a triumphant 94-59 win after the Bulldogs got routed by Michigan in the Players Era Festival championship game nine days earlier.

"He's a trooper," Huff said of Ike's performance against Kentucky after the North Florida game. "That game was ridiculous even if he wasn't injured, so the fact that his ankle has been bothering him, you couldn't tell. Glad he was able to get some rest tonight and hopefully he'll be ready to go Saturday."

Ike's big night in Nashville brought his season averages to 16.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, both of which led Gonzaga going into Sunday night's game against the Ospreys.

While the Zags didn't need Ike for their 51-point win on Sunday, Few and company would probably prefer if he were ready to go for their next outing: a showdown against UCLA (7-2) and its deep frontcourt at Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday.

The Bruins' front line of Tyler Bilodeau, Xavier Booker and Eric Dailey should present a tough challenge for the Zags in defending the painted area. Bilodeau, who recently returned from a knee injury that forced him to miss two games, averages 15.6 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 52.1% from the field.

Gonzaga managed to hold the Kennewick, Washington, native in check during the Bruins' 65-62 head-to-head win last December, as Bilodeau tallied just seven points on 2-of-10 from the field. Dailey did most of the heavy lifting, finishing with 18 points and six rebounds while going 5-of-10 from the floor.

Dailey puts up 10.9 points and 4.7 rebounds this season. Booker, a 6-foot-11 forward and former five-star recruit via Michigan State, adds 10.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest.

Few didn't specifically say whether Ike would be available for Saturday's game. Based on his comments after Sunday's game, though, it sounds like the fifth-year forward could be good to go for the 8:30 p.m. PT tip-off from Climate Pledge Arena.