How to watch, listen to Gonzaga in WCC semifinal matchup against Oregon State

Mark Few is looking to take Gonzaga to one final WCC championship game
Gonzaga Bulldogs Tyon Grant-Foster (7) and Graham Ike (15).
Gonzaga Bulldogs Tyon Grant-Foster (7) and Graham Ike (15). | Photo by Erik Smith

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Mark Few has led the Gonzaga Bulldogs to the championship game of the WCC Tournament every single season as head coach, a truly remarkable feat he'll look to continue on Monday night in Las Vegas.

Standing in his way will be Wayne Tinkle, who is hoping to extend his tenure as Oregon State's head basketball coach at least one more night.

Tinkle was informed before the start of the WCC Tournament that he will not be retained by Oregon State after the season, ending his time in Corvallis after 12 seasons - which included a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances including a miracle run to the Elite Eight in 2021 after going 10-10 and finishing sixth in the Pac-12 regular season.

OSU AD Scott Barnes planned to let Tinkle go at the conclusion of the 2020-21 season, but couldn't after he led the Beavers to an improbable run - instead signing him to an ill-fated extension that immediately aged poorly after Oregon State went 3-28 the following year.

Barnes wouldn't let the same mistake happen again, while Tinkle is hoping to parlay some magic into one final run on the sideline with the Beavers. The run began on Sunday night when OSU knocked off San Francisco, 78-77, marking the first time the Dons don't make the WCC semifinals in coach Chris Gerlufsen's tenure on the hilltop. It's also the first time Gonzaga will face someone other than USF in the semifinals since 2021 when they played Saint Mary's followed by BYU in the title game.

Gonzaga beat Oregon State, 81-61, in their lone regular season matchup in Corvallis back on Feb. 7 behind a career-night from star forward Graham Ike. The 6'9 senior dropped 35 points on 13-18 shooting, along with seven rebounds, to will the Zags to a victory and get some revenge after the team lost in OT the previous year in Corvallis.

Coach Few's team will need more dominance from Ike on Monday, especially if versatile wing Jalen Warley is unable to go. Warley last suited up for Gonzaga on Feb. 21 in Spokane against Pacific, sitting out the final week of the regular season against Portland and at Saint Mary's.

Warley has been dealing with a quad contusion for over a month now, but has played through the pain admirably - including scoring eight points on 4-6 shooting in 17 minutes against the Beavers just three days after initially suffering the injury.

Gonzaga will need Warley's presence on both ends of the floor, especially defensively against an OSU team that shot 10-18 (55.6%) from three against the Zags last month.

An emotional team playing for their coach is not someone Gonzaga can mess around with, especially with NCAA Tournament seeding hanging in the balance this week.

Below is a look at how to watch Monday's matchup between Gonzaga and Oregon State:

How to watch Gonzaga vs. Oregon State

Date: Monday, March 9

Game time: 6:00 p.m. PT

Where: The Orleans Arena (Las Vegas, NV)

How to watch: ESPN+

How to listen: 96.1 FM (local) and Varsity Sports App

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Andy Patton
ANDY PATTON

Andy Patton is a diehard fan and alumnus of Gonzaga, graduating in 2013. He’s been the host of the Locked On Zags podcast covering Gonzaga basketball since 2021, and one of two co-hosts on the Locked On College Basketball podcast since 2022. In addition to covering college basketball, Andy has dabbled in sports writing and podcasting across nearly every major sport dating back to 2017. He was a beat writer covering the Seattle Seahawks from 2017–2021 for USA TODAY, where he also spent one year each covering the USC Trojans and Oregon Ducks, and had a stint as the lead writer for College Sports Wire. Andy has also written about the NBA, NHL, and MLB for various news outlets through TEGNA, including KREM in Spokane, CBS8 in San Diego, and KING 5 in Seattle. After stints in Spokane and Seattle, Andy is back in Oregon near his hometown with his wife, daughter, and dog.

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