Mark Few says Braden Huff 'not even close' to return for Gonzaga basketball

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs bounced back from a disastrous loss to the Portland Pilots to beat Oregon State, 81-61, in Corvallis on Saturday afternoon.

Graham Ike was the star for Gonzaga, tying his career-high with 35 points on magnificent 13-18 shooting, while tacking on seven rebounds and two assists as well.

Ike played 39 minutes against the Beavers, and he has now played 35 or more minutes in his last four games dating back to Gonzaga's win over Washington State on Jan. 15. The 6'9 big man missed three games in that stretch due to ankle soreness, but returned triumphantly for the Zags against Saint Mary's on Jan. 31, dropping 30 points in the victory.

This surge in playing time, and scoring production, from Ike coincides with Braden Huff going out with a left knee injury, which he suffered in practice prior to the WSU game. Early reports indicated the 6'10 big man would be out for 4-8 weeks, although coach Few's comments after Saturday's win over OSU don't make it sound like Huff's return is around the corner.

"We're waiting to make a final decision," Few said. "It's not even close right now, so we'll see. I think we're at week three right now."

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. | Photo by Erik Smith

Gonzaga has gone 6-1 in Huff's absence, although it hasn't exactly been pretty. The team has relied heavily on Ike's scoring in the four games he played, and went with small ball lineups in the three games both bigs were out - at Seattle U and at home against Pepperdine and San Francisco.

Gonzaga's defense was great in those games, but the offense looked out of sorts - with a lot more isolation scoring and an inability to knock down three-point shots without the typical inside-out game.

Huff is having the best season of his career, averaging 17.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while shooting 69.7% on twos and 33.3% from three in 25.4 minutes across 18 games. He's been among the most efficient scorers in the country, and not having his offense as a threat alongside Ike has dramatically shifted the balance of this team on that end of the floor.

The good news is that Ike, who missed those three games with what has been a recurring ankle injury, said he 'felt great' after playing 39 minutes against Oregon State on Saturday, and hadn't even realized he played that much during the game.

Gonzaga's season hinges on Ike being able to play big minutes, while taking on a huge scoring load, at least until Huff returns from his injury - if that ends up happening this season.

Huff is back home in Chicago recovering, and Few's recent comments make it sound like the tail end of the 4-8 week timeline - which lands right around Selection Sunday - is the best case scenario at this point.

Gonzaga will host Washington State (11-15, 6-7) on Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 8:00 PM PT on ESPN2.

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