Former Kentridge High School star Gary Bell Jr. has met virtually every challenge tossed his way while being force-fed big-time college basketball as a key freshman starter for 21st-ranked Gonzaga.
Tonight, however, Bell faces a different type of challenge. No team wants a piece of the Bulldogs’ hide more than Saint Mary’s, and the Gaels’ 3,500-seat gym in Moraga, Calif., will be packed to the rafters with first place in the West Coast Conference on the line on national television (8 p.m., ESPN2).
“I’m very excited,” Bell said. “I mean, first rivalry game (for him in college).
“All the guys say it’s going to be a tough one, the crowd’s going to be on you. But we’re looking forward to it.”
The Gaels (15-2 overall, 4-0 WCC) are on a five-game winning streak and lead the conference. The Bulldogs (13-2, 3-0) are on an eight-game winning streak. Gonzaga is 1-1 in its only two true road games.
Both teams feature up-tempo offenses and aggressive defenses. The Bulldogs and Gaels beat each other in close games on the road last season and shared the WCC regular-season title. Gonzaga downed Saint Mary’s in the title game of the WCC tournament.
Saint Mary’s has two of the WCC’s top players in senior forward Rob Jones (15.4 points and a league-leading 10.8 rebounds per game) and junior guard Matt Dellavedova (15.2 points and a league-leading 6.5 assists).
The Bulldogs rely heavily on freshman point guard Kevin Pangos (14.2 points and 3.5 assists) and Bell, a lock-down defender who has led Gonzaga each of the past two games with 15 points. Rob Sacre and Elias Harris provide a potent 1-2 punch inside.
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