Top-25 foes square off in Pacific Northwest

Nov 17, 2014 - 3:49 PM Spokane, WA (SportsNetwork.com) - A Top-25 battle is on tap on Monday night at the McCarthey Athletic Center, as the Gonzaga Bulldogs play host to the SMU Mustangs as part of the annual Tip-Off Marathon.

Mark Few's Bulldogs opened up their highly anticipated 2014-15 season in grand fashion, routing Sacramento State last Friday, 104-58. With the win, Few moved his career record to 404-100, as he sits as the all-time leader in winning percentage (.802). It also marked the 26th straight win for Gonzaga at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Larry Brown's Mustangs are also off to a fast start, having disposed of Lamar in Friday's opening day, 93-54. SMU posted a strong 27-10 record last season, including a 4-3 mark against ranked opponents. In head-to-head matchups between ranked foes however, the Mustangs were 0-2.

This marks the first-ever meeting between these teams on the hardwood.

Coming off a NIT championship game appearance a year ago, big things are expected of the Mustangs in year three under Brown. The team was picked to finish among the best teams in the American Athletic Conference this season and for good reason. The squad returns a nice nucleus from last year, including junior Nic Moore and Markus Kennedy, a pair of all-conference selections. Moore was both a solid scorer and facilitator a year ago, averaging 13.6 points and 4.9 assists per game. The 6-foot-9 Kennedy can score inside (12.4 ppg), rebound (7.1 rpg) and block shots (1.2 bpg). However, just before the season began, Kennedy was ruled ineligible for the first semester. That means that others will need to step up and fill the void for at least the first half of the season.

That is exactly how the season opener played out, as sophomore forward Ben Moore erupted for a near double-double to pace the Mustangs against Lamar. Moore was 8-of-12 from the floor, and finished with team-highs of 22 points and nine rebounds. Senior center Yanick Moreira poured in 19 points, while Keith Frazier tacked on 11. Nic Moore took a backseat in terms of stats, posting six points and five assists in the win for SMU, which shot a blistering .611 from the field in the game.

Gonzaga is stacked with talent this season and it showed in the season opener, as the Bulldogs ran roughshod over Sacramento State, posting a 46-point win. The team converted 54.5 percent from the floor overall, dominated in the rebounding department (47-28) and had five players finish in double-figure scoring. Kentucky transfer Kyle Wiltjer made an immediate splash in his debut with the Zags, topping the scoring chart with a game-high 18 points. Star guard Kevin Pangos poured in 16 points, while USC transfer Byron Wesley and Gary Bell Jr. tacked on 12 and 11 points, respectively. The team has extremely high hopes for freshman forward Domantas Sabonis and the son of Hall of Famer Arvydas Sabonis delivered, posting 14 points and eight rebounds in just 20 minutes of work off the bench.

An established backcourt of Pangos and Bell already makes Gonzaga the team to beat once again in the West Coast Conference. Add supremely talented transfers in Wiltjer and Wesley and a youngster with as much talent as Sabonis and this is a team that should remain among the nation's elite all season long.