Ultimately, this wasn’t the showing around Christmas time that the Pacific Northwest Showdown was hoping for from the two prominent universities on the West Coast. In Portland, Oregon, there was just a slight
mix of red and green in the crowd, with little energy. Wouldn’t have thought that from behind the scenes of the Moda Center.
Even Gonzaga coach Mark Few admitted he thought the turnout in nearby Portland was going to be a better showing from the Zag faithful from the surrounding areas.
“We have a great following, and I really, really, really appreciate everybody that showed up today. I mean, that was the plan when Dana (Altman) and I set this thing up. I got to be honest with you. I thought we’d have more of a stagnation than we have. We usually draw like crazy wherever we go, and especially in the Northwest. So, a little disappointed in that, but I was so happy for everybody that did show. And the team’s put on a great show.” – Gonzaga coach Mark Few
It was Gonzaga’s redshirt junior guard Braeden Smith who brought life back to the arena and, more importantly, his team off the bench. He differentiated himself with a team-high 21 points on 7-for-10 shooting, seven assists, and two steals. Composed and under control with his zero turnovers.
The reason that Smith had to step in this specific scenario was that freshman starting guard Mario Saint-Supery (only 13 minutes played) was dealing with some sort of flu, according to Few’s postgame. Smith stepped up and answered the call through his ability to score the bucket, but more importantly, not hand over scoring opportunities to Oregon.
“He (Saint-Supery) hasn’t been able to practice this whole week and woke up feeling not as good as we thought he was going to be today. So we tried him a little bit, and God bless him. He couldn’t really function too well out there. We leaned on (Braeden) Smith, hard, and he responded big time. He saved us and was a huge key to the game.” – Gonzaga coach Mark Few
The Zags only turned over the ball a total of five times, a season-low for the group through the first 13 games of the 2025-26 season. Smith was the expected regular starter before the season started, and this afternoon, he controlled the floor in Saint-Supery’s absence.
As for the offensive star of this Gonzaga roster of late, redshirt junior forward Braden Huff (20 points on 9-for-16 shooting, six rebounds, one block) continues his hot streak of being the go-to bucket at the basket. When watching the pregame warm-ups between each other, the biggest smile was coming off of Huff’s face. His teammates seem to like his demeanor off the court and respect his play on it even more.
Huff has been on a tear, finishing with 20+ points in seven of the last nine outings for the Zags. His continuous, polished effort as a post scorer on a game-by-game basis makes him one of the best with his back to the rim in the country.
His frontcourt counterpart, graduate forward Graham Ike, is sort of playing his sidekick as of late. But that’s a fine thing to be dealing with, adding 17 points on 9-for-11 free throws and snagging a game-high 11 rebounds.
For Oregon’s junior guard Jackson Shelstad (12 points on 5-for-13 field goals/2-for-9 three-pointers and four assists/one turnover) and senior center Nate Bittle, who were once on Gonzaga’s recruiting radar back in high school, it was the seven-foot Bittle who was a pest for the likes of Huff and Ike with his game-high 28 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and four blocks. He looks like a Big Ten Conference First Team caliber-type of player.
The Zags seem to have a problem with players like him (and UCLA’s Aday Mara back in the Players Era Festival title game). A relevant issue to pay attention to going forward as Gonzaga prepares for the tenuous month of March.
When listening to Oregon coach Dana Altman’s postgame interview with the media, it seems like he is starting to stack up excuse after excuse regarding his control of the team. He still hasn’t been able to find any sort of balance between the success of his three returnees (Shelstad, Bittle, and junior forward Kwame Evans Jr.) and the supporting cast.
What should have many excited in Spokane is Steele Venters’ newfound feeling of confidence from beyond the arc. From not playing the last two collegiate seasons to now letting it fly with no hesitation is a welcome sight to see. Through the last four games, he’s been unconscious on his looks from deep, going 11-for-17 (64.7 percent).
Take a look at Gonzaga’s record against power conference programs during the brutal non-conference scheduling from Few and staff:
3-0 vs. SEC
3-1 vs. Big Ten
1-0 vs. Big East
1-0 vs. Big 12
The Zags have to now get ready for the grind that will be the final West Coast Conference play, starting with the Pepperdine Waves in Malibu on Sunday, Dec. 28, at 5 p.m. PT on ESPN+. Few’s team is riding a wave, winning their last five games in a row.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
