Gonzaga opens at home Saturday after beating Purdue

The No. 15 Zags host New Mexico State at 2 p.m. in Mark Few's 28th season and Gonzaga's first in the new Pac-12.

Update, Saturday night: Gonzaga beat New Mexico State 109-68 to move to 2-0.

Gonzaga, the nearest big-time college basketball program to Kootenai County, opens its home schedule Saturday against New Mexico State at 2 p.m. at the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane. The game is on KHQ and ESPN Unlimited.

The Bulldogs are 1-0 after beating Purdue 78-72 in Las Vegas on Monday night, the first time Gonzaga has ever beaten Purdue, according to the university. Davis Fogle scored 22 points, Xaivian Lee added 18 in his Gonzaga debut, Izan Almansa had 11 and Braden Huff had 10.

A new league, the same streaks

This is Gonzaga's first season in the rebuilt Pac-12 after leaving the West Coast Conference. The Zags started the season ranked No. 15 in the Associated Press poll and No. 12 in the coaches poll. It is their 17th straight year in the preseason AP poll, a streak only Duke, Kansas and Kentucky match, according to the university.

Coach Mark Few starts his 28th season with a 772-156 record, the best winning percentage in Division I history, the university says. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Aug. 15.

Gonzaga has won 27 straight regular-season openers under Mark Few, going back to his first season in 1999-2000. Last season the Zags went 31-4 and made their 27th straight NCAA Tournament.

The opponent

New Mexico State fell to 1-1 after losing to Gonzaga 109-68, following an opening 73-66 win over Western New Mexico. The Aggies were picked to finish sixth in Conference USA. The teams have met twice, with Gonzaga winning both: 80-68 on Dec. 7, 2013, and 109-68 on Nov. 7, 2026.

Next up

After a week off, Gonzaga plays LSU on Nov. 14 at 12:30 p.m. at the Numerica Veterans Arena in Spokane.