It’s no secret Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs boast one of the most formidable frontcourts in all of college basketball.
Graham Ike is widely considered one of the best big men in the country, with many media outlets projecting him to earn All-American honors this season, following in the footsteps of Gonzaga frontcourt stars before him, including Drew Timme, Chet Holmgren, Rui Hachimura, and Kelly Olynyk.
Ike is joined by Braden Huff, who has been among the most proficient back to the basket scorers in college hoops the past two years, averaging 10.2 points in 15.1 minutes per game while shooting 65% on two pointers.
While no one is going to be caught off guard by the offensive firepower of Gonzaga’s frontcourt duo, the question on opposing coaches’ minds is how to stop them, or at least slow them down.
Oklahoma head coach Porter Moser addressed Gonzaga’s frontcourt on the ‘Tyler Neal is Checking In’ podcast, and one way they might try to counter them on Saturday night in Spokane.
“These are like SEC bigs, or even better,” Moser said. “Ike is one of the best bigs in the country. You just don’t see a lot of teams pound it inside to two guys as much as the Zags.”
Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (15). / Photo by Myk Crawford
Gonzaga big men have always been among the most utilized players in the sport on a per possession basis, with both Ike and Huff putting up usage rates over 28% last year. Everyone tuning in on Saturday night knows coach Few and the Zags will go to both bigs early and often against the Sooners, so what will coach Moser do to try to stop them?
One option, which may seem counterintuitive, is to go with a smaller lineup. Moser mentioned sliding Notre Dame transfer Tae Davis, a 6’9 power forward, up to the center spot if starter Mo Wague ends up in foul trouble. The team could then bring another guard off the bench — likely 6’6 wing Jeff Nwankwo or, if he’s healthy, 6’5 Long Beach State transfer Jadon Jones — forcing Gonzaga to adjust their personnel on the defensive side of the floor.
“If we play that lineup,” Moser said, referring to Davis playing the five, “They’re going to have to guard us too.”
OU forward Tae Davis (13). / NATE BILLINGS/FOR THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
A big factor for Oklahoma’s frontcourt will be the status of true freshman Kai Rogers. Rogers is a 6’10 big man who 247Sports ranked as the 90th best prospect — and 14th best center — in the 2025 class. He committed to Oklahoma over Cincinnati, Florida State, and Georgetown, but an injury kept him out of the team’s first game against Saint Francis on Monday.
If Rogers is unable to go on Saturday, Oklahoma will rely on Wague, Davis, and 6’9 redshirt freshman Kuol Atak to counter Gonzaga’s frontcourt.
Gonzaga will have their hands full with Oklahoma’s very experienced — and sharpshooting — backcourt duo of Nijel Pack and Xzayvier Brown, which should make for a fun battle on Saturday at the Spokane Arena.
The game is set to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
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