No. 20 Gonzaga to host No. 22 Saint Mary's

It's a rare event, a Top 25 showdown between two teams from a mid-major conference.

No. 20 Gonzaga will play No. 22 Saint Mary's on Thursday night, with the winner taking over first place in the West Coast Conference. It's the first game of the season between two ranked conference opponents from a non-BCS league.

The game is so highly anticipated that some Gonzaga students have been camped outside the McCarthey Athletic Center in subzero wind chill factors since Sunday in the quest for good seats.

"This is definitely the biggest game of the season," Gonzaga's Josh Heytvelt said.

And a welcome break from the beatings Gonzaga has inflicted in its five WCC games so far, where the Bulldogs have been winning by an average of nearly 30 points.

Saint Mary's (18-1, 5-0 WCC) is off to the best start in its history and has a school record 15-game winning streak that is tops in the nation.

Gonzaga (14-4, 5-0 WCC) has a six-game winning streak after a December stumble that saw it lose three games in a row.

Players admit they are fired up.

"Saint Mary's is the other team in this league this year," Gonzaga guard Micah Downs said.

"A lot of people are saying they are the best team in the WCC," Downs added. "Lots of people are saying we are the underdogs going into this game. That's not a bad place to be."

Gonzaga coach Mark Few was working to dampen expectations, noting this is only one game in a long season.

The teams will meet again in Moraga, Calif., and conceivably a third time in the WCC tournament, he said. He noted that San Diego and Portland are also in the league title hunt.

But Few did allow that: "If we have an intention to win the league championship, we've got to take care of business."

The teams are close statistically.

Gonzaga averages 79 points per game, and Saint Mary's 77. The Gaels pull down 42 rebounds per game.

They are led by Australian import Patrick Mills, who is averaging 18.7 points per game. Mills has scored in double figures in all 19 games this season.

Diamon Simpson is averaging 12.8 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. Simpson and Omar Samhan (9.8 rebounds) pull down a combined 20.7 rebounds per game, more than any other duo in the country.

The Bulldogs have four players who routinely score in double figures, led by Heytvelt's 14.7 ppg. Austin Daye, who leads the team with 7.1 rebounds per game, averages 13.8 points. Matt Bouldin adds 13.1 points and Steven Gray 10.6 ppg.

Jeremy Pargo, the 2008 WCC Player of the Year, averages a WCC-best 5.9 assists per game, while adding 9.2 points.

The last meeting between the teams was also a Top 25 showdown, the first in WCC history. The No. 24 Bulldogs defeated the No. 23 Gaels 88-76 in Spokane last March 1.

Gonzaga has won 21 of the last 24 games in the series, including the last 13 in Spokane dating to 1995.

But this game is different.

There are only two teams undefeated in league play, Downs said, adding, "After Thursday there is only going to be one of us. We want to be on top and the team to beat."