Preview: Gonzaga vs. Pepperdine men's basketball game

Originally posted on Gonzaga Bulldogs on SI
By Andy Patton | Last updated Dec 27, 2025 3:35 PM ET

After a week off to celebrate the holidays, Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs are back in action Sunday, Dec. 28, against the Pepperdine Waves.

Sunday's game marks the start of Gonzaga's final season as members of the WCC, a conference that has housed the Zags for over 40 years.

On July 1, 2026, Gonzaga will officially join the new look Pac-12 conference alongside Oregon State and Washington State, as well as San Diego State, Boise State, Utah State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and Texas State.

But first, the Zags will look to keep an extremely impressive streak alive against the Waves, a team they have beaten a whopping 49 times in a row dating back to 2002. Pepperdine will have a tough time ending the streak on Sunday, coming into the game as near 30-point underdogs thanks to a tough start to the season in non-conference play.

Pepperdine (5-8) has just three wins over Division I opponents this year: New Orleans, Bakersfield, and Rice, with losses to three teams outside the top 200 at KenPom in Fullerton, Abilene Christian, and Long Beach State.

The Waves are averaging 74.5 points per game (256th in the country) while shooting just 44.4% from the field as a team and turning the ball over an average of 13.2 times per game.

Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Meanwhile, Gonzaga has been tremendous on both sides of the ball this year, as they sit as one of just three teams in college basketball in the top ten of KenPom's adjusted offensive and adjusted defensive efficiency, coming in at No. 4 and No. 9, respectively. Michigan (5 and 1) and Arizona (10 and 3) are the others, with Iowa State (11 and 2) just missing the cut.

It will be a tall order for the Waves to slow down both Graham Ike (17 points, 8.3 rebounds) and Braden Huff (19.1 points, 66.7% from the field), who have formed the best scoring frontcourt in all of college basketball this season.

Those two guys are enough of a challenge for the Waves, but lately Gonzaga's offense has found a new level thanks to their outside shooting. Gonzaga has shot 46.5% from three in their last five games, following the team's disastrous 3-22 performance against Michigan. Steele Venters (42.9%) and Adam Miller (38.9%) have delivered as the team's primary floor spacing wings, while Emmanuel Innocenti (37%) and Mario Saint-Supery (50%) have been huge helps on the perimeter as well.

Below is a look at how to watch Gonzaga take on Pepperdine to kick off WCC play one final time: