# 2009–10 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2009–10 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Gonzaga University in the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bulldogs are members of the West Coast Conference, were led by head coach Mark Few, and played they home games at the McCarthey Athletic Center on the Gonzaga campus in Spokane, Washington. The Zags finished the season 27–7, 12–2 in WCC play to claim the regular season championship. They advanced to the championship game of the 2010 West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament before falling to Saint Mary's. They received an at–large bid to the 2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, earning an 8 seed in the West Region. They defeated 9 seed Florida State in the first round before losing to 1 seed and AP #4 Syracuse in the second round.

## Preseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
| Josh Heytvelt | 42 | F | 6'11" | 260 | Senior (Redshirt) | Clarkston, WA | Graduated |
| Andrew Sorenson | 11 | G | 6'2" | 172 | Senior (Redshirt) | Olympia, WA | Graduated |
| Micah Downs | 22 | G | 6'8" | 194 | Senior | Kirkland, WA | Graduated |
| Jeremy Pargo | 2 | G | 6'2" | 220 | Senior | Chicago, IL | Graduated |
| Ira Brown | 50 | F | 6'4" | 235 | Senior | Conroe, TX | Graduated |
| Austin Daye | 5 | F | 6'11" | 200 | Sophomore | Irvine, CA | Entered the 2009 NBA draft |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School | Years Remaining | Date Eligible |
| Bol Kong | G | 6'6" | 220 | Sophomore (redshirt) | Vancouver, BC | Douglas College | 3 | Oct. 1, 2009 |

### 2009 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Mangisto Arop SF | Edmonton, AB | St. Mary (ON) | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 208 lb (94 kg) | May 7, 2008 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 88 ||||||
| Sam Dower C | Brooklyn Park, MN | Osseo | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 228 lb (103 kg) | Sep 6, 2008 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 89 ||||||
| Elias Harris PF | Speyer, Germany | Friedrich-Magnus-Schwerd-Gymnasium BIS Speyer | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Dec 16, 2008 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Kelly Olynyk PF | Kamloops, BC | South Kamloops | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Jan 26, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 90 ||||||
| G. J. Vilarino PG | McKinney, TX | McKinney | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 177 lb (80 kg) | Apr 27, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 88 ||||||
| David Stockton PG | Spokane, WA | Gonzaga Prep | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 150 lb (68 kg) | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: NR Rivals: NR 247Sports: NR ESPN: NR ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2009 Gonzaga Rivals Commits". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 11, 2009. "2009 Gonzaga Scout Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved August 11, 2009. "2009 Gonzaga ESPN Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 11, 2009. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 11, 2009. "2009 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 11, 2009. "2009–10 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team". 247sports.com. Retrieved August 11, 2009. ||||||

## Rankings

Legend :
| | Improvement in ranking |
| | Drop in ranking |
| | Not ranked previous week |
| RV | Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll |
| Poll | Pre | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Wk 16 | Wk 17 | Wk 18 | Wk 19 |
| AP | RV | RV | RV | 17 | 21 | 15 | 25 | RV | 19 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 13 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 22 |
| Coaches | RV | RV | RV | 16 | 22 | 15т | 24 | 22 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 18 |

## Season
### Preconference

Gonzaga opened the season with a 94–53 exhibition victory over Alberta on November 2. Matt Bouldin led the team with 17 points, followed by Sam Dower with 15 points and Robert Sacre with 11 points. Gonzaga led by as many as 26 points in the second half as they earned a 92–74 victory over Mississippi Valley State on November 14. Four Gonzaga players scored in double-figures, including Bouldin with a game-high 22 points, Elias Harris with 18, Steven Gray with 16, and Sacre with 17. On November 17, they played against Michigan State at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center and finished with a 75–71 loss against the second-ranked Spartans. Sacre managed to match his career-high of 17 points, despite playing only 19 minutes in the game. The Zags returned home and finished with a 90–55 victory over IPFW on November 20. Sacre lead Gonzaga with 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
During Thanksgiving week, Gonzaga participated in the 2009 Maui Invitational Tournament at the Lahaina Civic Center in Lahaina, Hawaii. On November 23, they defeated Colorado 76–72 during the opening round of the tournament. Steven Gray scored a game-high 27 points to help the Zags overcome a bad first half. In the second round of the tournament on November 24, Gonzaga defeated Wisconsin 74–61. Four Gonzaga players scored in double digits, which helped the Zags maintain a double digit lead for most of the second half. On November 25, Gonzaga beat Cincinnati 61–59 to win the Maui Invitational for the first time in school history. Steven Gray lead the Zags with 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition Event ||||||
| 11/02/2009* 6:00 pm, KHQ | | Alberta | W 94–53 | | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Regular Season ||||||
| 11/14/2009* 5:00 pm, KHQ/FSN | | Mississippi Valley State | W 92–74 | 1–0 | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| 11/17/2009* 5:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 2 Michigan State | L 75–71 | 1–1 | Breslin Center (14,759) East Lansing, MI |
| 11/20/2009* 6:00 pm, KHQ/FSN | | IPFW | W 90–55 | 2–1 | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| 2009 EA Sports Maui Invitational ||||||
| 11/23/2009* 12:00 pm, ESPN | | vs. Colorado EA Sports Maui Invitation First Round | W 76–72 | 3–1 | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Lahaina, Hawaii |
| 11/24/2009* 7:30 pm, ESPN/ESPN2 | | vs. Wisconsin EA Sports Maui Invitation Semi-Final | W 74–61 | 4–1 | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Lahaina, Hawaii |
| 11/25/2009* 8:00 pm, ESPN | | vs. Cincinnati EA Sports Maui Invitation Final | W 61–59 $^{OT}$ | 5–1 | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Lahaina, Hawaii |
| 12/02/2009* 6:00 pm, KHQ/FSN | No. 17 | Washington State | W 74–69 | 6–1 | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, Washington |
| 12/05/2009* 2:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 17 | Wake Forest | L 77–75 | 6–2 | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, Washington |
| 12/09/2009* 6:00 pm, KHQ/FSN | No. 21 | Augustana College | W 79–40 | 7–2 | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, Washington |
| Battle In Seattle ||||||
| 12/12/2009* 1:00 pm, KHQ | No. 21 | vs. Davidson Battle in Seattle | W 103–91 | 8–2 | KeyArena (13,176) Seattle, Washington |
| Aeropostle Classic ||||||
| 12/19/2009* 1:00 pm, CBS | No. 15 | vs. No. 7 Duke | L 76–41 | 8–3 | Madison Square Garden (14,554) New York, New York |
| 12/28/2009* 6:00 pm, KHQ/FSN | | Eastern Washington | W 94–52 | 9–3 | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, Washington |
| Ronald McDonald House Charities Classic ||||||
| 12/31/2009* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. Oklahoma | W 83–69 | 10–3 | Spokane Arena (11,452) Spokane, Washington |
| 01/02/2010* 10:00 am, CBS | | vs. Illinois | W 85–83 $^{OT}$ | 11–3 | United Center (20,917) Chicago, Illinois |
| 01/09/2010 7:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 19 | at Portland | W 81–78 | 12–3 (1–0) | Chiles Center (5,003) Portland, Oregon |
| 01/14/2010 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 17 | at Saint Mary's | W 89–82 | 13–3 (2–0) | McKeon Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, California |
| 01/16/2010 6:00 pm, KHQ/FSN | No. 17 | at San Diego | W 68–50 | 14–3 (3–0) | Jenny Craig Pavilion (4,158) San Diego, California |
| 01/21/2010 6:00 pm, KHQ/FSN | No. 15 | Pepperdine | W 91–84 | 15–3 (4–0) | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, Washington |
| 01/23/2010 5:00 pm, KHQ/FSN | No. 15 | Loyola Marymount | W 85–69 | 16–3 (5–0) | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, Washington |
| 01/28/2010 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 13 | at Santa Clara | W 71–64 | 17–3 (6–0) | Leavey Center (4,700) Santa Clara, California |
| 01/30/2010 6:30 pm, KHQ/FSN | No. 13 | at San Francisco | L 81–77 $^{OT}$ | 17–4 (6–1) | War Memorial Gymnasium (4,114) San Francisco, California |
| 02/04/2010 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 17 | Portland | W 76–49 | 18–4 (7–1) | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, Washington |
| 02/06/2010* 2:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 17 | at Memphis | W 66–58 | 19–4 (7–1) | FedEx Forum (17,037) Memphis, Tennessee |
| 02/11/2010 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 16 | Saint Mary's | W 80–61 | 20–4 (8–1) | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, Washington |
| 02/13/2010 7:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 16 | San Diego | W 82–65 | 21–4 (9–1) | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, Washington |
| 02/18/2010 6:00 pm, KAYU/FSN | No. 13 | at Loyola Marymount | L 74–66 | 21–5 (9–2) | Gersten Pavilion (3,770) Los Angeles, California |
| 02/20/2010 6:00 pm, KAYU/FSN | No. 13 | at Pepperdine | W 72–54 | 22–5 (10–2) | Firestone Fieldhouse (3,021) Malibu, California |
| 02/25/2010 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 18 | Santa Clara | W 88–51 | 23–5 (11–2) | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, Washington |
| 02/27/2010 5:00 pm, KAYU/FSN | No. 18 | San Francisco | W 75–69 | 24–5 (12–2) | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, Washington |
| 03/02/2010* 6:00 pm, KHQ/FSN | No. 18 | Cal State Bakersfield | W 78–59 | 25–5 (12–2) | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, Washington |
| West Coast Conference tournament ||||||
| 03/07/2010 5:30 pm, ESPN2 | No. 18 | vs. Loyola Marymount WCC Tournament Semi-Finals | W 77–62 | 26–5 | Orleans Arena (7,941) Paradise, Nevada |
| 03/08/2010 6:00 pm, ESPN | No. 18 | vs. Saint Mary's WCC Tournament Final | L 81–62 | 26–6 | Orleans Arena (7,726) Paradise, Nevada |
| 2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament ||||||
| 03/19/2010* 4:10 pm, CBS | No. 22 | vs. Florida State First Round | W 67–60 | 27–6 | HSBC Arena Buffalo, New York |
| 03/21/2010* 9:10 am, CBS | No. 22 | vs. No. 4 Syracuse Second Round | L 87–65 | 27–7 | HSBC Arena (18,934) Buffalo, New York |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Pacific Time. ||||||