WHERE: Footprint Center| Phoenix, AZ

WHEN: 12:00 p.m.| Noon (Central)| Saturday

WATCH IT ON: CBS

SERIES HISTORY: The Red Raiders are 3-0 all-time against the Bulldogs, with their latest win coming in the Elite Eight round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Texas Tech won the game, 76-69, to advance to the Final Four for the first time in school history.

VEGAS INSIDER OPENING ODDS: Gonzaga -8 (OVER/UNDER): 145.5

The Bulldogs have an 8-2 record this season with their latest win coming over a week ago against Merrimack, 80-55. The Zags also have wins over Dixie State, 97-63, Texas, 86-74, Alcorn State, 84-57, Bellarmine, 92-50, Central Michigan, 107-54, No. 2 UCLA, 83-63, and Tarleton State, 64-55. Their two losses came against No. 5 Duke, 84-81, and No. 16 Alabama, 91-82. Their previous game against Washington was canceled due to Covid issues.

Gonzaga started the season ranked No. 1 in the country but are currently ranked No. 5 in the Associated Press-Top 25 Poll and No. 4 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Bulldogs have appeared in the AP Poll for 101 consecutive weeks now, the longest active streak in the nation. They were picked to finish first in the West Coast Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll for the 10th consecutive season.

Zags head coach Mark Few is in his 23rd season at the helm for the Bulldogs and has a record of 638-126 and is 305-31 in West Coast Conference play. He's led Gonzaga to the NCAA Tournament every season since he took over as head coach in 1999. Few started out as an assistant for the Zags in 1989 and coached for 10 years before being named the head man.

Gonzaga went 31-1 last year and finished the season as the NCAA Tournament National Runner-Up. The Bulldog basketball program has posted 14 straight seasons of 25 wins or more and won 30 games seven times in the past nine years. The Zags have a 26-9 all-time record against the Big 12 Conference.

Gonzaga is 2nd in the KenPom college basketball ratings for adjusted efficiency margin. They’re ranked 2nd in offensive efficiency and 20th in defensive efficiency.

Gonzaga leads to nation in field goal percentage, shooting 53 percent from the field. The Zags are shooting 14.5 percentage points higher than the 38.5 percent shooting Texas Tech has given up to opponents.

The Red Raiders are shooting 47.8 percent from the field, 9.4 percentage points higher than the 38.4 percent shooting the Bulldogs have allowed.

Gonzaga is 8th in in scoring offense and are averaging 85.6 points per game. The Zags are scoring 26.7 more points than the 58.9-point average Texas Tech gives up to their opponents.

The Red Raiders are averaging 81.1 points per game, 16.5 more than the 64.6 point per game average the Bulldogs are allowing to teams.

Texas Tech is shooting 35 percent from behind the arc, 3.9 percentage points higher than the 30.1 percent three-point shooting the Bulldogs give up.

Gonzaga is shooting 32.9 percent from three-point range, 1.9 percentage points higher than the 31 percent shooting Texas Tech has allowed from behind the arc.

The Red Raiders are averaging 15.3 assists per game, 2.9 assists per game less than the 18.2 dimes the Bulldogs are averaging this season. Gonzaga is 10th in the NCAA and first in the West Coast Conference in assists per game.

Texas Tech has a 1.10 assist-to-turnover ratio, .3 less than the 1.40 ratio from the Bulldogs. Gonzaga has 182 assists and 133 turnovers this year.

The Red Raiders are averaging 42.1 rebounds per game and possess a plus-14.5 rebounding margin. The Bulldogs are averaging 42.7 boards per game and possess a plus-13.9 margin. Texas Tech is No. 2 in the nation, and Gonzaga is No. 4 in rebounding margin.

The Red Raiders are ranked 35th with 17.11 forced turnovers per game. The defense is forcing 3.81 more turnovers than the 13.3 turnovers the Bulldogs commit per game.

The junior from Richardson, Texas, is widely considered as one of the best players in college basketball. Timme currently leads the Zags in scoring with 18.4 points per game and is fourth in the nation in field goal percentage, shooting 67.3 percent from inside the arc. He’s posted double-digit points in 33 straight games and Gonzaga is 20-1 when he scores 20 points or more. Timme posted a career high 37 points in the win over Chris Beard and the Texas Longhorns earlier this season. He was named to the AP All-American second team a season ago and won the Karl Malone Award, given out annually to the top power forward in college basketball. Timme is tough on the boards, averaging 6.2 rebounds and can pass the ball well for a big man, dishing out 2.3 assists per game. Gonzaga has a .934 winning percentage and is 71-5 in games he’s played in.

The true freshman wasted little time in establishing himself as one of the best centers in college basketball. Holmgren is third on the Zags in scoring with 13.5 points per game and leads the team in rebounding with 8.2 boards per game. He’s an efficient scorer, shooting 78.2 percent from inside the arc. Holmgren has a 7-foot-6 wingspan and is quickly becoming one of the best rim protectors in college basketball. He’s currently third in the NCAA with 3.9 blocks per game. Holmgren was the No. 1 ranked high school player in the Class of 2021 and the highest rated recruit to ever sign with the Bulldogs. Holmgren won state titles all four years of high school and was named a McDonald's All-American, the Gatorade National Player of the Year, Naismith Prep Player of the Year, and a Sports Illustrated All-American.

The sophmore forward has burst onto the scene for Gonzaga this season after averaging only 3.4 points a year ago. Strawther is the second leading scorer for the Bulldogs with a 14 points per game average and is shooting 50.5 percent from the field. He scored a career-high 20 points in the loss to Duke earlier this season. Strawther leads the Zags in three-point percentage, shooting 41.5 percent from behind the arc and is second on the team in rebounds, averaging 6.5 boards per game. He averaged 31.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game his senior year at Liberty High School in Las Vegas. Strawther is Liberty's all-time leading scorer and rebounder with 2,252 points and 839 boards and was named first team All-State his sophomore, junior and senior seasons.

Gonzaga is one of the few teams in the country that can flip the script and with their size, cause matchup problems for Texas Tech. With the Zags two best players standing 6-foot-10 and 7-foot respectively, the Red Raiders are going to have to utilize Daniel Batcho early and often and hope his length can be a factor in slowing down the Bulldog’s twin pillars. With Terrance Shannon questionable and Mylik Wilson out for Saturday's game, Texas Tech could be shorthanded in a matchup where all hands-on-deck are needed. Getting consistent points in the paint could be a challenge for the Red Raiders, and they’re going to have to make shots from outside if they plan on knocking off the No. 5 team in the nation. Texas Tech is ranked 232nd in three-pointers made and 123rd in three-point field goal percentage. Saturday’s contest would be an ideal time for the Red Raiders to get hot and find their stroke from deep. Texas Tech has had somewhat of a turnover problem as of late, averaging 13.8 turnovers per game. The Zags are tough enough as is, without the added benefit of turning the ball over and giving them easy buckets in transition. The Red Raiders will have to limit those mistakes to have a chance at the upset on Saturday.