Eastern Washington Game Preview: Christmas Edition of Hoops

After a historic night at The Kennel on Wednesday night, #2 Gonzaga has their final game before Christmas against a team that doesn’t have to travel too far from Cheney to Spokane. Eastern Washington has put together a solid team that will be in contention for a Big Sky Championship come March.

The Zags aren’t the only good college basketball team in the area. Eastern Washington ranks #1 in the nation in scoring with 90.7 PPG while Gonzaga is #3 at 86.4 PPG. Their should be a lot of points put up on the scoreboard. Both teams are on a winning streak (EWU at 3 straight wins and Gonzaga at 4) so someone’s winning ways is coming to an end.

Eastern Washington Eagles

Wins - Portland Bible, @ Seattle, @ High Point, Belmont, North Dakota, Multnomah, Omaha

Losses - @ Saint Louis, @ Boston College, @ #22 Washington

KenPom Ranking - #127

Key Numbers:

• 90.7 points per game (1st in the nation)
• 42.1 rebounds per game (21st in the nation)
• 19.9 assists per game (5th in the nation)
• 3.6 blocks per game
• 9.1 steals per game
• 71.8 points allowed per game
• 48.3 field goal percentage

Player to Watch For:

Mason Peatling, Senior - 15.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.2 BPG

The 6’8” forward does a good job protecting the rim and has solid footwork down low. Although he is shooting only 27.3% from beyond the arc, don’t let that fool you. The Canadian native isn’t afraid to let it fly.

Game Time:

Eastern Washington @ #2 Gonzaga - 5:00 PM ET on Saturday, December 21st

Score Prediction: 98-84, Bulldogs over Eagles

Happy Holidays to everyone out there in Zagland! Gonzaga fans have a lot to be thankful for this Christmas.

*Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area... Follow him on Twitter @a_cravalho