Welcome to “The Daily Scoop”, an article to bring you up to date with the latest news from college basketball and a preview of the day ahead.

Daily Headlines

#23 Gonzaga pushes further into projected tournament field after dominant win vs San Francisco

For much of the year, Gonzaga was presumed to be on the outside looking in regarding the NCAA Tournament. Since a loss to Santa Clara on January 11, the Zags have won 12 of 13 games, with the only loss being to a Saint Mary’s team which they will visit on Saturday. Tonight’s win over San Francisco completes the season sweep, having beaten the Dons 77-72 at the Kennel in late January. Gonzaga led for the first time in the game with four seconds remaining in the first half but would never trail in the second half. The Zags opened the second half on a 26-4 run, outscoring the Dons 51-34 in the half, and 86-68 for the game. Graham Ike led the Zags with 26 points and seven rebounds on the night, while Nolan Hickman scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half. Saint Mary’s will host the Zags on Saturday night having already wrapped up the WCC regular season title but will look to secure their first-ever regular season sweep over Gonzaga.

#19 Washington State overcomes double-digit deficit to beat USC

The Washington State Cougars have been one of the best stories in college basketball this season and won their ninth game out of the last ten Thursday night against USC. The win moves Washington State to 22-7 overall and 13-5 in Pac 12 play. The Cougars would clinch the 1 seed in the Pac 12 tournament by winning both of their remaining games and having Arizona suffer a loss in one if its final three games. In Thursday night’s game, Washington State struggled to deal with Isaiah Collier, who finished with 24 points, but wasn’t on the floor for USC’s final possession after being subbed out for the prior defensive possession. Isaiah Watts was the difference maker for Washington State on the night, as the freshman outdid his season average of 2.7 ppg by scoring 18 points while going 5-6 from behind the arc. The Cougars will host UCLA on Sunday and Washington next Thursday to finish the regular season.

#17 Saint Mary’s wraps up the WCC regular season title with win at Pepperdine

The nation’s longest win streak now stands at 16 games after the Saint Mary’s Gaels won at Pepperdine to cap off a perfect 9-0 road record on the season. The Gaels dominated Pepperdine once again Thursday night, winning 83-57 just two weeks after defeating the Waves 103-59. Thursday’s win was highlighted by Augustas Marciulionis’ 17 points, six rebounds, and 11 assists. The Gaels shut down Pepperdine defensively, allowing the Waves to shoot just 36.7% from the field while shooting 59.6% from the field themselves. As previously mentioned, the Gaels host Gonzaga on Saturday with a chance to complete their first-ever season sweep over their rivals. Gonzaga’s last loss was the first time these two teams played, and Mark Few has his team rolling over the past three weeks.

Other Things to Note:

• Jamison Battle goes for 32 in Ohio State’s win over Nebraska
• Memphis dominates East Carolina 82-58
• Deivon Smith posts his third triple-double of the season in Utah’s win over Stanford
• Washington dominates UCLA 94-77
• Final night of the regular season in the A-Sun and Sun Belt on Friday night means conference tournaments are right around the corner
• Appalachian State looks to wrap up Sun Belt regular season conference title with win over Arkansas State (6:30 ET, ESPN+)
• Eastern Kentucky can clinch the A-Sun regular season title with win at Lipscomb (8:00 ET, ESPN+)
• #21 Dayton visits Loyola-Chicago with second place in the A10 on the line (9:00 ET, ESPN2)
• #22 Utah State continues quest for first MWC regular season title facing Air Force (11:00 ET, FS1)