Exhibitionists: Gonzaga's Arkansas Loss & Purdue Preview

In which we try very, very hard not to overreact to an exhibition. Gonzaga went to Arkansas and came home with a loss. They shot 6-of-28 from three, Davis Fogle sat out with a bum leg, Xaivian Lee was stuck in foul trouble, and Nathan De Sousa went 2-of-17 in his college debut. Mard insists it was all very weird and none of it counts. We mostly agree, though Massamba Diop's flirtation with the Young Master Grayson school of tripping gave us pause.

There were bright spots. Izan Almansa was cleared seemingly on the way to the airport and looked like a pro. Isiah Harwell was efficient and steady. Braden Huff grabbed 11 boards in his first game back from his knee injury. The women crushed Westmont 84–43 behind 24 from Lauren Whitaker, and they open for real against North Dakota State on November 2.

Then it's on to Purdue in Las Vegas. Gonzaga is 0-for-5 against the Boilermakers, and we are tired of it. After that we tour the whole non-conference slate: the Players Era, UCLA in Anaheim, a trip to Creighton, Michigan State in Palm Springs, and those mid-season dates with Oregon and Duke. Is Optimard back with a 29–4 prediction? Just how sour is Chris about the home slate at the Kennel? The Purdue preview starts about 34 minutes in.

All that and more on this episode of Free Ira Brown!

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