The 2009–10 Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball team represented

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) () is a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Founded in 1887 by Joseph Cataldo, an Italian-born priest and Jesuit missionary, the ...

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 Mark Norman Few (born December 27, 1962) is an American college basketball coach who has been the head coach at Gonzaga University since 1999. He has served on Gonzaga's coaching staff since 1989, and has been a constant on the sidelines through ...

, and played they home games at the

McCarthey Athletic Center McCarthey Athletic Center (MAC) is a 6,000-seat indoor arena on the campus of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Opened in November 2004, it is home to the university's Bulldog basketball programs, members of the West Coast Conference (W ...

on the Gonzaga campus in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Cana ...

. 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 The 2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2009–10 basketball seaso ...

, earning an 8 seed in the West Region. They defeated 9 seed

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

in the first round before losing to 1 seed and AP #4 Syracuse in the second round.

Preseason

Departures

Incoming transfers

2009 recruiting class

Roster

Rankings

Season

Preconference

Gonzaga opened the season with a 94–53 exhibition victory over

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

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 Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU, The Valley or Valley) is a public historically black university in Mississippi Valley State, Mississippi, adjacent to Itta Bena, Mississippi.Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

at the

Jack Breslin Student Events Center The Jack Breslin Student Events Center is a multi-purpose arena at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. The arena opened in 1989, and is named for Jack Breslin, MSU alumnus, former athlete and administrator, who first began pu ...

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 Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

week, Gonzaga participated in the 2009 Maui Invitational Tournament at the

Lahaina Civic Center The Lahaina Civic Center is a sports, convention and entertainment complex located at Ka'a'ahi Street and Honoapi'ilani Highway in Lahaina, Hawaii, on the island of Maui. It is the site of the annual Maui Invitational Basketball Tournament, ...

Lahaina, Hawaii Lahaina ( haw, Lāhainā) is the largest census-designated place (CDP) in West Maui, Maui County, Hawaii, United States and includes the Kaanapali and Kapalua beach resorts. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a resident population of 12,702. La ...

. On November 23, they defeated

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

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 Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

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 Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

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

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, -

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2009-10 Gonzaga Bulldogs Men's Basketball Team Gonzaga Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball seasons Gonzaga Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball