Gonzaga got three point guards on the floor Saturday, but the debut exhibition against Arkansas still left Mark Few with more questions than answers about who can really steer the offense.
That mattered even more because Davis Fogle didn’t play, sitting out with a minor leg injury, which pushed more responsibility onto a backcourt group that had already been turned over a lot this offseason. Javon Bennett, Florida transfer Xaivian Lee and French guard Nathan de Sousa all logged at least 15 minutes, and for long stretches they shared the court together. Bennett’s availability was especially notable after he was unsure until the last minute whether he’d even be able to suit up because of his ongoing legal battle for eligibility in Ohio.
The good news for Gonzaga was simply having all three available. The bad news was how the night went in a 76-72 loss.
Lee was the cleanest option of the bunch, and he opened in the starting lineup as expected. He finished with eight points on 3-of-6 shooting, hit 2-of-4 from beyond the arc, and added five rebounds, two assists, two steals and only one turnover. The downside was that foul trouble trimmed his night to 19 minutes, and most of his production came during Gonzaga’s late push in the second half.
"Xaivian did a nice job responding," coach Few said after the game. "Especially in that second run we put him in to step up and make shots, because he was struggling a little bit early and he got the four fouls."
de Sousa drew the start in Fogle’s place and was on the floor the longest of the three, playing 33 minutes, but he had a rough shooting night. He went 2-17 from the field and 1-8 from three.
Still, he chipped in three rebounds and matched the team lead with three assists and two steals. The 23-year-old came to Gonzaga with one year of college eligibility, but this game was a brutal first look offensively.
Bennett didn’t fare much better. He scored two points on 1-of-8 shooting, missed all four of his three-point attempts and finished with one assist in 16 minutes.
"They struggled to shoot the ball," Few continued. "They definitely have room for improvement after looking at those numbers."
Few also said Bennett’s eligibility uncertainty "might have impacted him a little bit", but either way, the backcourt’s shot-making was far from sharp.
It’s far too early to draw sweeping conclusions from one exhibition, especially with Gonzaga missing its best perimeter player. But Saturday did make one thing clear: Lee looks essential to what this team wants to be in 2026-27.
The 6-foot-4 guard, who averaged 11.2 points last year at Florida, drew plenty of boos from the Arkansas crowd because of that SEC connection. More importantly for Gonzaga, he looked like the best facilitator and defender of the three point guards, and his team-best plus-7 backed that up.
The one issue is foul trouble. If Lee can stay on the floor, he gives Gonzaga its best chance to settle the offense and raise the team’s ceiling in 2026-27.
Gonzaga’s next exhibition is at home against Lewis-Clark State on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 6:00 PM PT, and it will air locally on KHQ.
In Other News...
Gonzaga's First Exhibition Exposed A Bigger Concern Than The Loss
Gonzagas first exhibition game brought the kind of early-season reminder every team gets sooner or later: the result matters, but the bigger concern can be what the box score doesnt fully explain. Arkansas held off the Bulldogs 76-72 in a game that swung back and forth, and both sides walked away with plenty to clean up. Gonzaga had trouble finding a rhythm from deep, while Arkansas made its living on defensive rebounds and trips to the free-throw line.
The more sobering part for Gonzaga was the absence of Davis Fogle, who sat out with a leg issue and left the Bulldogs without one of the pieces they were counting on. Arkansas coach John Calipari pointed to that missing presence as a major factor in how the game played out, which only sharpened the sense that Gonzagas exhibition opener was about more than a narrow loss. For a team still sorting out its early identity, the injury concern may linger longer than the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Gonzagas Frontcourt Just Got More Dangerous Than Fans Expected
Gonzagas frontcourt outlook took a meaningful turn just before the trip to Fayetteville, when Izan Almansa was confirmed eligible for the upcoming season. The timing mattered, because the Bulldogs have been looking for reliable size and experience to round out their rotation, and Almansa arrives with a chance to give them exactly that as the third big man in the mix.
The early signs were encouraging in the exhibition against Arkansas, where Almansa showed he can affect the game on both ends of the floor. His ability to score inside, clean up the glass and provide rim protection gives Gonzaga another layer in the frontcourt, and it raises the ceiling on a group that already looked sturdy heading into the year. [Read more 🡒]
Gonzagas First Top 15 Test Exposed One Early Concern
The first real test of Gonzagas season arrived in familiar heavyweight fashion, with No. 12 Arkansas pushing the Bulldogs around just enough to leave Bud Walton Arena with a 76-72 exhibition win. Gonzaga had built a 10-point edge late in the first half before the Razorbacks turned the game with a relentless run, and the Bulldogs still had a chance to claw back late despite the change in momentum. Braden Huff supplied a strong all-around effort with 19 points and 11 rebounds, giving Gonzaga a frontline presence it can build on.
What stood out just as much was how hard points were to come by from the perimeter, an issue Gonzaga will have to sort through before the games start counting. Arkansas held up well defensively after the midgame swing, while Billy Richmond III led the way with 17 points as the Razorbacks protected their lead the rest of the way. For a Gonzaga team that expects to play in March-level games all season, the exhibition offered an early reminder that one of the first things to clean up is the outside shot. [Read more 🡒]