In which we finally, finally slay the Boilermaker. Gonzaga beats Purdue for the first time ever, 78-72 in a half-empty Vegas gym. We marvel at having actual point guards: Xaivian Lee's step-back, Nathan De Sousa's 17 minutes of pure annoyance, and Javon Bennett's three in his first 30 seconds. Davis Fogle drops a career-high 22 and goes 9-of-10 at the line while Matt Painter's men hack away. Braden Huff returns from ten months in the wilderness, a little rusty.

Mard and Chris also nearly come to blows over whether an exhibition game is a real game. (It isn't. Or is it?)

The women survive a sluggish three quarters against North Dakota State, and we look ahead to Saturday's 2 PM tilt with New Mexico State. Then it's the season's first Crazy Not Crazy, which starts about 45 minutes in. Is Diop a bust? Can Fogle average 20? Will Huff break 50% from the line? How crazy is Mard?

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

Support the show at patreon.com/freeirabrown.

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!

Support the show at patreon.com/freeirabrown.

In which we finally get to watch basketball again, sort of, and immediately lose all perspective. Kraziness in the Kennel was a glorified scrimmage, yes, but the Zags went 18-for-32 from deep, Davis Fogle poured in 30 points in 20 minutes (and won the dunk contest for good measure), and Isiah Harwell looked every inch the five-star McDonald's All-American he was supposed to be. We have concluded, responsibly, that three-point shooting will never trouble us again.

Then the lawyers return. Javon Bennett is eligible, for now, thanks to a stay out of Ohio. Xaivian Lee has his day in a California courtroom on October 20, and Chauncey Wiggins and Izan Almansa remain marooned in limbo. We sketch the best case, the worst case, and the most realistic case, and argue over which two we'd pick if the NCAA only lets us keep two. Then we air our anxieties. Can Braden Huff still feast without Graham Ike beside him? Can Lee be the inverse of Adam Miller? Who stops the other team's best wing? And how scared is Mard about rebounding? (Very.)

Plus the TV schedule (all 31 regular-season games on national TV, and the exhibition at Arkansas on October 24 on SEC Network+), a thank-you to our newest patron, Carol Hemingway, and an update on the Gonzaga women, who shot the lights out last year and would love to stop throwing the ball to the other team. We close with Shenanigans: things that were nearly ours before they were ripped away. It turns out to be a deeply painful exercise for all involved. The cold open is a brand-new Paul Simon tribute, and the show proper starts about five and a half minutes in.

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

Support the show at patreon.com/freeirabrown.