Gonzaga freshman Chet Holmgren catches his breath during an exhibition against Eastern Oregon University in front of a packed house at the McCarthey Athletic Center on Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021. The Zags topped the Mountaineers 115-62.

While it was just an exhibition, the Gonzaga faithful showed up strong for its season-opening contest against Eastern Oregon University on Sunday, Oct. 31.

After a season in which attendance was heavily limited due to COVID-19 protocols, Zags faithful packed The Kennel and brought the intensity for the exhibition.

Final score aside, Eastern’s players were able to compete on one of the biggest stages in the sport.

Fans and sports voices around the country hype up The Kennel, but there is nothing quite like experiencing it in person. Upon arriving two hours early to get settled in at the media section, a line of at least 1,000 students beat me to the arena. The die-hard support group wrapped all the way around the arena to get their spot near the front.

All this hype just to watch the Zags take care of business in an exhibition — it was an impressive display of fanhood. In my previous experience covering sports at Virginia Tech, ACC basketball presented the chance to cover some of the most passionate fan bases in all of sports.

After experiencing The Kennel, I would put Gonzaga’s home-court advantage right there with Duke and North Carolina as some of the most intimidating places to play basketball in the country. Even so, Eastern held its own in what could have easily been a much larger margin of defeat.

Sure, Gonzaga played its starters less than normal, but the Mountaineers put up 62 points on the nation’s top-ranked basketball team. From encouraging the home crowd to boo louder during introductions to banging on the boards with top draft prospects, the Mountaineers made the best out of the experience.

It would be easy to get flustered trying to guard 7-foot Chet Holmgren as he drills 3-pointers, but Eastern kept its composure.

A pretty simple standard in sports is that you have to play the best to be the best. After this weekend’s experience, the Mountaineers can say they have competed against the nation’s top-ranked basketball team. Few, if none, of Eastern’s upcoming NAIA opponents can say the same.

With a long season ahead and some major injury obstacles to overcome, Eastern will look to utilize the trip to Gonzaga in a positive way.

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Davis Carbaugh covers news and sports for The Observer. He can be contacted at dcarbaugh@lagrandeobserver.com.