SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga men's basketball announced its 13-game non-conference schedule for the upcoming season Wednesday.
During their non-conference slate, the Zags could face up to eight teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season. Seven non-conference opponents won 20 or more games in 2024-25 and finished inside the Top 75 in last year's NET rankings.
Gonzaga plays teams from eight different conferences, including the Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, and SEC. The Bulldogs are a participant in this year's Players Era Festival and three more neutral site games.
The Zags will host an exhibition in McCarthey Athletic Center on Oct. 27 versus NCAA Div. 2 program Western Oregon.
Gonzaga welcomes Texas Southern in the regular season opener on Nov. 3. The Tigers went 12-6 last season in the SWAC and welcome back Zaire Hayes, who averaged 10.4 points per game. The Bulldogs are 5-0 all-time against Texas Southern, all since 2009. In the most recent meeting, GU beat the Tigers in Spokane, 101-62, in 2019.
The Zags and Oklahoma meet in the Spokane Arena on Nov. 8. The Sooners won 20 games last season, before falling in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. OU climbed to No. 12 in the AP poll after starting the season 13-0, including a title at the Battle 4 Atlantis. Gonzaga has won three of the four all-time meetings against the Sooners, including the last matchup, 87-71, in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis.
The Bulldogs host Creighton on Nov. 11, which was Gonzaga's opponent in the Sweet 16 in the 2021 NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis. CU leads the all-time series 6-5, but Gonzaga has won the last three meetings including the latest in Indianapolis in 2021. Creighton finished the 2024-25 season with a 25-11 record and placed second in the BIG EAST Conference. The Bluejays are one of four programs nationally to win an NCAA Tournament game each of the last five seasons. GU beat Creighton, 91-74, in the McCarthey Athletic Center in 2017.
The Zags make their first-ever trip to Arizona State on Nov. 14. GU won the first meeting between the programs last season in Spokane, 88-80.
Braden Huff led the Bulldogs with 21 points. The Sun Devils return only two players from last year's roster but welcome in a talented transfer class.
On Nov. 17, Southern Utah returns to Spokane for the third time, but first since the 2012 season opener. The Bulldogs cruised past SUU on Nov. 9, 2012, 103-65. Gonzaga has won two of the three all-time meetings against the Thunderbirds, including the first matchup, 77-60, in Spokane in 1996. Southern Utah welcomes first-year head coach Rob Jeter.
Alabama and Maryland, and a third to be determined program, will be Gonzaga's opponents at the 2025 Players Era Championship in Las Vegas Nov. 24-26. In the second edition of the event, the Zags are one of 18 teams in the elite field this year. The Crimson Tide, which went 28-9 last season, lost four of their five starters from a team that advanced to the Elite Eight for a second straight year, while Maryland ended a 27-9 season in the Sweet 16 in 2024-25.
The Bulldogs open the tournament against Alabama on Nov. 24 at 6:30 p.m. The two national powers have met twice in the last three years, with each team claiming a win. Their first meeting took place on Dec. 4, 2021, in front of a packed crowd at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Alabama earned a 91–82 victory over then-No. 3 Gonzaga. The Zags responded the following season in a high-scoring affair on Dec. 17, 2022, in Birmingham. GU upset No. 4 Alabama 100–90.
On Nov. 25 at 6:30 p.m., Gonzaga and Maryland face off for the first time in 17 years. After falling in the first-ever meeting, the Zags have won the last three matchups. The first meeting came in the 1995 NCAA Tournament, when the Terrapins defeated GU 87–63 in Salt Lake City. The Bulldogs beat Maryland in 2003, 82-68, in Washington D.C. Gonzaga then added an 88–76 victory in the 2005 Maui Invitational and followed it up with an 81–59 triumph at the 2008 Old Spice Classic in Orlando.
Gonzaga heads back to Nashville, Tenn., for the second time in program history to face Kentucky in Bridgestone Arena on Dec. 5. The upcoming meeting marks the fourth in the series between Kentucky and Gonzaga originally announced prior to the 2022-23 season. Kentucky rallied to claim a 90-89 overtime win in a matchup of Top 10 teams last season (Dec. 7) in Seattle. Gonzaga won the first two meetings in the current series, 88-72 at the Spokane Arena in 2022 and an 89-85 decision at Rupp Arena in Lexington in 2024. This will be Gonzaga's second appearance in Bridgestone Arena. The Zags beat Tennessee, 86-76, Dec. 18, 2016.
Two days after facing Kentucky in Nashville, the Bulldogs return to the McCarthey Athletic Center and welcome North Florida on Dec. 7. UNF is replacing five double-digit scorers from last season's 15-win team, but brings back top returning scorer Kamrin Oriol (7.3 ppg). This will be GU's second-ever matchup with the Ospreys, after picking up a 104-63 win in the McCarthey Athletic Center on Nov. 7, 2022.
Gonzaga and UCLA meet for the sixth straight season in the Seattle Hoops Showdown at Climate Pledge Arena on Dec. 13. All time, the Zags hold a 7-3 advantage in the series, but UCLA scored a 65-62 victory over GU last season in the first college basketball game played at Intuit Dome. The Bruins bring back a trio of its leading scorers from last year's squad that finished 23-11, including Tyler Bilodeau, Eric Dailey Jr. and Skyy Clark, along with a bevy of high-major transfers such as Donovan Dent and Xavier Booker, among others.
Campbell and Gonzaga meet for the second time on Dec. 17. The Zags beat the Camels, 74-52, in the McCarthey Athletic Center Dec. 19, 2012. Campbell went 15-17 last season, including 10-8 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Camels top returning scorer, Cam Gregory, averaged 7.8 points per game and dished out 63 assists in 2024-25.
The Bulldogs finish their non-conference schedule against Oregon in the Northwest Elite Showdown in the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., Dec. 21. The Zags are 5-2 all-time inside the Moda Center, formerly named Rose Garden. Oregon is coming off a 25-10 season in 2024-25. The Ducks fell to top-seeded Michigan State in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals but received a five-seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks welcome back All-Big Ten third team selections Jackson Shelstad and Nate Bittle, and Ohio State transfer Sean Stewart.
West Coast Conference games, tip times and television information will follow in the near future.
