Date and location set for Gonzaga vs. Michigan State non-conference showdown

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs continue to build one of the toughest non-conference schedules on a yearly basis, and 2026-27 looks to be no different.

Despite moving into the Pac-12 conference, which features regular NCAA Tournament appearances from teams like Utah State, San Diego State, Colorado State, and Boise State, Gonzaga still wants to build among the most challenging schedules in the entire country early in the season.

Tom Izzo at Michigan State is the same way, and he recently revealed his Spartans will take on the Zags "in California" during the upcoming season.

A few days later a report from Jon Rothstein of CBS indicated this game will take place on Dec. 19, 2026 at the Acrisure Arena in the Coachella Valley of California, an 11,000 seat arena opened in late 2022. Gonzaga has never played an official game there, but did face USC in a preseason exhibition two years ago.

This will be a rare matchup between two active Hall of Fame coaches, with Izzo getting inducted back in 2016 while Few will officially be enshrined this August. This will also be a double-header at Acrisure, with the Michigan State and Gonzaga women squaring off there as well.

NEWS: Gonzaga and Michigan State are finalizing an agreement to meet on December 19th at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, according to a source.https://t.co/bPVkTGsOAm
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 10, 2026

Gonzaga and Michigan State have squared off six times since 1998, with the Spartans holding a 4-2 all-time advantage. The most recent game was in 2022, when the two programs met on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in San Diego as part of the Armed Forces Classic. Gonzaga won that battle, 64-63, behind 22 points from big man Drew Timme.

GU's other win against MSU came in a 3OT thriller back in 2005 during the Maui Invitational, arguably the greatest game in that historic tournament's history. Adam Morrison dropped 43 points in the semifinal victory, setting up a championship matchup with UConn that the Zags lost, 65-63.

Gonzaga also hosted Michigan State in 2011, losing 74-67 to a team led by 4-time NBA All-Star and 2017 Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green.

One of GU's earliest NCAA Tournament runs ended at the hands of Michigan State back in 2001, when the No. 1-seeded Spartans beat No. 12 Gonzaga, 77-62, en route to the Final Four, where they fell to Arizona.

Another Elite Non-Con

Michigan State gets added to what is already an excellent non-conference slate for the Zags, who are facing another Big Ten school in Purdue on Nov. 2, 2026 to open up the season at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Gonzaga is also set to face UCLA on a neutral site, and could play Oregon as well with a matchup set for either 2026-27 or 2027-28.

The Zags are also travelling to Lexington and Omaha to take on Kentucky and Creighton, respectively, and will be part of the Players Era Festival for the second year in a row - which should net the team three competitive games as well.

Gonzaga's move to the Pac-12 in 2026-27 is expected to come with just 16 conference games, with each program playing the other eight teams twice. That, combined with a new NCAA rule allowing 32 games per season, gives coach Few 16 different non-conference matchups for the upcoming campaign.

The Zags have never been afraid to schedule tough, and matchups with Purdue, Kentucky, Creighton, Michigan State, and potentially UCLA and Oregon - along with three games in the Players Era Festival - will have this squad fully prepared for what's to come in the new league.

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