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Gonzaga announces date, time for 2026 Kraziness in the Kennel

Kraziness in the Kennel will take place in October, celebrating the team's first Pac-12 season
Gonzaga's student section at Kraziness in the Kennel.
Gonzaga's student section at Kraziness in the Kennel. | Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

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Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs will welcome fans to the McCarthey Athletic Center in early October for Kraziness in the Kennel, the annual fan showcase where the team will be introduced ahead of the 2026-27 season.

Of course, who exactly suits up at that event - or in the team's season opener a month later - is still anyone's guess.

Gonzaga announced on Monday that this year's Kraziness in the Kennel will be held on Saturday, Oct. 3, starting at 2:00 PM PT. And while the first Saturday in October is traditionally when Kraziness takes place, this offseason hasn't followed tradition in any way, shape, or form.

Craziness before Kraziness

The premier event at Kraziness each year is the blue vs. white scrimmage, a chance to see the entire Gonzaga roster in action - including all the newcomers for the first time.

Right now, the Zags have enough eligible players to complete a scrimmage without needing to pull a fan from the student section, but it's entirely possible they won't have a single sub available if the NCAA continues to prevent class of 2022 seniors from participating in a fifth year.

Gonzaga currently has 15 players committed to play in the 2026-27 season, but only 10 who are unquestionably, absolutely eligible to compete: returners Braden Huff, Davis Fogle, Parker Jefferson, and Alonzo Metz, as well as transfers Massamba Diop (Arizona State) and Isiah Harwell (Houston) and incoming freshmen Luca Foster, Sam Funches, Carter Nilson, and Juwan Ekanga-Ehawa.

The other five include a trio of seniors pursuing legal action for a fifth year of eligibility - Florida transfer guard Xaivian Lee, Dayton transfer guard Javon Bennett, and Florida State transfer forward Chauncey Wiggins - and a pair of international commitments who have yet to receive eligibility from the NCAA: Spanish forward Izan Almansa and French guard Nathan de Sousa.

Florida Gators guard Xaivian Lee (1)
Mar 22, 2026; Tampa, FL, USA; Florida Gators guard Xaivian Lee (1) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Currently, two of those five players are eligible: Wiggins and Lee, who received their eligibility via rulings in Georgia and California, respectively. Bennett was eligible through a ruling in Ohio, but the NCAA successfully got the decision stayed, meaning he is ineligible until the appeal is heard in court. As of now, an official date for that hearing remains unknown.

It remains quite possible that both Wiggins and Lee will lose their eligibility if a similar decision is made in their respective cases, while the NCAA is not in any hurry to resolve eligibility for either de Sousa or Almansa - leaving coach Few and the Zags completely in roster limbo with barely a month until Kraziness and two months until the season opener on Nov. 2 against Purdue in Las Vegas.

What fans can expect at Kraziness

So while fans can expect to hear from coach Few and senior Braden Huff, and will likely get a hype video about the program joining the Pac-12, it's hard to get too excited about seeing the roster for the first time - since things realistically could change dramatically between Oct. 3 and Nov. 2.

Gonzaga did not release any additional details about Kraziness on Monday; however, it has historically been a free but ticketed event that lasts roughly one hour, with player introductions, a three-point contest, other fan events, and then the scrimmage. Kraziness is usually streamed online as well, and that information is expected to be released at a later date.

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Andy Patton
ANDY PATTON

Andy Patton is a diehard Gonzaga fan and alumnus who has covered the Bulldogs extensively since 2021. He hosts the Locked On Zags podcast and co-hosts the Locked On College Basketball podcast, bringing years of experience covering Gonzaga, the West Coast and college basketball nationally. Andy also covers the Arizona Wildcats for Arizona Wildcats On SI, where his longtime familiarity with former Gonzaga assistant and current Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd provides a natural connection between two of college basketball’s premier programs. Andy has worked in sports media since 2017, with experience covering nearly every major sport. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for USA TODAY from 2017–21, where he also spent time covering the USC Trojans and Oregon Ducks, and previously served as lead writer for College Sports Wire. He has also covered the NBA, NHL and MLB for various TEGNA outlets, including KREM in Spokane, 12News in Phoenix and KING 5 in Seattle. A 2013 Gonzaga graduate, Andy now lives in Spokane, Washington, with his wife, daughter and dog.

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