Gonzaga announces game vs. SEC opponent at Spokane Arena

Bulldogs confirm early season matchup against NCAA Tournament qualifier from last season

Oklahoma Sooners head coach Porter Moser will lead his team into an early season showdown against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

Gonzaga and Oklahoma are set for an opening week showdown at the Spokane Arena this November.

Gonzaga announced Tuesday the Bulldogs and Sooners will square off at the Spokane Arena on Nov. 8, with tickets slated to go on sale Aug. 22.

College basketball insider Jon Rothstein first reported the matchup between Gonzaga and Oklahoma in May. Tipoff time and broadcast information will be announced at a later date.

Confirmation of the Nov. 8 contest comes shortly after the Zags' regular season opener against Texas Southern — set for Nov. 3 at the McCarthey Athletic Center — was revealed in the Tigers' 2025-26 schedule release on Monday. The Bulldogs also face Creighton at the Kennel on Nov. 11 and Arizona State down in Tempe, Arizona, on Nov. 14, providing Mark Few and company quite the series of challenges coming out of the gate with three power conference teams in the span of a week.

Oklahoma is coming off its first season in the SEC in which it finished near the bottom of the standings with a 6-12 showing in league play. Still, the Sooners went 20-14 overall to earn a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they bowed out in the first round to UConn in a 67-59 loss.

Needing to replace seven of his top eight scorers from last season, Sooners head coach Porter Moser reeled in a top-30 transfer portal class in the country, according to EvanMiya.com, as Oklahoma welcomes sixth-year guard Nijel Pack (13.9 ppg at Miami in 2024-25), 6-foot-2 guard Xzayvier Brown (17.6 ppg at St. Joseph's), 6-foot-8 forward Derrion Reid (6.0 ppg at Alabama) and 6-foot-9 forward Tae Davis (15.1 ppg at Notre Dame) to the mix this fall. Moser also retained Mohamed Wague, a 6-foot-10 forward who averaged 11.5 minutes of playing time last season.

Oklahoma checks in at No. 42 in the latest Rothstein 45 rankings, while the Zags are up to No. 18.

Gonzaga brings back a few familiar faces — Graham Ike and Braden Huff in particular — and welcomes a couple of newcomers in Adam Miller (9.8 ppg at Arizona State last season) and Tyon Grant-Foster (14.8 ppg at Grand Canyon) to a program coming off a 26-9 campaign and a second round exit in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Gonzaga has won the last three head-to-head meetings over Oklahoma, with the latest coming in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, when the Zags prevailed 87-71 behind a monster 30-point game from Drew Timme. That was enough to outlast a heroic effort from Austin Reeves, who finished with 27 points for the Sooners.

Gonzaga 2025-26 nonconference schedule (as of Aug. 5)

• Nov. 3 vs. Texas Southern
• Nov. 8 vs. Oklahoma (Spokane Arena)
• Nov. 11 vs. Creighton
• Nov. 14 at Arizona State
• Nov. 24 vs. Alabama (Las Vegas)
• Nov. 25 vs. Maryland (Las Vegas)
• Nov. 26 vs. TBD (Las Vegas)
• Dec. 5 vs. Kentucky (Nashville, Tennessee)
• Dec. 13 vs. UCLA (Seattle)
• Dec. 17 vs. Campbell
• TBD vs. Baylor

Headed back to @SpokaneArena for an early season clash with @OU_MBBall
📰Press Release: https://t.co/HdbXIe56j7 pic.twitter.com/623oFrnRuV

— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) August 5, 2025