Gonzaga basketball 2026-27 non-conference schedule tracker

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs officially enter the Pac-12 starting on July 1, 2026, beginning a new era of college hoops in Spokane.

Among the many projected changes for the Zags in the new league is the number of conference matchups. With nine total basketball playing members the Pac-12 is expected to have a round robin scheduling format - where each team plays every other team twice, once at home and once on the road.

This balanced schedule is not only easier for fans to follow, but it also ensures an even playing field for every team in the conference. Everyone will have to make a trip to San Marcos, TX, everyone will have to play Gonzaga in Spokane, and San Diego State at Viejas Arena, etc.

Not only is this different than Gonzaga's final two seasons in the WCC, when they had an unbalanced conference schedule, but it also means the Pac-12 will feature just 16 regular-season conference games - compared to the 18 played in the West Coast Conference.

And now, with the NCAA now allowing college basketball programs to play 32 regular-season games, Gonzaga will be allowed to play 16 non-conference matchups in 2026-27 - up from 13 the previous two years.

Coach Few has long shown a willingness to challenge his team with a rigorous non-conference slate, and that is not expected to change heading into the new conference.

Below is a look at what we know so far about Gonzaga's non-conference schedule for the 2026-27 season, the last 16 games the Zags will play before embarking on their first journey through the new look Pac-12 conference:

Exhibition: At Arkansas (Date TBD)

It's been reported that Gonzaga will travel to Bud Walton Arena to take on John Calipari and Arkansas in a road exhibition game, although a date and time for that matchup have yet to be determined.

It's a great test for Gonzaga's young roster, and playing on the road in a hostile environment should help prepare this team for their rigorous schedule.

1. Purdue Boilermakers (Nov. 2, 2026)

In late February, Gonzaga announced they will begin the 2026-27 season with a bang, facing Matt Painter and the Purdue Boilermakers in a neutral-site matchup at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The game will take place on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, as part of the Hall of Fame series. It will be a men's basketball double-header, also featuring a rivalry showdown between former Pac-12 foes UCLA and Arizona.

Both games will be nationally televised through TNT, and more details - including tip time and ticket information - will be released at a later date.

2. LSU Tigers (Nov. 14, 2026)

Gonzaga will take on LSU for the first time in program history, with this game slated for Nov. 14 at the Spokane Arena. It will be a rematch against Will Wade, who was the coach at McNeese when Gonzaga thumped them, 86-65, in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

The Zags are looking for their eighth straight win at the arena, two which have come against SEC foes in Oklahoma last year and Kentuky in 2022.

3. Players Era Festival (3 Games)

Gonzaga is committed to the Players Era Festival for the second year in a row in 2026. Players Era is a multi-team event (MTE) in its third year that will take place over Thanksgiving week in Las Vegas. Last year, Gonzaga beat Alabama and Maryland in their first two games - before an absolute beatdown at the hands of Michigan in the championship game.

The event is expanding from 18 to 24 teams, with an eight team bracket the week before Thanksgiving and a 16 team bracket the following week - which is the event Gonzaga is slated to participate in.

Gonzaga will open up the event against Kansas State on Nov. 24, and will play either Baylor or Alabama in the second game on Nov. 25. The time for those games is unknown, but both will be at T-Mobile Arena and will be broadast on TNT.

A third matchup will take place on Nov. 27 against one of the following: Creighton, TCU, Miami, or Michigan, while a fourth game could occur if Gonzaga wins all three matchups.

4. Creighton Bluejays (Dec. 12, 2026)

Gonzaga hosted Creighton in mid-November at the McCarthey Athletic Center, blasting the then No. 23-ranked Bluejays by 27 points in what looked to be a signature win for coach Few's team.

It turns out Creighton wasn't nearly as good as anticipated, and in fact, the rough campaign resulted in longtime coach Greg McDermott retiring at the end of the season, passing the program over to coach-in-waiting Alan Huss.

This year Gonzaga will return the favor by playing Creighton at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, with Jon Rothstein reporting the game will take place Dec. 12. It will be a nice early season test for Huss, and one of Gonzaga's first true road games of the season.

5. Michigan State Spartans (Dec. 19, 2026)

Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo reacts in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Tom Izzo confirmed on the Staudt on Sports Show that his Michigan State team will play Gonzaga "in California" in 2026-27. It has now been reported by Jon Rothstein that this game will take place on Dec. 19 at Acrisure Arena - Gonzaga's first in-season matchup at the 11,000 seat arena located in the Coachella Valley, which opened in 2022.

This will be the first matchup between the Zags and Spartans since 2022 when they played on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier as part of the Armed Forces Classic, a game Gonzaga won 64-63 thanks to 22 points from Drew Timme.

6. Duke Blue Devils (Feb. 20, 2027)

Gonzaga will once again play a marquee non-conference matchup in mid-February, this time taking on the mighty Duke Blue Devils at Little Caesar's Arena in Detroit. It will be the sixth all-time matchup between these two programs, and first since No. 1 Gonzaga lost to No. 5 Duke in Las Vegas in 2021.

Gonzaga last played a non-conference game in February when they took on Kentucky at Rupp Arena in 2024, securing a massive win that propelled the Zags to a strong finish.

UCLA Bruins (Date TBD)

Roughly an hour before Gonzaga and UCLA tipped off at Climate Pledge Arena last December, it was reported by college hoops insider Jon Rothstein that these two programs would renew their neutral site series for another two years.

Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

As of this writing, it is unclear when and where the next two games in this series will take place, although it is expected that both matchups will occur on neutral sites.

Oregon Ducks (Date TBD)

Gonzaga and Oregon scheduled each other voluntarily for the first time in 41 years last season, squaring off at the Moda Center in Portland back on Dec. 21, 2025 - a game the Zags won by nine.

It wasn't just a one-off matchup, however, with Oregon coach Dana Altman confirming that the contract between these two teams stipulates a return game in Seattle in either the 2026-27 or 2027-28 season.

Mar 3, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

So, as of this writing, it is unclear if Oregon will be part of Gonzaga's non-conference schedule this upcoming season or the following, but fans can safely assume they won't have to wait another four decades for these two teams to square off in a non-tournament setting.

Other

Gonzaga still has quite a few games to play with on the 2026-27 calendar, and will likely add at least one or two more marquee matchups as well as a handful of 'buy' games against low major opponents.

This past season saw the Zags play four buy games - against Texas Southern, Campbell, North Florida, and Southern Utah - and a similar number can be assumed for 2026-27.

The potential exists for Gonzaga to restart a series with someone like Washington, or Baylor, or UConn, while fans will clamor for Arizona, BYU, Saint Mary's, or even Randy Bennett's new home at Arizona State to get added as well.

Check back for updates on Gonzaga's non-conference schedule as the offseason moves along.

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