Gonzaga and Kentucky agree to six-year series ending in Spokane
Gonzaga and Kentucky have never previously played each other in the regular season (photo courtesy of NCAA Sports)
It’s more than just a home-and-home for the Zags and Wildcats, a matchup so good we’ll now get to see it six times.
College basketball fans first learned in early August that they would be getting at least two face-offs between the two programs during a flood relief telethon in Lexington.
Now though, it’s been revealed that the two prestigious programs signed a six-year contract to play each other through 2027. Two games in Spokane, two in the Rupp Arena and two at neutral sites will allow fans to see different iterations of both teams square off for years to come.
First this year, the Zags and Wildcats will play in Spokane on Nov. 20, but in the Spokane Arena which can fill twice as many seats as the McCarthey Athletic Center. For everyone hoping for a game in the classic Kennel though, you’ll get your wish, in the series finale in 2027.
In the time between though, the Zags will travel to the famed Rupp Arena next season and again in 2026.
The two neutral zone contests will happen in spots that could be considered home turf for each team. Seattle gets a game from Gonzaga and Kentucky in 2024, and then the two teams will settle things the following year in Nashville, Tennessee.
Beyond this season’s game, there hasn’t been any confirmation of the exact dates for the next five matchups, surely Coach Mark Few and John Calipari will figure those out each season while devising their teams’ schedules.
Tickets for this year’s game, the first between the Zags and Wildcats ever in the two teams' regular season history, aren’t on sale yet but expect them to go online before the teams tip off on Nov. 20
