Gonzaga might play Oregon in Seattle next season

Oregon will host the Zags at the Moda Center in Portland this December

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. | Photo by Erik Smith

The Gonzaga Bulldogs and Oregon Ducks went 41 years between scheduled non-conference matchups, last collaborating in 1984 before setting a game this season on Dec. 21 at the Moda Center in Portland.

It will not take nearly as long for the next matchup, however, as Oregon coach Dana Altman confirmed in a press conference on Wednesday that these two teams will square off at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle in either the 2026-27 or 2027-28 season.

Altman confirmed the contract between the two schools stipulates a return game in Seattle to make this a two-year 'semi-home-and-home' series, with Oregon hosting Gonzaga in Portland and Gonzaga hosting Oregon in Seattle.

Coach Few has faced Oregon twice as Gonzaga's head coach, once back in 1999 in just his 11th career game and again in 2019. In both instances, the games were played outside of the continental United States as part of multi-team events: first in Hawaii as part of the Maui Invitational and again in the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Gonzaga lost the first game back in 1999 but secured an overtime win in 2019, making this a rubber match for coach Few against his alma mater.

This matchup is now the third ongoing series for Gonzaga against teams formerly in the Pac-12 conference. Gonzaga is hosting UCLA at the Climate Pledge Arena on Dec. 13, after falling to them last year at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA. The Zags are also playing a true road game against Arizona State in Tempe on Nov. 14, having hosted the Sun Devils last year in a hard-fought 88-80 victory at the Kennel.

Oregon head coach Dana Altman yells to his team as the Oregon Ducks host the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors on Nov. 4, 2025, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Gonzaga will also play two other Pac-12 foes this year in Oregon State and Washington State, who are affiliate members of the WCC this year before leaving — with Gonzaga — to form the new Pac-12 starting in 2026-27.

Both Gonzaga and Oregon are 1-0 so far this season, although it was a much easier path to victory for coach Few and the Zags over Texas Southern. Oregon hosted new Mountain West foe Hawaii on Tuesday without star point guard Jackson Shelstad, who remains out with a hand injury.

Oregon opened up a 50-36 second-half lead before forward KJ Evans went down with a knee injury and had to be helped off the floor without putting any weight on his leg. Hawaii then went on a 12-0 run and eventually took the lead, before Ducks guard TK Simpkins scored with 2.5 seconds left to help Oregon escape with a victory in Eugene.

For now, Gonzaga will focus on the task at hand, which happens to be a tough matchup against Oklahoma set for Saturday, Nov. 8, at 7:30 PM at the Spokane Arena.