Gonzaga sets New Years Eve non-conference showdown with Ivy League school

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs are putting the finishing touches on their first non-conference schedule as members of the new look Pac-12.

With multiple high profile neutral site matchups already on the docket, the focus now is on finding opponents willing to come play the Zags at the McCarthey Athletic Center. In the past week alone three new home games have been reported for Gonzaga, with Rocco Miller of Bracketeer.org reporting the Cornell Big Red of the Ivy League will travel to Spokane to take on the Zags this New Year's Eve.

The time of the game has yet to be announced for this Thursday night showdown, which very well could be the final non-conference game before Pac-12 action begins.

Sources: Gonzaga will host Cornell as part of its 2026-27 non-conference schedule. The date is set for New Year's Eve in the Kennel.

First-ever meeting between the Bulldogs and the Big Red.#Pac12 #IvyLeague
— Rocco Miller (@RoccoMiller8) August 21, 2026

Meet Big Red

Dec 29, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Kaleb Glenn (8) battles for a rebound with Cornell Big Red guard Adam Hinton (8) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Gonzaga and Cornell have never played each other, with Big Red joining the LSU Tigers as first time opponents for the Zags in this year's non-con slate.

Cornell had a brief run of success from 2007-2010 under coach Steve Donahue, making the NCAA Tournament three straight years and even making the Sweet 16 in 2010 before falling, 62-45, to No. 1 seed Kentucky.

Those are three of just four appearances for Cornell in the Big Dance since 1955, as they have struggled to compete with Harvard, Yale, and Princeton in the Ivy League.

Last year's squad went 15-13 under coach Jon Jaques, finishing 8-6 in conference play despite going 4-2 against Yale, Prince, and Harvard in the regular season. Big Red lost to Yale, 88-76, in the first round of the Ivy League Tournament.

Updated Non-Conference Slate

Michigan State's head coach Tom Izzo, left, greets UCLA's head coach Mick Cronin after the game on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Cornell joins New Mexico State (Nov. 7), Montana State (Nov. 17), and Eastern Oregon (Dec. 2) as known home games for coach Few and the Zags, while the rest of the schedule features one road game and multiple marquee neutral site showdowns.

Gonzaga opens up the season Nov. 2 at 4:30 PM against Purdue at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, part of a double-header that also includes UCLA vs. Arizona.

Then the Zags will face LSU and new point guard Donovan Dent at the Spokane Arena on Nov. 14, followed by their second straight trip to Las Vegas for the Player's Era Festival, where they open Nov. 24 against Kansas State.

Gonzaga is also set to square off against UCLA on Dec. 5 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA, Creighton on the road Dec. 12, Michigan State at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs on Dec. 19, and a big time battle against Duke at Little Caesar's Arena in Detroit on Feb. 20.

With three games as part of Player's Era, that puts Gonzaga at 13 out of a possible 16 total non-conference matchups. Expect one of the final three to be played at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, while the other two could round out the home slate for the Zags as they prepare for their first year in the new Pac-12.

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