Gonzaga and UCLA plan to renew two-year neutral site series, per report

The fun between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and UCLA Bruins won't stop after Saturday night, with college basketball insider Jon Rothstein reporting the two teams will renew their neutral site series for another two years - less than an hour before the two teams tipped off at Climate Pledge Arena.

It's unclear when, and where, the next two games in the series will take place, although they are expected to play each other at neutral sites again.

Saturday's bout in Seattle is the return of a series that began last season when Gonzaga fell to UCLA, 65-62, at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA.

These two teams have a long history of squaring off, both in the non-conference and in the NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga is 7-3 all-time against UCLA, including 2-1 in March Madness with both wins coming this decade.

First was an epic Final Four win in 2021 when Jalen Suggs banked in a 37 foot three pointer to send Gonzaga to the national championship, where they fell to Baylor. Two years later these teams met again, this time with an Elite Eight berth on the line, and again it came down to the wire with Julian Strawther - part of the same recruiting class as Suggs - playing the hero by drilling a three at the top of the key.

Of course, UCLA got the first laugh when they pulled off a miraculous comeback in the 2006 NCAA Tournament, stunning Gonzaga and ending the illustrious collegiate career of Zag icon Adam Morrison.

Gonzaga and UCLA also played each other in the Maui Invitational in 2023, a game the Zags won 69-65, and in Las Vegas in 2021 which Gonzaga also won, 83-63.

These two teams have been among the most successful programs on the west coast for the last couple decades, with the rivalry really picking up once Cronin took over at UCLA in 2019.

Gonzaga has never shied away from playing marquee opponents in the non-conference slate. They are currently in the middle of a six-year series against blue blood Kentucky, who the Zags beat last Friday, 94-59. Gonzaga also played Creighton at home back in November, winning 90-63, and they will return the favor with a road game in Omaha next season.

Other recent series by Gonzaga include facing UConn, Alabama, and USC, all at neutral sites.

Gonzaga will look to even the current series against UCLA on Saturday night at Climate Pledge Arena.