Ranking each of Gonzaga's non-conference matchups by projected difficulty

Who are the toughest matchups for the Bulldogs in the preseason?

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

Gonzaga's non-conference slate is officially official, and it is arguably one of the toughest schedules in all of college basketball.

Seven of the 12 known matchups for Gonzaga are against teams in Jon Rothstein's top 45 rankings for this upcoming season, and only one of those games will be at home — against Creighton on Nov. 11.

Mark Few included a few buy games at home, but for the most part, this schedule is big test after big test — from early November right up to Christmas before the team embarks on its final run through the WCC before joining the Pac-12 in 2026-27.

Gonzaga will play 13 non-conference games, but the third opponent in the Player's Era Festival remains to be determined.

As such, we have ranked the 12 known matchups based on projected difficulty below:

12. North Florida (Dec. 7 at McCarthey Athletic Center)

The Ospreys went 15-17 last year and lost all five of their double-digit scorers this offseason. Led by interim head coach Bobby Kennen, this program is projected to finish 353rd out of 365 Division 1 teams according to Bart Torvik's preseason rankings.

11. Southern Utah (Nov. 17 at McCarthey Athletic Center)

Southern Utah Thunderbirds head coach Rob Jeter. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Thunderbirds went 12-19 last year, winning just four games in the WAC. They were among the worst offensive teams in the entire country, finishing 324th in adjusted offensive efficency at KenPom, and will represent little challenge for coach Few and the Zags in mid-November.

10. Texas Southern (Nov. 3 at McCarthey Athletic Center)

Texas Southern Tigers head coach Johnny Jones. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

Gonzaga opens up the regular season against a familiar SWAC opponent in Texas Southern. The Tigers are known for playing ludicrously challenging noncon slates, and while they return close to half their production from last year — they aren't likely to have the horses to hang with Gonzaga. This being the first game of the season could help them hang around, however, especially with a fair amount of roster continuity.

9. Campbell Fightin' Camels (Dec. 17 at McCarthey Athletic Center)

Campbell was a good defensive team last year, known for forcing long possessions, which will make for a fun matchup against Gonzaga's high-octane offense. The Camels are coming to Spokane fresh off Gonzaga's game against UCLA, and could be a bit of a trap for coach Few's team if they are not ready for their defensive pressure.

8. Oklahoma Sooners (Nov. 8 at Spokane Arena)

Oklahoma Sooners head coach Porter Moser. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Porter Moser and the Oklahoma Sooners put together a quality roster full of experience, including former Miami guard Nijel Pack, former Alabama forward Derrion Reid and potential breakout star Xzayvier Brown from St. Joe's. This team will represent a quality early-season test for Gonzaga, but Oklahoma's lack of continuity in an early-season road environment gives Mark Few's team a good chance of picking up a nice win in Week 1.

7. Arizona State Sun Devils (Nov. 14 at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, AZ)

Arizona State Sun Devils coach Bobby Hurley. | Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Oklahoma will almost certainly be better overall this year than Arizona State, but Bobby Hurley's team ends up here as it represents Gonzaga's only true road game of the noncon. Plus, the Sun Devils have some familiar faces on the roster in former Pacific and Pepperdine point guard Moe Odum - who dropped 24 points on the Zags last year - as well as one-time Zag commit Marcus Adams Jr, who averaged 16 points per game last season at CSUN.

6. Maryland Terrapins (Nov. 25 in Las Vegas, NV)

Former Texas A&M Aggies head coach Buzz Williams, now with the Maryland Terrapins. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Maryland, like Arizona State, is a completely new look team. Coach Buzz Williams left Texas A&M to replace Kevin Willard for the Terps, and he brought in a new look roster, including former Washington State guard Isaiah Watts, former Virginia and San Diego State forward Elijah Saunders, and former WSU and Indiana guard Myles Rice. This game will be 24 hours after a track meet against Alabama, which should add to the challenge for Gonzaga.

5. Creighton Bluejays (Nov. 11 at McCarthey Athletic Center)

Creighton Bluejays head coach Greg McDermott. | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Greg McDermott might have himself a top 25 team in Creighton, but this game comes in at No. 5 since it will be played at the Kennel. Still, the Bluejays are going to be a load for the Zags, especially after adding big-time Iowa transfers Owen Freeman and Josh Dix, while returning potential star Jackson McAndrew.

4. Oregon Ducks (Dec. 21 at Moda Center in Portland, OR)

Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Gonzaga fans travel exceptionally well, so it's hard to imagine this game in Portland will remotely resemble a road game for the Zags — even if plenty of Duck fans are in the house.

Dana Altman's club returns star guard Jackson Shelstad and big man Nate Bittle, and should be among the more challenging matchups Gonzaga faces all season long.

3. Alabama Crimson Tide (Nov. 24 in Las Vegas, NV)

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Gonzaga's first game in Las Vegas will be against Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide, a high-octane offense that loves to push the pace and space the floor with outside shooting. 'Bama returns star guard Labaron Philon and former Pepperdine guard Houston Mallette, and alongside newcomers Jalil Bethea (Miami) and 4-star freshman London Jemison, this will be a tough team to handle. However, Alabama lacks depth in the frontcourt, a big area the Zags can exploit with Graham Ike and Braden Huff.

2. UCLA Bruins (Dec. 13 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA)

UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin. | Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images

UCLA knocked off Gonzaga last year and returned a ton of key pieces, including guard Skyy Clark and forwards Tyler Bilodeau and Eric Dailey. Mick Cronin also added a potential All-American guard in Donovan Dent, and while this Seattle crowd is going to tilt in favor of Gonzaga, the curse of Climate Pledge Arena looms large.

1. Kentucky Wildcats (Dec. 5 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN)

Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Gonzaga won the first two games in this six-year series with Kentucky, both against John Calipari, but failed to take down Mark Pope's first 'Cats team last year in Seattle, even after holding an 18-point lead in the second half.

This year's team looks quite a bit different, although star guard Otega Oweh is back and will be a matchup nightmare for Gonzaga. Oweh, alongside guard transfers Jaland Lowe and Denzel Aberdeen and forwards Kam Williams and Jayden Quaintance, will create issues for Gonzaga all game long, and a long trip out to Nashville won't make things any easier for the Zags.

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