Ranking Gonzaga's five biggest nonconference games of the 2025-26 season

Mark Few and his staff have put together another loaded nonleague slate for the Bulldogs

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

While Gonzaga's entire 2025-26 schedule is far from complete, this much is known: the Bulldogs will face at least four teams that qualified for the 2025 NCAA Tournament in nonconference play next season, with likely more on the way as teams around the country look to fill out their respective calendars.

Mark Few and his coaching staff have already assembled quite a slate of November and December standalone matchups, plus a spot in the NIL-driven Players Era Festival in Las Vegas over Thanksgiving week.

With a few highly anticipated matchups against marquee opponents on the docket, let's take a look at the five biggest nonleague games on Gonzaga's schedule that we know of at this point.

1. UCLA Bruins (Dec. 13 at Climate Pledge Arena)

UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau (34). / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Key additions: G Donovan Dent (20.4 ppg, 6.4 apg at New Mexico), G Jamar Brown (17.0 ppg, 7.4 rpg at Kansas City), C Xavier Booker (4.7 ppg at Michigan State)

Key losses: G Sebastian Mack (9.6 ppg), F Kobe Johnson (7.9 ppg) G Dylan Andrews (6.9 ppg)

Need we run through the well-documented history of the Zags and Bruins? The matchup between West Coast supremacies has delivered some thrilling battles over the years, with four of the last five meetings being decided by an average margin of 3.3 points. Gonzaga had won four straight over UCLA prior to last season's 65-62 loss to the Bruins at Intuit Dome.

Both rosters have been shaken up a bit since their last meeting, though the Bruins will have their top two scorers in Tyler Bilodeau (13.5 ppg) and Eric Dailey (11.4 ppg), back in uniform next season. Similarly, the Bulldogs will feature Graham Ike (17.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg) and Braden Huff (11.0 ppg) in their frontcourt.

With Gonzaga's up-tempo offense going up against UCLA's grind-it-out defense, expect those contrasting identities to clash in another epic showdown this December.

2. Kentucky Wildcats (Dec. 5 at Bridgestone Arena)

Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00). / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Key additions: G Jaland Lowe (16.8 ppg at Pitt),
F Jayden Quaintance (9.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg at Arizona State), F Mouhamed Dioubate (7.2 ppg at Alabama)

Key losses: G Koby Brea (11.6 ppg), G Lamont Butler (11.4 ppg), F Andrew Carr (10.3 ppg)

The fourth installment of this nonconference series could be a barometer for the 2025-26 Zags. While the Bruins pose plenty of challenges with their physicality on the defensive end of the floor, keeping up with the Wildcats' blistering pace is an entirely different task. Gonzaga found that out the hard way during the second half of its 90-89 loss to Kentucky, when the Zags squandered an 18-point lead while yielding 56 points after halftime (including 11 during overtime).

Pope and the Wildcats have been big spenders in the transfer portal this offseason. If Otega Oweh (16.2 ppg) withdraws from the 2025 NBA Draft, it'll be even harder to find a weak spot on this Wildcats roster.

As currently constructed, Kentucky is ranked No. 11 in Jon Rothstein's daily offseason rankings.

3. Baylor Bears (Date & Location TBD)

Former Oregon State Beavers forward and new Baylor Bears addition Michael Rataj (12). / James Snook-Imagn Images

Key additions: G Dan Skillings Jr. (9.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg at Cincinnati), G J.J. White (13.7 ppg, 4.0 apg at Omaha), F Michael Rataj (16.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg at Oregon State)

Key losses: C Josh Ojianwuna (7.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg), G Langston Love (8.9 ppg), Robert Wright III (11.5 ppg, 4.2 apg)

The venue and date for the second game of a multi-year series between the Zags and Bears have yet to be finalized, though both teams will certainly look different than when they met last November at the Spokane Arena.

Scott Drew and his coaching staff have reeled in nine transfer commits so far this spring, including four from players who earned all-conference honors at the mid-major level last season. The Bears' incoming transfer class is ranked No. 19 in the country by EvanMiya.com.

Baylor could also be looking at another one-and-done scenario with five-star recruit Tounde Yessoufou, a 6-foot-6 forward who's projected as a potential first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

It'll be interesting to see whether this game is scheduled as a season-opener again, or if it's arranged for a later date, like in December, as a final test for both teams before conference play begins.

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

Former Miami Hurricanes guard and new Oklahoma Sooners addition Nijel Pack (24). / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Key additions: G Nijel Pack (13.9 ppg at Miami), G Xzayvier Brown (17.6 ppg at St. Joseph's), F Derrion Reid (6.0 ppg at Alabama)

Key losses: G Duke Miles (9.4 ppg), G Jeremiah Fears (17.1 pgg), G Kobe Elvis (7.7 ppg)

Currently, Gonzaga's earliest known game on the 2025-26 calendar is a date with Oklahoma at the Spokane Arena. Based on Porter Moser and his staff's offseason moves, starting the season against the Sooners could prove a worthy test for the Zags. Oklahoma's incoming transfer class is ranked No. 22 in the nation by EvanMiya.com.

5. Arizona State Sun Devils (Date TBD at Desert Financial Arena)

Former Pepperdine Waves guard and new Arizona State Sun Devils addition Moe Odum (5). / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Key additions: G Moe Odum (13.1 pgg, 7.5 apg at Pepperdine), F Allen David Mukeba Jr. (14.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg at Oakland), F Marcus Adams Jr. (16.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg at CSUN Northridge)

Key losses: G Alston Mason (13.8 ppg, 4.0 apg), F Jayden Quaintance (9.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg), G Joson Sanon (11.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg)

Adam Miller's return to Tempe, Arizona, after committing to Gonzaga earlier this spring will come at some point during the 2025-26 season, though the official date for the second Zags-Sun Devils game in two years has yet to be finalized.

Bobby Hurley and the Sun Devils have assembled a transfer class that's loaded with talented players from the mid-major level. Arizona State also welcomes two four-star recruits to campus in 6-foot-8 wing Marcus Jackson (247Sports' No. 90-ranked recruit in the class of 2025) and 6-foot-7 forward Jaion Pitt (No. 108).

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