Report: Gonzaga to face John Calipari, Arkansas in preseason exhibition

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs have long proven they are willing to play anyone, anywhere, at any time. That mantra clearly includes the preseason, with the Zags stacking up high-profile opponents in exhibition games over the past few years - including Baylor, Tennessee, and USC.

2026-27 will have more of the same after it was reported by Kevin McPherson that Gonzaga will play Arkansas on the road at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville as one of their exhibition opponents. McPherson - an Arkansas insider - did not have a date for the game but indicated it would be in mid-to-late October, when most exhibition games take place.

Arkansas is coached by Hall of Famer John Calipari, who is a longtime friend of Few and who was the head coach at Kentucky when the two programs started the six-year series that was ended last month after four years.

Gonzaga also regularly played coach Cal when he was at Memphis, twice hosting them at the Spokane Arena in the midst of conference play.

Arkansas becomes the second SEC team that Gonzaga is rumored to face this year, joining Will Wade and LSU, who are coming to the Spokane Arena in mid-November, according to reports.

Source: Arkansas will host Gonzaga in an exhibition game @ Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville as a lead up to '26-27 regular szn (presumably in mid- to late-October) ... pic.twitter.com/Dh5SP9Bqos
— Kevin McPherson (@ARHoopScoop) June 9, 2026

Gonzaga and Arkansas don't have much of a history against each other, although the most recent game is one Zag fans would like to forget. GU beat the Hogs in 2013 in the Maui Invitational, 91-81, but fell to Arkansas in the Sweet 16 in 2022, 74-68, ending an incredible season as well as the collegiate careers of NBA stars Chet Holmgren and Andrew Nembhard.

Add Hogs to ridiculous non-con

Gonzaga's non-conference schedule is already plenty loaded, with a season opener against Purdue at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas set for Monday, Nov. 2. Gonzaga is also taking on Michigan State on Dec. 19 at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, and has a massive matchup with Duke on Feb. 20 in Detroit at Little Caesars Arena.

The Zags will also participate in the Players Era Festival and are set to take on Kansas State in their first game on Nov. 24. They will then play either Baylor or Alabama on Nov. 25, and one of TCU, Creighton, Miami, or defending champion Michigan on Nov. 27.

Those are the confirmed games for Gonzaga, with the aforementioned LSU game joining potential matchups against UCLA, Oregon, and a road tilt against Creighton on the slate for coach Few's team.

The new-look Pac-12 will have just 16 conference games, giving the Zags 16 additional non-conference games to play with. Expect Gonzaga to strategically use all of them to bolster their resume - and they'll set themselves up for early-season success with this huge exhibition showdown against Arkansas.

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