Tom Izzo confirms matchup between Gonzaga and Michigan State set for 2026-27

Gonzaga and Michigan State have not played since 2022 as part of the Armed Forces Classic

Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo. | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

An already strong 2026-27 non-conference slate for Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs got even stronger on Wednesday.

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, in an interview on the Staudt on Sports Show, revealed his team will play Gonzaga "in California" this upcoming season.

No other details were provided, and neither school has confirmed the matchup.

"(UConn) is coming back to play an exhibition game and I think we’ve got Duke in Chicago, we’ve got Gonzaga in California,” Izzo said on the show. “The one thing I’ve still stayed stupid on is my scheduling. I’m always trying to bring good teams here.”

This matchup is one of four that has been reported for Gonzaga against the Big Ten in 2026-27. Purdue and Gonzaga will face off on Nov. 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas as part of the 2026 Hall of Fame Series on opening night, while neutral-site matchups against the UCLA Bruins and Oregon Ducks remain unconfirmed as of this writing.

Road games against Kentucky and Creighton, and a second consecutive trip to Vegas for the Players Era Festival, round out what is known about Gonzaga's non-conference schedule at this time.

Gonzaga and Michigan State have squared off six times since 1998, with the Spartans holding a 4-2 all-time advantage. The most recent game was in 2022, when the two programs met on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in San Diego as part of the Armed Forces Classic. Gonzaga won that battle, 64-63, behind 22 points from big man Drew Timme.

GU's other win against MSU came in a 3OT thriller back in 2005 as part of the Maui Invitational, arguably the greatest game in tournament history. Adam Morrison dropped 43 points in the semifinal victory, setting up a championship matchup with UConn that the Zags lost, 65-63.

Gonzaga also hosted Michigan State in 2011, losing 74-67 to a team led by future Hall of Famer Draymond Green.

One of GU's earliest NCAA Tournament runs ended at the hands of Michigan State back in 2001, when the No. 1-seeded Spartans beat No. 12 Gonzaga, 77-62, en route to the Final Four, where they fell to Arizona.

Gonzaga's move to the Pac-12 in 2026-27 is expected to come with just 16 conference games, with each program playing the other eight teams twice. That, combined with a new NCAA rule allowing 32 games per season, gives coach Few 16 different non-conference matchups for the upcoming campaign.

The Zags have never been afraid to schedule tough, and matchups with Purdue, Kentucky, Creighton, Michigan State, and potentially UCLA and Oregon - along with three games in the Players Era Festival - will have this squad fully prepared for what's to come in the new league.