Gonzaga and Baylor to square off next season in Sioux Falls
Possibly the marquee matchup for the 2022-23 college basketball season was announced on Tuesday, featuring Gonzaga and Baylor in a title game rematch in Sioux Falls on Dec. 2.
“We’re excited to play such a talented opponent in a great venue,” said Gonzaga head coach Mark Few in a news release. “We have tremendous respect for Coach Drew and his program. A game like this showcases college basketball and we thank Lea Miller-Tooley and the Sanford Pentagon for helping put it together.”
While the rosters look different, both programs have enjoyed steady success since that 2021 championship game. The Zags and Bears are the only two teams to be ranked No. 1 in the AP poll over the last three seasons. While last season ended abruptly, both expect to be championship contenders once again next year.
“I’m really excited for this early-season matchup against one of the sport’s premier teams,” said Scott Drew, Baylor head coach. “Baylor Basketball has so much respect for Coach Few and the entire Gonzaga program, and we share the same scheduling philosophy about testing ourselves early in the season.”
Much like last season, the Zags will have a gauntlet ahead of them in the nonconference portion of the schedule. Rematches on the road against Texas and Alabama have been finalized to go along with the PK85 tournament over Thanksgiving, which includes the likes of Duke, Villanova and North Carolina in the loaded 16-team field. GU has been accustomed to neutral site games over the years, and next year will feature plenty.
The rematch against Baylor will be the second trip to the Sanford Pentagon for the Bulldogs, who defeated Iowa there in a top-3 matchup back in 2020. Few fans were in attendance for that highly anticipated game, but surely that won’t be the case this time around.
“To have a national championship rematch between two perennial powerhouses is going to be an incredible game that college basketball enthusiasts will be thrilled to watch,” said Lea Miller-Tooley, president of Complete Sports Management. “We are proud to partner with the Sanford Pentagon to make this happen.”
