Two New Announced Non-Conference Home Matchups for Gonzaga

With the Pac-12 Conference adopting a 16-game double round-robin schedule, the Gonzaga Bulldogs’ non-conference schedule can fit 16 games for a total of 32 matchups played during the 2026-27 college basketball regular season.

The Zags have added two home contests inside the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington, to the upcoming non-conference slate. First, the Big Sky Conference’s Montana State Bobcats on Nov. 17.

The two teams competed as members of the Big Sky from 1963 to 1979, and Gonzaga leads the all-time series, 27-22. The last meeting came on Nov. 15, 2008, ending in an 83-52 win for coach Mark Few’s team.

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Second, the NAIA’s Eastern Oregon Mountaineers on Dec. 2. This will be an exhibition for Eastern Oregon and, most likely, count towards the Zags overall record. The Mountaineers were regular-season co-champions of the Cascade Collegiate Conference in 2025-26.

This will be the fourth time in six years the two programs have faced each other. The last matchup between the two schools resulted in Gonzaga’s 123-57 beatdown victory on Nov. 14, 2023.

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Here is the full update to the 2026-27 non-conference schedule, with not all dates/locations/times finalized.

*at Arkansas Razorbacks (Oct. 2026, at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas)

vs. Purdue Boilermakers (Nov. 2, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada)

vs. New Mexico State Aggies (Nov. 7, 2026, at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington)

vs. LSU Tigers (Nov. 14, 2026, at Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Washington)

vs. Montana State Bobcats (Nov. 17, 2026, at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington)

Kansas State Wildcats/Players Era Festival (Nov. 24-28, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada)

vs. Eastern Oregon Mountaineers (Dec. 2, 2026, at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington)

vs. UCLA Bruins (Dec. 5, 2026, at Honda Center in Anaheim, California)

at Creighton Bluejays (Dec. 12, 2026, at CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska)

vs. Michigan State Spartans (Dec. 19, 2026, at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, California)

vs. Duke Blue Devils (Feb. 20, 2027, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan)

vs. Oregon Ducks (To be determined)

The battle with the Big Ten Conference’s Oregon Ducks is still on the fence, either taking place in the 2026-27 or 2027-28 season. This would be the second game of their two-year neutral site series.

The Pac-12 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Under the tutelage of Commissioner Teresa Gould, the two-year contract will span both the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons.

Next season’s tournaments will take place from March 9 through 13, a day before Selection Sunday. The top two seeds will receive double byes straight to the semifinals. The third and fourth seeds will receive a bye to the quarterfinals.

Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho