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Jul. 22—Gonzaga's coaching staff will get a good look at UCLA on the opening night of the college basketball season when the Bruins square off against Arizona at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, a matter of hours after the Bulldogs play Purdue in the same building as part of the Naismith Hall of Fame Series.
Whatever insight the Zags glean could be useful two months later when they travel to face Mick Cronin's Bruins on Dec. 5 at the Toyota Center in Anaheim, extending one of the most compelling college basketball rivalries out West.
The teams are meeting as part of the West Coast Hoops Showdown, according to a news release. The game will be televised by FOX, but a tipoff time has yet to be announced. Tickets will officially go on sale on Oct. 8, with a one-day presale taking place the day prior.
Gonzaga and UCLA had never met before 2000, but the programs have played 11 times since then, with the Bulldogs owning an 8-3 advantage in the all-time series. The schools have played five times between 2021-25, including memorable showdowns in the 2021 Final Four and 2023 Sweet 16.
"Anytime Gonzaga and UCLA get together, it's a great opportunity for college basketball," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said in a school release. "Mick Cronin has done an outstanding job with their program, and we have tremendous respect for the way his teams compete. We've shared some unforgettable games over the years, and this is another exciting matchup. We're looking forward to playing in front of so many Gonzaga fans in Southern California, and we know they'll create a great atmosphere."
Gonzaga won last year's meeting at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, 82-72, after getting 46 combined points from the frontcourt duo of Graham Ike and Braden Huff. UCLA's Tyler Bilodeau led his team with 24 points, making 4 of 6 shots from the 3-point line.
"It's vital for our college game to preserve some of these strong West Coast matchups, and UCLA taking on Gonzaga is a win-win for our sport," Cronin said in the release.
There will be a few unique elements in a Gonzaga-UCLA matchup where the Bulldogs, rather than the Bruins, are the team wearing a Pac-12 patch on their jerseys.
The Bruins won 28 regular-season championships in the Pac-12 between 1962 and 2023. Gonzaga should be heavily favored to win the first Pac-12 title awarded since 2024, when 10 of the league's 12 members split off to join the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC.
Other potential developments and storylines could make this year's Gonzaga-UCLA matchup interesting. Weeks after losing Mario Saint-Supery to Valencia in an unexpected offseason move, the Zags are still in search of a new starting point guard. One option that's been floated is UCLA's Donovan Dent, who recently said he's open to playing a final year of college basketball after previously indicating he'd be retiring from the sport.
Dent's scoring numbers dipped last year at UCLA from the season prior at New Mexico, but he still averaged 13.3 points and 7.6 assists, and posted a 12-point, 10-assist double-double in the loss to Gonzaga. Dent and UCLA teammate Skyy Clark, a shooting guard, are two of the 25 players who've filed a lawsuit in the state of California while trying to secure another year of eligibility through the NCAA's new "5 for 5" rule.
With Saint-Supery's departure, Huff is the only member of GU's starting lineup from last year's UCLA game back in the fold this season.
The Bruins return a pair of starters in forward Eric Dailey and center Xavier Booker, along with key reserve Trent Perry, a former Gonzaga recruiting target. Cronin's transfer class includes Seattle native Jaylen Petty, who nearly averaged double figures last season at Texas Tech, as well as Auburn transfer Filip Jovic.
UCLA recently picked up a commitment from highly-rated international prospect Nikola Kusturica, a 17-year-old wing from Serbia who was reportedly considering Gonzaga, Kentucky and Michigan before choosing the Bruins.
With the addition of UCLA, the Zags could face as many as 10 high-major programs during nonconference play, and 11 if you include a preseason exhibition at Arkansas.
After the opener against Purdue, Few's team will play LSU at Numerica Veterans Arena before playing at least three power conference schools at the Players Era Festival in Vegas, beginning with a Nov. 24 opener against Kansas State. Gonzaga will then play UCLA in Anaheim on Dec. 5, travel to Creighton on Dec. 12 and meet Michigan State on Dec. 19 in Palm Springs. Gonzaga and Duke will also meet on Feb. 20 in a nonconference game at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
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Whatever insight the Zags glean could be useful two months later when they travel to face Mick Cronin's Bruins on Dec. 5 at the Toyota Center in Anaheim, extending one of the most compelling college basketball rivalries out West.
The teams are meeting as part of the West Coast Hoops Showdown, according to a news release. The game will be televised by FOX, but a tipoff time has yet to be announced. Tickets will officially go on sale on Oct. 8, with a one-day presale taking place the day prior.
Gonzaga and UCLA had never met before 2000, but the programs have played 11 times since then, with the Bulldogs owning an 8-3 advantage in the all-time series. The schools have played five times between 2021-25, including memorable showdowns in the 2021 Final Four and 2023 Sweet 16.
"Anytime Gonzaga and UCLA get together, it's a great opportunity for college basketball," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said in a school release. "Mick Cronin has done an outstanding job with their program, and we have tremendous respect for the way his teams compete. We've shared some unforgettable games over the years, and this is another exciting matchup. We're looking forward to playing in front of so many Gonzaga fans in Southern California, and we know they'll create a great atmosphere."
Gonzaga won last year's meeting at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, 82-72, after getting 46 combined points from the frontcourt duo of Graham Ike and Braden Huff. UCLA's Tyler Bilodeau led his team with 24 points, making 4 of 6 shots from the 3-point line.
"It's vital for our college game to preserve some of these strong West Coast matchups, and UCLA taking on Gonzaga is a win-win for our sport," Cronin said in the release.
There will be a few unique elements in a Gonzaga-UCLA matchup where the Bulldogs, rather than the Bruins, are the team wearing a Pac-12 patch on their jerseys.
The Bruins won 28 regular-season championships in the Pac-12 between 1962 and 2023. Gonzaga should be heavily favored to win the first Pac-12 title awarded since 2024, when 10 of the league's 12 members split off to join the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC.
Other potential developments and storylines could make this year's Gonzaga-UCLA matchup interesting. Weeks after losing Mario Saint-Supery to Valencia in an unexpected offseason move, the Zags are still in search of a new starting point guard. One option that's been floated is UCLA's Donovan Dent, who recently said he's open to playing a final year of college basketball after previously indicating he'd be retiring from the sport.
Dent's scoring numbers dipped last year at UCLA from the season prior at New Mexico, but he still averaged 13.3 points and 7.6 assists, and posted a 12-point, 10-assist double-double in the loss to Gonzaga. Dent and UCLA teammate Skyy Clark, a shooting guard, are two of the 25 players who've filed a lawsuit in the state of California while trying to secure another year of eligibility through the NCAA's new "5 for 5" rule.
With Saint-Supery's departure, Huff is the only member of GU's starting lineup from last year's UCLA game back in the fold this season.
The Bruins return a pair of starters in forward Eric Dailey and center Xavier Booker, along with key reserve Trent Perry, a former Gonzaga recruiting target. Cronin's transfer class includes Seattle native Jaylen Petty, who nearly averaged double figures last season at Texas Tech, as well as Auburn transfer Filip Jovic.
UCLA recently picked up a commitment from highly-rated international prospect Nikola Kusturica, a 17-year-old wing from Serbia who was reportedly considering Gonzaga, Kentucky and Michigan before choosing the Bruins.
With the addition of UCLA, the Zags could face as many as 10 high-major programs during nonconference play, and 11 if you include a preseason exhibition at Arkansas.
After the opener against Purdue, Few's team will play LSU at Numerica Veterans Arena before playing at least three power conference schools at the Players Era Festival in Vegas, beginning with a Nov. 24 opener against Kansas State. Gonzaga will then play UCLA in Anaheim on Dec. 5, travel to Creighton on Dec. 12 and meet Michigan State on Dec. 19 in Palm Springs. Gonzaga and Duke will also meet on Feb. 20 in a nonconference game at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
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