UCLA and Gonzaga’s next meeting now has a clearer window, and it comes with a familiar wrinkle for fans trying to make plans. According to a report from Steven Karr on X, the game on Fox will be played in the afternoon on December 5 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, since the network is set to carry the Big 10 Football Championship Game later that night.
That timing fits the pattern from 2024, when the Bruins and Bulldogs also tipped in the afternoon. For anyone heading to Anaheim, the message is simple: don’t expect a night slot.
The matchup itself already carries a long trail of recent drama. UCLA beat Gonzaga 65-62 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood in 2024, ending a four-game losing streak to the Bulldogs.
Gonzaga answered with an 82-72 win at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle in 2025, and the Bulldogs now own an 8-3 edge in the all-time series. UCLA’s other win in the matchup came in 2006 in the West Regional Semifinal.
That 8-3 mark is notable for another reason: it is the second-best winning percentage by a Bruins opponent with at least 10 games played. North Carolina is ahead of everyone else in that category, with 12 wins and three losses against UCLA.
The series began in 1999, when Gonzaga won 59-43 at UCLA. At that point, the Bulldogs were just nine months removed from their Elite Eight run that launched nearly three decades of sustained excellence. The 2006 NCAA Tournament meeting was the first of four postseason games between the programs.
The postseason history has delivered some of the most memorable finishes in the matchup. UCLA’s 2021 comeback in the National Semifinal ended with Johnny Juzang tying the game on a layup with three seconds left, before Jalen Suggs hit one of the most memorable shots in NCAA Tournament history - a half-court buzzer-beater that sent Gonzaga to the National Championship Game for the second time in the last four NCAA Tournaments.
The 2023 game brought another tense finish. UCLA trailed by eight with 1:05 left, then Amari Bailey buried a three-pointer with 12.2 seconds remaining to put the Bruins ahead 76-75. Julian Strawther responded with a three of his own to swing the lead back to Gonzaga, and a free throw after a UCLA turnover sealed a 79-76 Bulldogs win.
Gonzaga also picked up its first NCAA Tournament win over UCLA with a 74-62 victory over the 11-seed Bruins in the South Regional Semifinals. The Bulldogs later flipped their painful 2006 tournament loss with late-game wins over UCLA in 2021 and 2023.
Looking ahead, Bart Torvik’s 2026-27 projections have Gonzaga at No. 14 and UCLA at No. 21. Torvik projects Gonzaga with the 17th-best offense and 14th-best defense, while UCLA is slotted 12th in offense and 27th in defense entering the season.
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One UCLA Freshman Could Crash Chesneys Rebuilt Linebacker Rotation Fast
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Among the newcomers, Malaki Soliai-Tui stands out as the kind of player who can force his way into the conversation sooner than expected. The Hawaii linebacker brings the sort of versatility coaches like to stash in a room full of veterans and transfers, because he can help in multiple ways if the opportunity opens up. With UCLA still sorting out how the rebuilt unit will come together, Soliai-Tui has a path to becoming more than just a developmental piece. [Read more 🡒]
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Since Bob Chesney took over, UCLAs recruiting has started to look like it belongs with programs that can actually stack talent, and the transfer portal has been a big part of that rise. ESPNs Eli Lederman now has the Bruins 2027 class sitting 14th nationally, a notable jump that reflects real progress and gives UCLA one of the better groups in the country on paper.
The class is headlined by JuJu Johnson, George Toia and Jerry Outhouse Jr., which is the sort of name recognition Bruins fans have been waiting to see attached to a recruiting class. The catch, of course, is whether UCLA can keep those commitments together all the way to signing day, and that is where the conversation turns back to the field. To keep this momentum from becoming another what-if, the Bruins need wins soon enough to make those recruits believe the program is headed somewhere worth staying with. [Read more 🡒]
Why UCLA's Portal Overhaul Could Finally Change Everything In 2026
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Wayne Knight is the name that jumps out first, because UCLA has not had a true 1,000-yard rusher in a while and his arrival gives the offense a clear centerpiece. On the other side of the ball, West is expected to help stabilize a defensive front that needed more presence, and the broader picture is just as important - this is a roster with real competition at almost every spot, which is a very different place for a team trying to climb back into relevance. [Read more 🡒]