After a long offseason, Gonzaga is finally set to tip off the 2026-27 season, and the first assignment is a heavyweight one. Mark Few’s Bulldogs face Matt Painter’s Purdue Boilermakers on Monday afternoon in Las Vegas, with the game part of a men’s doubleheader that also features Tommy Lloyd’s Arizona Wildcats against Mick Cronin’s UCLA Bruins.
This one comes with a clear storyline for Gonzaga: the Zags are still chasing their first win over Purdue. They’re 0-5 against the Boilermakers since 1998, a stretch that includes NCAA Tournament losses in 2000 and again in 2024.
Purdue arrives with a very different look, even if the program’s standard under Painter remains the same. Braden Smith, the Big Ten’s all-time assist leader, is now in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, and the Boilermakers also lost Fletcher Loyer, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Oscar Cluff from last year’s group. Kaufman-Renn, after successfully suing for a sixth year of eligibility, plans to play this season for Kansas in the Big 12.
That leaves Purdue leaning on a reworked rotation and several untested pieces. Princeton transfer Caden Pierce is one of the key additions, and he’s already on the Karl Malone Award watch list as one of the best power forwards in the country. He also brings a little extra familiarity to the matchup, having gone to high school with Braden Huff.
The Boilermakers will also need a young guard to handle the job Smith left behind. Luke Ertel and Omer Mayer are the leading candidates to take on that role, while 7'3 center Daniel Jacobsen and wings Gicarri Harris and CJ Cox project as the team’s primary scoring threats.
Gonzaga, meanwhile, is expected to have most of its roster available. The lone exception is Chauncey Wiggins, the 6'10 Florida State transfer who remains ineligible after his TRO request was denied in Waco, TX, on Thursday.
The Zags should, however, have point guards Xaivian Lee and Javon Bennett on hand, along with Davis Fogle. Fogle sat out Gonzaga’s exhibition loss at Arkansas on Saturday, but he did play against Lewis-Clark State on Wednesday.
The matchup gives both teams an immediate measuring stick and offers college basketball fans a strong opening-night game in Las Vegas.
Game time is 4:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on Monday, Nov.
- Odds are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
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Izan Almansa Just Gave Gonzaga A Frontcourt Question Fans Will Love
Izan Almansas arrival gives Gonzaga something every coach wants and every opponent has to account for: another frontcourt piece with real experience behind him. The 21-year-old forward from Spain has already played professionally in the G League, Australia and his home country, and after gaining eligibility to suit up for the Bulldogs, he wasted little time showing why theres intrigue around his role. In the exhibition slate, he flashed the kind of efficiency and two-way skill set that can make a lineup look deeper in a hurry.
For Mark Few, the question now is less about whether Almansa can help and more about where he fits as the season opens. Gonzaga has options up front, and Almansas mix of size, skill and polish adds another layer to a rotation that is still taking shape. He has already given the staff a reason to keep looking his way, and fans have every reason to wonder how quickly that frontcourt puzzle comes together. [Read more 🡒]