Gonzaga’s annual Seattle showcase has a date, and this one lands later on the calendar than usual.
The Bulldogs will face Oregon on Jan. 30 at Climate Pledge Arena, according to Rocco Miller of Bracketeer.org, setting up a return game in the neutral-site series that began last season. It will be the fifth time since 2021 that Mark Few’s team has brought a high-major non-conference opponent to Seattle, continuing a run that gives west-side fans a rare close-up look at Zag basketball.
Last season’s meeting came in Portland, where Gonzaga knocked off the Ducks 91-82 at the Moda Center behind a season-high 21 points from Braeden Smith and 20 from Braden Huff. Oregon coach Dana Altman had already pointed toward a return game, though the timing was uncertain at the time, with the possibility of 2026-27 or 2027-28. Once Gonzaga lined up a Seattle game against UCLA for 2027-28, this matchup with Oregon found its way into the upcoming season instead.
That means the Bulldogs and Ducks will meet in the middle of conference play, with Gonzaga in Pac-12 action and Oregon in the Big Ten.
The pairing also gives this game a very different feel from last year’s version. Only two players who appeared in that matchup are back: Huff for Gonzaga and Sean Stewart for Oregon.
Davis Fogle is also back for Gonzaga, though he did not play in that game. Oregon’s roster has changed just as dramatically, with former San Francisco wing Tyrone Riley IV, San Diego State’s Pharaoh Compton, Kentucky’s Jasper Johnson, and Boise State’s Andrew Meadow among the new faces for Altman.
The Zags have made Seattle a regular stop for these marquee non-conference tests, and Climate Pledge Arena has already delivered a mixed bag since opening in 2021. Gonzaga is 2-3 there overall, starting with three straight losses before finally breaking through with two wins last season.
The early run included a 91-82 loss to Alabama in 2021, a 76-63 defeat to eventual champion UConn in 2023, and an overtime loss to Kentucky in 2024 after Gonzaga had led by 18 in the second half. Last year changed the script: Gonzaga beat UCLA 82-72 in December and later handled Seattle U 71-50 in a WCC game, even without Huff or All-American Graham Ike because of injury.
Oregon is the 10th high-major opponent on Gonzaga’s non-conference schedule, and the second game on the slate that will come after the Pac-12 regular season begins.
The Bulldogs’ other Big Ten opponents are Purdue on Nov. 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, UCLA on Dec. 5 at Honda Center in Anaheim, and Michigan State on Dec. 19 at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, with a possible matchup against Michigan in the Players Era Festival depending on how the bracket breaks.
Gonzaga’s schedule also includes an exhibition at Arkansas on Oct. 24, LSU on Nov. 14 at the Spokane Arena, Creighton on Dec. 12, and Duke on Feb. 20 in Detroit.
In the Players Era Festival, the Zags open against Kansas State on Nov. 24, then play either Baylor or Alabama on Nov. 26.
Their third game will be against either Michigan, Creighton, TCU, or Miami, and they would get a fourth game if they win the first three.
Before Pac-12 play arrives, Gonzaga will have plenty of heavy lifting in front of it. The Oregon game adds another high-level checkpoint, and Duke sits there later on the schedule as well, keeping the Bulldogs on edge all the way toward March.
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Gonzaga Just Added Another Big Seattle Test On A National Stage
Gonzaga is adding another pair of high-profile nonconference dates in Seattle, with games against Oregon in the 2026-27 season and UCLA in the 2027-28 season both set for Climate Pledge Arena. It is the latest sign that the Bulldogs will continue using the city as a major stage away from Spokane, and it also extends a neutral-neutral setup that has already linked Gonzaga and Oregon in Seattle while pairing Gonzaga and UCLA on the West Coast in Anaheim.
For Gonzaga, the setting matters almost as much as the opponent. Climate Pledge Arena has already served as a familiar proving ground for the Bulldogs, and these matchups will give them another chance to draw a national audience in a building that has become part of their recent nonconference identity. Oregons roster has also changed since the teams were first connected in this series, which only adds another layer of intrigue to what should be one of the more anticipated early-season dates on Gonzagas future schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Gonzagas Future Schedules Show Just How Big Both Programs Are Thinking
Gonzaga is giving its fans a look far down the road, and the picture says plenty about how both of its basketball programs are approaching the future. Mark Fews men have already mapped out a 2026-27 non-conference slate that includes marquee matchups with Oregon and UCLA, while Lisa Fortiers women also unveiled a packed early-season schedule that features multiple games and tournament stops. Some of the dates and sites still have to be sorted out, but the ambition is already easy to see.
The calendar also gives the Kennel its annual rhythm. Kraziness in the Kennel is set for Oct. 3, 2026, with FanFest expected about a week later, keeping both programs in the spotlight before the season even starts. For Gonzaga, the big takeaway is not just who is on the schedule, but how intentionally the Bulldogs are planning years ahead, with both teams leaning into the kind of non-conference path that matches the programs national profile. [Read more 🡒]