Gonzaga’s 2026-27 non-conference schedule just got a little more intriguing, and a lot more familiar.
The Bulldogs are officially headed to Omaha, Nebraska, on Saturday, Dec. 12, to face Creighton in the return game of a home-and-home series that began in the 2025-26 season. CBS reporter Jon Rothstein first reported the matchup, and Creighton later made it official when it unveiled its full non-conference slate on Tuesday. Tip time and TV details are still to be determined.
This one comes with a built-in edge after what happened in Spokane last season. Gonzaga welcomed Creighton to town on Nov. 15, 2025, in the Bluejays’ second road game of the year and rolled to a stunning 90-63 win over the No. 23 team in the country. Creighton’s season went sideways after that, Greg McDermott retired at the end of the year, and now the job of trying to settle the score belongs to Alan Huss, who had been the coach-in-waiting after two seasons at High Point, where he went 56-15.
Gonzaga has had Creighton’s number for a while now. The Bulldogs are 1-0 in this two-year series and 4-0 against the Bluejays in the Mark Few era.
Before last season’s blowout, the teams split a home-and-home in 2017 and 2018, with Gonzaga winning in Spokane and Omaha by 17 and 11 points. They also met in the 2021 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, where Gonzaga cruised past Creighton 83-65 behind 22 points from Drew Timme and 17 from Andrew Nembhard.
Last year’s win was powered by Graham Ike, who finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds while going a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range in the lopsided victory.
There’s also a little player crossover between these programs, which only adds to the connection. Grant Gibbs started at Gonzaga as a freshman in 2009-10, averaging 2.2 points in 9.3 minutes before transferring to Creighton to be closer to home in Iowa. After sitting out the 2010-11 season, he became the Bluejays’ starting point guard for the next three years and averaged 7.6 points and 5.0 assists while playing alongside Doug McDermott.
Ryan Nembhard took the opposite path. He began at Creighton, spent two seasons as the Bluejays’ starting point guard, then entered the transfer portal and landed at Gonzaga for his final two seasons, following the same route his brother once did. Nembhard’s senior year was historic, as he finished with the fifth-most assists in single-season history and broke both the program and conference records in one of the best individual seasons Gonzaga has ever had.
The Creighton game is just one piece of a loaded 2026-27 slate for Gonzaga. The Bulldogs open against Purdue at T-Mobile Arena on Nov. 2, meet LSU on Nov. 14 at the Spokane Arena, and return to the Player’s Era Festival in Las Vegas. There, they’ll start against Kansas State on Nov. 24 and then face either Alabama or Baylor on Nov. 25, with both games at T-Mobile Arena.
Gonzaga’s third Player’s Era Festival game will come against one of Michigan, Miami, TCU or, interestingly enough, Creighton - which would make that Omaha trip even more compelling. The Bulldogs also have a Dec. 19 date with Tom Izzo and Michigan State in Palm Springs, and an epic matchup with Duke on Feb. 20 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
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For Gonzaga, it is another reminder that the 2026-27 incoming group is coming in with real international mileage, not just recruiting buzz. Ekanga-Ehawas path has already included success at the youth level in France, and this will be a notable step as he gets his first crack at 5x5 national team basketball. It is the kind of summer assignment that can sharpen a young player before he ever sets foot in Spokane, even if the bigger questions about his role at Gonzaga will wait for later. [Read more 🡒]