The UCLA-Gonzaga rivalry is back on the calendar, and this one lands in a familiar West Coast spotlight. The Bruins and Bulldogs will meet on Dec. 5 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, with Gonzaga trying to notch a ninth win in the 12 all-time meetings between the programs.
One subplot already hanging over the matchup involves former UCLA lead guard Donova Dent. The question is whether Dent will be granted a fifth year of college eligibility by the NCAA and then decide to transfer to Gonzaga.
That game sits among the headliners in Gonzaga’s updated 2026-27 non-conference schedule, though several dates, locations and times are still not finalized.
The Bulldogs are set to open with a trip to Arkansas in October 2026 at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas. From there, the schedule includes a Nov. 2 meeting with Purdue at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, followed by games against New Mexico State on Nov. 7 at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington, and LSU on Nov. 14 at Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Washington.
Gonzaga will also take part in the Kansas State Wildcats/Players Era Festival from Nov. 24-28, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. After the UCLA game in Anaheim, the Bulldogs are scheduled to face Creighton on Dec. 12 at Chi Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska, then Michigan State on Dec. 19 at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, California. A Feb. 20, 2027 matchup with Duke is set for Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.
One other non-conference game remains unresolved: a meeting with Oregon. That series against the Big Ten’s Ducks is still up in the air and could land in either the 2026-27 or 2027-28 season as the second game of a two-year neutral-site arrangement.
The Pac-12 also announced where its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will be held. Both events are headed to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas under Commissioner Teresa Gould, with a two-year agreement covering the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons.
Next season’s tournaments are scheduled for March 9 through 13, one day before Selection Sunday. The top two seeds will earn double byes into the semifinals, while the third and fourth seeds will go straight to the quarterfinals, following a format similar to the West Coast Conference Tournament at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
In Other News...
Micah Gordon Just Entered A Different Recruiting Tier
Micah Gordons summer has pushed him into a different conversation, the kind reserved for guards who keep showing they can handle bigger stages and bigger attention. The Class of 2027 point guard for PSA Cardinals turned heads at EYBL Session 4 and again at Peach Jam, where his play helped confirm that his rise is no fluke after earlier standout nights in Las Vegas.
The ripple effect has been just as notable for the rest of the class behind him. Colton Hiller has picked up Michigan and Kentucky offers after a strong run, while Benji Berrouet has added Illinois and California to a list that already sits north of 25 major-program offers, a reminder of how quickly the recruiting board can change once the summer circuit starts sorting out who belongs in the top tier. [Read more 🡒]
Gonzagas UCLA Showdown Suddenly Carries One Huge Unsettled Question
Gonzagas December date with UCLA already had the feel of a marquee nonconference game, and now it comes with a little extra intrigue. The Bulldogs and Bruins are set to meet Dec. 5 at the Toyota Center in Anaheim as part of the West Coast Hoops Showdown, with FOX carrying the game after both teams open their seasons in Las Vegas at the Naismith Hall of Fame Series. It is the kind of matchup these programs have made a habit of turning into a measuring stick, and Gonzaga still owns the edge in the all-time series.
What makes this one stand out is how much both rosters have changed since the last time they crossed paths. Gonzaga is still sorting through its backcourt after losing Mario Saint-Supery in an unexpected offseason move, while UCLA has added transfers and a highly rated international recruit to a group that already looks different from a year ago. The Bulldogs have had plenty of recent success against the Bruins, but this meeting now carries a fresh layer of uncertainty, with both sides trying to answer major lineup questions before the calendar even turns to December. [Read more 🡒]
Another Elite Prospect Is Making The IMG Pipeline Even Stronger
Lucai Anderson is taking another big step in a fast-rising basketball path, announcing that he will spend his senior season at IMG Academy in Florida. The Class of 2027 four-star guard already built a strong rsum at Trinity Christian in Texas, where he averaged 21.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game and earned first-team All-State honors, and his profile has only grown with a growing list of college suitors and a strong run with Germanys U-18 national team at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament.
For Gonzaga fans tracking the national recruiting board, Anderson is the kind of high-upside name who keeps showing up in the same conversations as the elite prospects. The move to IMG should only intensify that spotlight, especially with his family background adding another layer to the story, but the bigger question now is how much more his stock can climb once he gets a full season on one of the sports most visible stages. [Read more 🡒]