A late-October exhibition usually comes with a built-in warning label, and Gonzaga’s trip to Arkansas is no different. The rosters are still settling, the season opener is still less than two weeks away on Nov. 2, and there’s plenty of reason to keep every takeaway in perspective.
Even so, this one has enough moving parts to make it worth watching closely.
On the Gonzaga side, the eligibility picture has already started to take shape. Dayton Flyers transfer and point guard Javon Bennett is eligible after a stay in the state of Ohio.
Florida Gators transfer and point guard Xaivian Lee is eligible after a preliminary injunction in the state of California. Florida State Seminoles transfer and forward Chauncey Wiggins is ineligible after a stay in the state of Georgia.
Spain’s Real Madrid forward and center Izan Almansa has three years of college eligibility after receiving an NCAA waiver, first reported by Spokesman-Review’s Theo Lawson.
Then, on Oct. 23, Mark Few announced that Almansa will officially be joining the 2026-27 squad. That only adds to what already looks like a loaded front line in Spokane, with redshirt senior power forward Braden Huff, Arizona State Sun Devils transfer and sophomore center Massamba Diop, and now the Spanish big giving Gonzaga serious size and depth.
Saturday’s practice test against John Calipari’s No. 12 Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas, should help answer a few real questions.
One of the biggest: does Gonzaga’s shooting from deep finally come around?
Last season, the Zags ranked No. 218 nationally at 33.3 percent from three-point range over 35 games. That’s not the kind of number this program wants attached to its name.
But there were signs of life at Kraziness in the Kennel on Oct. 3, when both groups combined to hit 18 of 32 from beyond the arc for 56.2 percent in 20 minutes of action. Houston Cougars transfer and shooting guard Isiah Harwell and Wiggins are both expected to help raise that ceiling.
Harwell, despite some back discomfort, went for 17 points and drilled 4 of 5 from deep in the recent scrimmage. If he’s healthy, he has a chance to become one of the most valuable newcomers and bench pieces in the Pac-12 while boosting his stock in a major way.
There’s also a bigger offensive picture here. Gonzaga’s frontcourt already brings proven interior presence, but if the perimeter group can stretch the floor with any consistency, this team can become a lot harder to guard.
The backcourt setup may be just as important. De Sousa is currently in a positive eligibility position, along with Bennett and Lee, and that naturally raises the question of how often Gonzaga will go with two point guards on the floor.
Bennett and Lee together is one option. De Sousa and Lee is another.
If Wiggins cannot play, sophomore wing Davis Fogle could slide to the three. That would put the dunk contest winner and Kraziness scoring record holder, who dropped 30 points there, in a spot where he thrives. Fogle also owns the highest NBA Draft stock on this roster after spending the offseason refining his shooting mechanics with assistant coach Stephen Gentry.
The frontcourt minutes should be spread around in Fayetteville, and that includes sophomore Parker Jefferson, the last of the redshirt big men in the Pacific Northwest program’s pipeline. Jefferson has a direct family tie to Arkansas, too - his mother, Carrie, played basketball there, and his father, Mike, played football there.
Huff is also a player to monitor closely. He hasn’t gotten the preseason national attention that some around him have, in part because last season ended early when he suffered a dislocated left kneecap in January. That only gives more motivation to a skilled post passer who can operate well out of the short roll.
Defensively, Gonzaga gets an early measuring stick against a roster full of high-end talent. Arkansas brings in another Calipari group packed with highly recruited freshmen: 6-2 guard Jordan Smith Jr., 6-2 guard Davion Thompson, 6-5 wing Abdou Toure, 6-6 freshman wing JJ Andrews, 7-0 forward Miikka Muurinen, and 6-11 center Caleb Ourigou. Muurinen, the Finland-born forward, is part of what looks like arguably the top 2026 high school recruiting class in the country.
But this isn’t just a collection of freshmen waiting to develop. Junior guard Jeremiah Wilkinson is already a proven three-level scorer from his stops with the California Golden Bears in 2024-25 and the Georgia Bulldogs in 2025-26. Junior wing Billy Richmond III is the longest-tenured Razorback on Calipari’s roster and brings plenty of bounce as a cutter to the rim.
Calipari said on Oct. 22 that he and Few, whose close friend served as one of his presenters at his Naismith Hall of Fame induction in August, were not going to take it easy on each other.
That lines up with the kind of exhibition both programs want. No zone.
Some pressure. A real test in late October, exactly the sort of tuneup these games were made for.
The SEC Network+ will air the matchup at 1 p.m. PT on Saturday, Oct. 24.
In Other News...
Gonzaga Just Got A Frontcourt Boost Fans Have Waited For
Gonzaga finally has a clearer picture in the frontcourt with Izan Almansa officially cleared by the NCAA to suit up for the Bulldogs. The 21-year-old forward from Spain arrives with a resume that is anything but ordinary, having spent time with NBA G League Ignite, Australias NBL and Real Madrid before landing in Spokane, and he now brings three seasons of college eligibility with him.
For a Gonzaga team that has been waiting to see how he fits into the rotation, the next step comes quickly with an upcoming exhibition against Arkansas. Almansa is expected to join the roster for that game in Fayetteville, giving the Bulldogs another option up front and adding some intrigue to a preseason stretch that has already featured a few roster-related delays. [Read more 🡒]