Gonzaga will get another crack at UCLA this winter, with the Bulldogs set to face the Bruins on Dec. 5 at the Toyota Center in Anaheim in a nonconference matchup tied to the West Coast Hoops Showdown.
The game will air on FOX, though a tipoff time has not been announced. Tickets go on sale Oct. 8, with a one-day presale set for the day before.
It’s the latest chapter in a rivalry that has become one of the West’s most compelling. Gonzaga and UCLA didn’t meet until 2000, but since then they’ve played 11 times, with the Bulldogs holding an 8-3 edge. The teams have met five times from 2021-25, including the 2021 Final Four and the 2023 Sweet 16.
“Anytime Gonzaga and UCLA get together, it’s a great opportunity for college basketball,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said in a school release. “Mick Cronin has done an outstanding job with their program, and we have tremendous respect for the way his teams compete.
We’ve shared some unforgettable games over the years, and this is another exciting matchup. We’re looking forward to playing in front of so many Gonzaga fans in Southern California, and we know they’ll create a great atmosphere.”
Cronin echoed that sentiment in the release, saying, “It’s vital for our college game to preserve some of these strong West Coast matchups, and UCLA taking on Gonzaga is a win-win for our sport.”
The Bulldogs will get an early scouting look at UCLA on opening night, when the Bruins meet Arizona at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. That comes just hours after Gonzaga opens against Purdue in the same building as part of the Naismith Hall of Fame Series.
Last season’s meeting went Gonzaga’s way, 82-72 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Graham Ike and Braden Huff combined for 46 points for the Bulldogs, while UCLA’s Tyler Bilodeau scored 24 and hit 4 of 6 from 3-point range.
There will be some unusual branding attached to this one, too. Gonzaga will wear the Pac-12 patch on its jerseys, while UCLA arrives as the program that won 28 regular-season championships in the league between 1962 and 2023. Gonzaga is expected to be heavily favored to win the first Pac-12 title awarded since 2024, when 10 of the conference’s 12 members split off to join the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC.
The matchup also arrives with both rosters carrying some fresh wrinkles. Gonzaga lost Mario Saint-Supery to Valencia in an unexpected offseason move and is still looking for a new starting point guard. One possible name that has been floated is UCLA’s Donovan Dent, who recently said he’s open to playing a final year of college basketball after previously indicating he’d be retiring from the sport.
Dent’s numbers dipped at UCLA last season after his year at New Mexico, but he still averaged 13.3 points and 7.6 assists. He also posted a 12-point, 10-assist double-double in the loss to Gonzaga. Dent and UCLA teammate Skyy Clark are among 25 players who’ve filed a lawsuit in California while seeking another year of eligibility through the NCAA’s new “5 for 5” rule.
With Saint-Supery gone, Huff is the only starter from Gonzaga’s last meeting with UCLA who is back in the fold this season.
UCLA returns starters Eric Dailey and Xavier Booker, along with reserve Trent Perry, a former Gonzaga recruiting target. Cronin’s transfer group also includes Seattle native Jaylen Petty, who nearly averaged double figures last season at Texas Tech, and Auburn transfer Filip Jovic.
The Bruins also landed a commitment from Nikola Kusturica, a highly rated 17-year-old wing from Serbia who was reportedly considering Gonzaga, Kentucky and Michigan before choosing UCLA.
The Bruins are one of several major opponents on Gonzaga’s nonconference schedule. With UCLA added, the Bulldogs could play as many as 10 high-major teams before league play, or 11 if a preseason exhibition at Arkansas is counted.
After opening against Purdue, Gonzaga will play LSU at Numerica Veterans Arena, then head to the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas for at least three power-conference games, starting with Kansas State on Nov. 24. The Bulldogs will then meet UCLA in Anaheim on Dec. 5, travel to Creighton on Dec. 12, face Michigan State on Dec. 19 in Palm Springs, and later play Duke on Feb. 20 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
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