Gonzaga’s 2024-25 nonconference schedule starting to take shape

Kentucky and UCLA set to be on Gonzaga’s schedule; Washington calls off final two years of its series with the Zags

Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

Among other changes in college athletics, the recent wave of conference expansion has had a significant impact on Gonzaga’s 2024-25 men’s basketball schedule.

In particular, the demise of the Pac-12 set in motion a series of events that dramatically altered the landscape. As 10 schools moved to other power conferences, the league’s last two standing schools, Washington State and Oregon State, joined the West Coast Conference for at least the next two seasons. To accommodate, the WCC added two more league games to its existing 16-game schedule, meaning the Bulldogs have two extra conference games — and two fewer non-league opportunities.

 “It certainly changed our non-league stuff,” Gonzaga head coach Mark Few said of WSU and Oregon State joining the WCC in a press conference. “I mean we've got a lot less non-league games, which are very important to us. Now we've got to play 18 league games, so that’s impacted our non-league scheduling to a certain extent and … it certainly throws some northwest teams in there so our travel won’t be as bad.”

It remains to be seen how the WCC adjusts for when Grand Canyon and Seattle U join in 2025, which would make it a 13-team league until the Cougars and Beavers decide where they want to go following their two-year stint as affiliate members.

The next domino involved Washington, which called off its game against the Bulldogs next season as it prepares for the transition into the Big Ten. After the 2020-21 matchup was cancelled, the in-state schools had re-upped their nonconference series to run through the 2025-26 season. Though after changing conferences and hiring a new head coach in Danny Sprinkle, the Huskies opted out of the contract. 

“Usually the way contracts are written for these multi-year series of games, is that if one of the coaching staffs were to leave or to get fired, there’s an ability to get out of that game,” Dan Dickau said. “And so from what I’ve heard, it sounded like UW wanted out.”

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Still, the Zags have several high-profile non-league games on their 2024-25 schedule. A few days after Washington opted out, it was confirmed that the Kentucky game has been set for the 2024 Battle in Seattle event on Dec. 7 at Climate Pledge Arena. The Wildcats went through a massive coaching change earlier this spring when John Calipari left the program for SEC-rival Arkansas, prompting former BYU head coach Mark Pope to take on the challenge in Lexington, Kentucky.

While some other games have yet to be confirmed, the Bulldogs also look forward to three games at the 2024 Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas from Nov. 27-29. And just a week after Kentucky, they’ll head to Madison Square Garden in New York to tangle with back-to-back champion UConn.

“Gonzaga plays a very high-level nonconference schedule,” Dickau said. “Now you kinda got to figure out … where else are there opportunities that make sense for you and another program that’s gonna have a high NET ranking or, would also provide maybe national TV exposure.” 

Dickau provided an update and breakdown of Gonzaga’s 2024-25 schedule and much more on an episode of Gonzaga Nation.

Produced by Christian Pedersen.