Gonzaga to face Baylor in 2024-25 college basketball season opener from Spokane Arena: report

Bulldogs and Bears will square off in the Spokane Arena on Nov. 4

Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Gonzaga and Baylor will tip off the 2024-25 college basketball season from the Spokane Arena on Nov. 4, CBS Sports' Matt Norlander reported Wednesday.

The two schools had been working on scheduling a game for a neutral site court during the opening week of the season, as first reported by Norlander, who said Las Vegas was a potential host city. Some international venues were considered as well, though ultimately the two sides agreed to stay in the states. Official tip-off time and TV details have not been confirmed. 

The Nov. 4 matchup will likely be just the third time in the Mark Few era that the Zags open the regular season against an AP Top 25 team (2003 vs. No. 17 Saint Joseph’s, 2020 vs. No. 6 Kansas) seeing as that the Bears are No. 14 in Bart Torvik’s 2024-25 projections, and ranked highly in other notable preseason rankings. There's also never been an earlier start to the college basketball season for Few in his 25 years as head coach (the Bulldogs started the 2019-20 campaign a day later on Nov. 5).

Gonzaga is 13-6 all-time at the Spokane Arena, including last season's win over Pepperdine in the West Coast Conference opener. Few and company picked up a ranked win at their home away from home during the 2022-23 campaign when No. 4 Kentucky came to town for a matchup against the No. 2 Bulldogs. Three Zags scored more than 20 points to lead the way in an 88-72 victory.

Baylor, which has finished in the top 16 of KenPom in each of the last five seasons, is projected to continue that trend in 2024-25. Despite losing four of five starters from last season’s 24-11 team, head coach Scott Drew brought in quite the riches of talent this offseason to make up for the losses.

Miami transfer Norchad Omier, a 6-foot-7 wing who averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds per game in 2023-24, along with former Duke product Jeremy Roach, an All-ACC guard last season, headline an incoming transfer portal class that’s ranked No. 13 in the nation according to EvanMiya.com. Even more impressive perhaps is the Bears’ 2024 recruiting class, ranked No. 4 in the country on 247Sports, which is highlighted by five-star wing and probable NBA lottery pick, VJ Edgecombe, as well as four-stars Rob Wright and Jason Asemota.

Drew also brought back 6-foot-4 guard Jayden Nunn, who started all 35 games as a junior, and 6-foot-5 wing Langston Love.

Gonzaga and Baylor last met in a closed-door scrimmage in Phoenix, Arizona, in October 2023. Nolan Hickman and Anton Watson led the way with 17 points apiece while Nunn had 16 for the Bears, who also featured eventual first-round pick Ja’Kobe Walter. The two schools also met in a nonconference showdown in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, during the 2022-23 season, which Baylor came out on top, 64-63, and of course the 2021 national championship game.

With the Baylor game confirmed, Gonzaga's 2024-25 schedule is officially complete.

After hosting the Sun Devils on Nov. 10, the Zags tune-up against UMass-Lowell on Nov. 15 at the Kennel before heading down to California to face San Diego State at the Viejas Arena on Nov. 18. Then it's back to Spokane for a date against Long Beach State on Nov. 20.

The Battle 4 Atlantis event takes place from Nov. 27-29 in the Bahamas. The Zags will take on West Virginia in the first game on Nov. 27 with the potential play either Indiana or Louisville on day two. Day three could feature a matchup against Tommy Lloyd and Arizona.

Gonzaga will have a week's rest before it faces Kentucky at Climate Pledge Arena on Dec. 7 for the Battle in Seattle event. The third installment of the Wildcats series is followed by a game at Madison Square Garden against back-to-back champion UConn on Dec. 14.

Nicholls State out of the Southland Conference is in town on Dec. 18, while Bucknell from the Patriot League pays a visit on Dec. 21 to round out Gonzaga's home schedule in nonleague play. Conversely, the Zags have one true road game (at San Diego State), two semi-home games (Baylor and Kentucky), a multi-team event and two definite neutral site standalones (UConn and UCLA) before heading into WCC play. The Bulldogs and Bruins renew their West Coast rivalry at the newly built Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California on Dec. 28.

The WCC confirmed its 18-game schedule in August.