Ranking Gonzaga’s best 2024-25 nonconference games

A matchup with the back-to-back champions and another loaded MTE headline the Bulldogs' 2024-25 nonleague slate

Nov 22, 2023; Honolulu, HI, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Dylan Andrews (2) drives to the basket with shot blocked by Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Ben Gregg (33) during the first period at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. Mandatory Credit: Steven Erler-USA TODAY Sports / Steven Erler-USA TODAY Sports

Not even the biggest wave of conference realignment the NCAA has ever seen could stop Mark Few and the Gonzaga men’s basketball program from putting together one of its toughest nonconference schedules in recent years.

Indeed, the 2024-25 college basketball will look vastly different after 22 Division-I schools (and one moving up to D1) changed conference affiliation over the past few months. That includes Washington State and Oregon State, two Pac-12 schools that opted to join the Bulldogs in the West Coast Conference for two years after their previous league essentially dissolved across the Big 12, Big Ten and the Atlantic Coast Conference — of all places. As those power conferences adjust their respective league schedules to accommodate for their new members, there are fewer opportunities to schedule high-profile matchups against bigger programs (NCAA rules state a team can play 28 regular season games plus three in-season tournament games).

While the Cougars and Beavers certainly impacted Gonzaga’s scheduling methods — the WCC adjusted its league schedule from 16 to 18 games for 2024-25 — Few and company still have a handful of heavy hitters spread throughout November and December. The Zags have yet to confirm their entire nonleague slate with less than 75 days to go until the opening night of the new season, though as of now it seems they’ll play at least four teams that rank inside the top 25 of Bart Torvik’s 2024-25 projections and three more against teams in the top 100.

If Torvik’s rankings followed the same logic as the NET Rankings, Gonzaga’s current nonconference schedule (not including the Battle 4 Atlantis) would feature four Quad 1 opponents, three Quad 2 opponents and a pair of Quad 4 games at home. For comparison, last season’s nonleague slate had four Quad 1 opponents, one Quad 2 game, one Quad 3 game and four Quad 4 opponents (excluding WCC play and the Maui Invitational). 

Consistency is key for the Zags, and as they put the final touches on their schedule, here’s a look at the top five nonleague games for 2024-25.

1. UCONN HUSKIES (DEC. 14, MADISON SQUARE GARDEN NYC)

A likely top 25 matchup against the back-to-back national champions at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” is certainly deserving of the No. 1 spot. Even though they lost four of their five starters from last season to the NBA, Dan Hurley’s Huskies have the shortest betting odds to win their third straight title (according to DraftKings) and sit in the top 15 of Torvik’s rankings heading into the preseason. Time will tell if the additions of All-WCC guard Aidan Mahaney and five-star recruit Liam McNeely are enough to keep UConn at the top of the sport in 2024-25.

The game at MSG on Dec. 14 is the second of a two-year home-and-home series that was agreed upon in May 2023. The Huskies handed the Zags A 76-63 defeat in the first meeting of the series at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle this past December.

2. BATTLE 4 ATLANTIS (NOV. 27-29, PARADISE ISLAND BAHAMAS)

Using Torvik again, the Zags could play two Quad 1 opponents in a three-day stretch in the Bahamas if all the stars align correctly. First, a matchup against West Virginia (No. 83 on Torvik) followed by a date with either Louisville (No. 62) or Indiana (No. 30) the next day. Both of the Bulldogs’ potential opponents on day two look very different than they did 2023-24 — new Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey completely revamped the roster in the portal while Hoosiers coach Mike Woodson added key pieces to his select group of returners, including former Gonzaga and Arizona big man Oumar Ballo.

Of course, the storyline that would make the in-season tournament one to remember would be if the Zags and Wildcats met on the final day in the championship round, which would pit Few against his former assistant Tommy Lloyd for the first time ever. Arizona is ranked No. 10 in the country on Torvik after it returned All-American guard Caleb Love.

Even if the dream scenario doesn’t work out, the Bulldogs should come away from Paradise Island with three quality games.

3. BAYLOR BEARS (TBA)

Regardless of where this reported matchup will take place, Few and Bears head coach Scott Drew deserves a lot of credit for wanting to challenge their respective programs during the first week or so of the regular season. It’s rare to see two probable top-25 teams go head-to-head right off the bat, which would likely be the case if Gonzaga and Baylor meet in their respective season openers in early November. 

The Bears, ranked No. 14 on Torvik, feature projected NBA lottery pick VJ Edgecombe, a five-star recruit and top-five player in the 2024 class according to 247Sports, as well as Duke transfer Jeremy Roach and Miami transfer Norchad Omier. Returning from last season is 6-foot-5 junior Langston Love and 6-foot-4 senior Jayden Nunn.

If nothing falls through on either side, the Zags and Bears will meet for a second time since the 2021 national title game. 

4. UCLA BRUINS (DEC. 28, INTUIT DOME CALIFORNIA)

No program outside the WCC has gotten to know the Zags better than the Bruins have, as the two West Coast schools prepare to meet for the fifth season in a row after both sides agreed to a two-year series that’ll return to Seattle in 2025. 

The matchup that will be held at the newly built Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers and located in Inglewood, California, could feature a battle of the top 25 teams based on the latest human and computer rankings. The Bruins, who finished 88th in Torvik last season (the lowest they’ve ranked in the Mick Cronin era) currently sit at No. 31 in Torvik’s 2024-25 projections after hauling in USC transfer Kobe Johnson, Oklahoma State transfer Eric Dailey and Oregon State’s Tyler Bilodeau.

Former Gonzaga and Loyola Marymount guard Dominick Harris is also part of UCLA’s incoming transfer portal class. The 6-foot-3 senior shot 44.8% from behind the arc with the Lions, which led the West Coast Conference and was the third-best 3-point field goal percentage in the country.

The Dec. 28 game will be Harris’ second time facing the Zags as an opponent. He struggled in the first meeting last January when he shot 4-of-13 from the field and had four turnovers in LMU’s 92-58 loss at The Kennel.

5. KENTUCKY WILDCATS (DEC. 7, CLIMATE PLEDGE ARENA SEATTLE)

Given that John Calipari isn’t roaming Big Blue’s sidelines anymore, the third act in the Gonzaga-Kentucky series will look very different from the previous iterations. Under new head coach Mark Pope, formerly at BYU, the Wildcats have a new identity as a much older, experienced team that was built through the transfer portal and not on the recruiting trails. Pope’s rotation could feature six upperclassmen, which is three times more than Cal’s rotation did in 2023-24. 

As a majority of Kentucky’s outgoing talent made their way to the NBA, Pope reeled in a top 10 transfer class that’s headlined by 6-foot-10 senior Andrew Carr (Wake Forest) and 6-foot-7 senior Jaxson Robinson (BYU). Sharpshooting wings Kerr Kriisa (West Virginia) and Koby Brea (Dayton) pose as legitimate threats from outside the arc, while Lamont Butler (San Diego State) brings Final Four experience to the backcourt.

Few has an 8-1 head-to-head record against Pope from their days battling in the WCC, though this Wildcats team could be the most talented group Pope has had to work with in his career.

BEST OF THE REST…

Nov. 10 vs. Arizona State: Few gets the rare pleasure of facing both Hurley brothers in nonconference play, as the Bulldogs are set to host Bobby’s Sun Devils in what could be the best nonleague game at The Kennel this season. Coincidentally, Bobby’s team also features a top 10 recruit in Jayden Quintance, a 6-foot-9, 230-pound five-star recruit from Raleigh, North Carolina. 

Nov. 18 at San Diego State: The Viejas Arena is quite the venue for Gonzaga’s only true road game in nonconference play. The Aztecs lost a lot of talent from the team that beat the Zags by double-digits in Spokane less than a year ago, but count on Brian Dutcher’s squad to be extremely competitive as always.

TUNE-UPS:

Dec. 18 vs. Nicholls State: Last season’s runner-up in the Southland Conference brought back a lot of experience in 2024-25. Expect Nicholls to be one of a few “tune-up” games at The Kennel this season.