Northwest Notes Oct. 3, 2024

Spokane to host NCAA men's basketball tournament first and second rounds in 2027

SPOKANE — Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, with host school, the University of Idaho, in partnership with the Spokane Sports Commission, has been selected as a host site for the 2027 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball First and Second Rounds.

It will be the sixth hosting opportunity with Idaho as the host institution and the fourth in six years for the group, including the men's first and second round in 2024 and the upcoming NCAA Women's Super Regional, on March 28-31, 2025. 

The NCAA also Wednesday that Spokane will host three other major championships in 2027 and 2028. 

These events include the 2027 NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships at The Podium and the 2027 , along with the 2027 Division I men's and women’s cross country regional at a course to be built in Spokane Valley, and the 2028 Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships at The Podium. 

The Spokane Arena was the site of the NCAA men's basketball tournament first and second rounds in March 2024.

The 2027 tournament will be the 14th hosting opportunity for Spokane since the opening of the Spokane Arena in the 1990s. The arena continues to invest in improvements with LED lighting, new ribbon boards, updated suites and new grandstands all installed in 2024.

Improvements in the City of Spokane and the downtown area continues to grow with the addition of The Podium and One Spokane Stadium just feet away from the Spokane Arena.

Vandal Boosters luncheon moved up 15 minutes

COEUR d'ALENE — Start time for today's Kootenai County Vandal Boosters luncheon at the Best Western Plus Coeur d'Alene Inn has been moved up to 11:15 a.m. (an incorrect time was listed in Wednesday's Press).

Idaho football coach Jason Eck is scheduled to speak via Zoom to the boosters at 11:30 a.m.

Gonzaga releases nonconference hoops schedule

SPOKANE — Gonzaga men's basketball released its 13-game nonconference schedule for the upcoming season Wednesday.

The Zags face a potential of six teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season. Seven nonconference opponents won 20 or more games in 2023-24 and finished inside the Top 150 in last year's NET rankings.

Gonzaga plays teams from nine different conferences, including the Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, SEC and potentially the ACC. The Bulldogs are a participant in this year's Battle 4 Atlantis and four more neutral site games.

The Zags will host an exhibition in McCarthey Athletic Center on Oct. 30 versus NAIA-foe Warner Pacific University (Ore.). Bulldog senior Ben Gregg’s father, Matt Gregg, is athletic director at WPU.

Gonzaga opens the regular season against Baylor in the Spokane Arena on Nov. 4 — the opening night of the college basketball season. The Bears won 24 games last season and are ranked inside the Top 10 in many early media polls. Baylor brought in key transfers Norchad Omier (Miami) and Jeremy Roach (Duke) with Langston Love and Jayden Nunn serving as key returnees, along with the talented freshman V.J. Edgecombe.

Arizona State and GU meet for the first time ever on Nov. 10 in Spokane. The Sun Devils enter year one in the Big 12 Conference after winning 14 games in 2023-24. 

On Nov. 15, Gonzaga hosts UMass Lowell in another first-ever meeting. The River Hawks nearly won the America East Conference, finishing second with a 22-10 record. It was the team's second consecutive 20-win season and third America East championship game appearance in four years.

The first true road of the season follows at San Diego State on Nov. 18. The Aztecs won the Mountain West Conference regular season title, advanced to the Sweet 16, and finished the year 26-11. SDSU grabbed an 84-74 victory at Gonzaga last season. Both schools will become members of the Pac-12 in 2026.

Long Beach State and the Zags meet for the fourth time, and the first since 2002, on Nov. 20 in the McCarthey Athletic Center. The Beach won 21 games and the Big West Tournament title in 2023-24. It will be the first season under new head coach Chris Acker, who replaced Dan Monson, who coached the Beach for 17 seasons. The former Gonzaga head man is now in his first season at Eastern Washington.

The Bulldogs head to the Battle 4 Atlantis Nov. 27-29, opening against West Virginia. The other matchup in the top half of the bracket is Louisville and Indiana. GU will face one of those teams on Nov. 28. The bottom half of the bracket includes Arizona, Oklahoma, Providence, and Davidson.

Gonzaga returns to Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle on Dec. 7 for a matchup with Kentucky. The Wildcats finished their 23-win season in the NCAA Tournament in 2023-24. Last season, GU left Rupp Arena with an 89-85 victory at Kentucky. It will be year one under Mark Pope at UK.

A trip to Madison Square Garden in New York City follows on Dec. 14, where the Zags and two-time defending national champion UConn face off in the Hall of Fame Series. Alex Karaban returns as a preseason All-American selection in his junior year. Last season, UConn beat Gonzaga in the Continental Tire Seattle Tip-Off, 76-63.

Nicholls State and GU meet for the first time Dec. 18 in the McCarthey Athletic Center. The Colonels won 20 games last season, going 13-5 in the Southland Conference, before falling to McNeese State in the league’s tournament championship game. Jamal West Jr. is back for his senior season after being named Second Team All-Conference.

The Bulldogs host Bucknell on Dec. 21. The Bison were 10-8 in the Patriot League last season. It will be the program's first trip to the state of Washington. Bucknell is expected to be among the favorites in the Patriot League this season after the Bison finished in a tie for second place in the regular-season standings a year ago. The Bison return six of their top seven scoring leaders, including Third Team All-Patriot League selection Noah Williamson.

Gonzaga completes its non-conference schedule against UCLA in the West Coast Hoops Showdown in the brand-new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., on Dec. 28. The 10th all-time meeting between the programs will be a matchup of preseason top-20 programs — according to FOX Sports' early season Top 25 rankings, Gonzaga is No. 8 and UCLA is No. 17.

Game times and television information will follow in the near future.