Northwest Notes: Oct. 1, 2026

Gonzaga, Washington State announce

men's basketball schedules

A new era begins for Gonzaga men's basketball in 2026-27 as the Bulldogs enter their first season as a member of the Pac-12 Conference, pairing a historic 16-game league schedule with a challenging non-conference slate.

Gonzaga's 31-game regular-season schedule features seven opponents that competed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, 10 teams that won at least 20 games last season, and four 2026 conference tournament champions. The Bulldogs will play 16 Pac-12 games, with eight at home and eight on the road, while the non-conference slate features six regular-season games in Spokane, eight neutral-site contests and a true road game at Creighton.

The national profile of the schedule is underscored by the latest preseason projections. Gonzaga is ranked No. 12 in CBS Sports' preseason Top 25 And 1, while six of the Bulldogs' possible opponents also appear in the rankings. Duke is No. 2, Michigan State No. 7, Arkansas No. 10, UCLA No. 20, Alabama No. 21 and Purdue No. 25.

Gonzaga's first conference game as a member of the Pac-12 will be the 154th meeting against Washington State Jan. 6 in Pullman. The Bulldogs return home to host Colorado State Jan. 9. The Rams won 21 games last season and return six of their top eight scorers.

Gonzaga then travels to Fresno State Jan. 13 for a matchup inside the 16,000-seat Save Mart Center. The programs have not met since 2001. The Bulldogs welcome Boise State to Spokane Jan. 16 for the 35th all-time meeting between the programs and the first since 2000.

 The Zags continue conference play with consecutive road games at Utah State Jan. 21 and Oregon State Jan. 24. Utah State won 29 games last season, captured the Mountain West Conference Tournament championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga and Oregon State last met in the WCC Tournament semifinals, with the Bulldogs pulling away for a 65-56 victory in the 31st all-time meeting between the programs.

Gonzaga hosts Fresno State Jan. 27 before stepping outside conference play Jan. 30 for a matchup against Oregon at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle as part of the Battle in Seattle. The Bulldogs pulled away from the Ducks, 91-82, in Portland last season, with Braden Huff scoring 20 points.

Washington State concludes its nonconference slate at LSU on Dec. 28, then opens Pac-12 Conference play on the road at Fresno State, Sunday, Jan. 3.

The Cougars play host to Gonzaga for the team’s conference home opener Wednesday, Jan. 6 before heading south to Boise State for a Wednesday, Jan. 13 matchup.

WSU is back home to play San Diego State Sunday, Jan.  17, and then is back on the road for two, at Colorado State Thursday, Jan. 21 and Utah State Saturday, Jan. 23.

The January schedule wraps up at home, hosting Oregon State Wednesday, Jan. 27 and Fresno State Saturday, Jan. 30, before opening February hosting Texas State Saturday, Feb. 6.

Wazzu heads to Oregon State Wednesday, Feb. 10, returns home for one against Colorado State Saturday, Feb. 13, and the is away at Gonzaga Wednesday, Feb. 17 and San Diego State Saturday, Feb. 20.

The Cougars wrap up February with a home game on Thursday the 25th against Boise State and a road game on Saturday the 27th at Texas State.

WSU will wrap up its 2026-27 Pac-12 slate at home to take on Utah State on Saturday, March 6 ahead of the 2027 Pac-12 Tournament, which starts on March 9 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev.

A TV schedule and list of times will be released at a later date.