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Gonzaga Basketball

Gonzaga, Washington State learn WCC pairings for 2024-25 season

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Nolan Hickman (11) drives the ball against Saint Mary’s Gaels guard Augustas Marciulionis (3) during the second half of a WCC men’s championship basketball game on Tuesday, Mar 12, 2024, at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. Saint Mary’s won the game 69-60. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)
By Theo Lawson theol@spokesman.com(509) 459-5584

It won’t be long before Gonzaga and Washington State learn their full West Coast Conference schedules for the 2024-25 basketball season, but the Inland Northwest rivals can officially count on at least two games against one another next year, according to the conference pairings that were revealed Thursday.

The WCC’s expansion to 11 teams for one season means every school will play 18 conference games, facing eight teams at home and on the road and two others just one time.

The pairings include two games between the Zags and Cougars, who’ve played 150 times since 1959 but not since 2015, when the programs discontinued their nonconference rivalry series.

Official dates, tipoff times and television information will be announced later this summer.

Along with games against WSU in Spokane and Pullman, Gonzaga will play home and road games against Saint Mary’s, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Oregon State, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine and Portland.

San Diego and Pacific are each on Gonzaga’s schedule just once. The Bulldogs will play San Diego in Spokane and travel to Stockton, California, for their lone game against Pacific.

WSU will play two games against Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Pepperdine, Portland, Pacific and San Diego. The Cougars will only have one game against former Pac-12 foe Oregon State – taking place in Corvallis – and will play their lone

game against Loyola Marymount in Pullman.

WSU and OSU are joining the WCC as affiliate members for two seasons but will be eligible to win conference championships and earn automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament.

Reports have suggested the Cougars and Beavers aren’t expected to be part of the conference beyond the 2025-26 academic year.

The WCC could explore a 20-game conference schedule when it expands to 13 teams for at least one season in 2025-26 after the addition of Grand Canyon and Seattle U – teams that reside in the Western Athletic Conference – as full-time members.

Gonzaga went 14-2 during WCC play last season, losing at Santa Clara and at home against Saint Mary’s to concede the regular-season conference title to the Gaels. It marked the first time since 2012 that the Zags didn’t win a WCC regular-season or tournament championship.

Saint Mary’s, San Francisco and Santa Clara – the other three teams to finish inside the top four of the WCC regular-season standings – will all face each other twice next season.