Gonzaga, Baylor to tip off season Nov. 4 at Spokane Arena

The long-rumored Gonzaga-Baylor men’s basketball matchup has a date, a site and a future.

The teams are expected to square off Nov. 4 – opening day of the upcoming season – at the Spokane Arena. Tip time and television arrangements are still being finalized, according to a Gonzaga source.

GU and Baylor have also agreed to contests in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons at neutral sites to be determined, college basketball analyst Jeff Goodman reported.

Gonzaga, which returns seven of its top eight scorers, is No. 5 in ESPN’s latest preseason rankings. No. 6 Baylor features one of the nation’s top backcourts with returners Langston Love and Jayden Nunn, Duke transfer Jeremy Roach and top-five recruit V.J. Edgecombe. The Bears also added Miami transfer forward Norchad Omier, a second-team All-ACC selection last year after averaging 17.0 points and 9.97 rebounds.

Gonzaga-Baylor immediately becomes the top matchup of known games on the opening-day schedule. The Zags typically ease into the season against an overmatched opponent, but Baylor represents GU’s toughest opening assignment since the top-ranked Zags thumped No. 6 Kansas 102-90 in Fort Myers, Florida, to launch the 2020-21 season.

The Bears, who have won at least 20 games in 15 of the past 17 seasons under coach Scott Drew, are another strong entry to the Zags’ challenging nonconference slate that includes three games (and possibly a top-10 showdown against Arizona) in the Bahamas, neutral-site matchups with Kentucky, two-time defending national champion UConn and UCLA, a home date with Arizona State and a road contest against San Diego State.

Gonzaga and Baylor have been discussing an early season matchup for several weeks with initial posts on X from college basketball analysts suggesting Las Vegas or Mexico City as potential sites.

Gonzaga coach Mark Few and Baylor counterpart Drew are close friends and their programs have clashed several times in high-stakes NCAA Tournament games, regular-season contests and preseason scrimmages.

The Zags won the first five series meetings, with their most recent victory an 83-71 rout in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

Baylor has won the past two matchups, handling undefeated and top-ranked Gonzaga 86-70 in the 2021 national title game and scoring the final eight points in a 64-63 comeback victory in December 2022 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.