For the fifth time since 2021, Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs will play a high-major non-conference opponent at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle – once again giving fans living on the west side of the state a chance to take in Zag basketball.
This year's Battle in Seattle will be later than usual, with Rocco Miller of Bracketeer.org reporting a Jan. 30 matchup between the Zags and the Oregon Ducks – a return game of a neutral site series started last season.
Gonzaga beat Oregon, 91-82, at the Moda Center in Portland in mid-December behind a season-high 21 points from Braeden Smith and a tough 20 from Braden Huff. Oregon coach Dana Altman indicated these two teams would play a return game in Seattle, although it was not clear if it would happen in 2026-27 or 2027-28.
However, once Gonzaga set plans in motion to play UCLA in Seattle in 2027-28, it seemed likely the Zags and Ducks would find a way to squeeze this game into this upcoming season – and indeed, it will take place in the midst of Pac-12 play for Gonzaga and Big Ten play for Oregon.
Gonzaga's history against Oregon
Last year's game against Oregon was historic, as it was the first time these two programs faced each other outside of a tournament setting since 1984. They had played twice in the coach Few era: a loss in the Far West Classic in 1999 and an overtime win in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals in 2019.
This year's game will feature nearly an entirely new cast of characters, with only two players who played in last year's matchup back: Braden Huff for Gonzaga and Sean Stewart for Oregon. Davis Fogle is back for Gonzaga, but did not suit up in this game last year.
The Ducks do have some familiar faces on the roster, however, including former San Francisco wing Tyrone Riley IV, San Diego State's Pharaoh Compton, Kentucky's Jasper Johnson, and Boise State's Andrew Meadow, in what is a very new-look roster for coach Altman.
Gonzaga's history at Climate Pledge Arena
Gonzaga has long played high-profile games in Seattle, as it serves a valuable function for the team in giving a large subset of the fanbase a chance to see the squad in action. Since Climate Pledge opened in 2021, the Zags have gone 2-3 overall, losing their first three games before winning two last year.
The Zags dropped their first game at the new arena to Alabama, 91-82, in 2021, before losing 76-63 to eventual champion UConn in 2023 and then a heartbreaking overtime loss to Kentucky in 2024, a game the Zags led by 18 in the second half.
Last year, Gonzaga broke the streak with an 82-72 win over UCLA in December, followed by a WCC game against Seattle U, which the Zags won easily, 71-50, despite not having Huff or All-American Graham Ike due to injury.
Gonzaga's loaded 2026-27 non-conference schedule
Oregon is the 10th high major opponent on Gonzaga's non-conference slate, and the second that will be played in 2027 after the Pac-12 regular season begins.
Oregon joins Purdue (Nov. 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas), UCLA (Dec. 5 at Honda Center in Anaheim), and Michigan State (Dec. 19 at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs) as Big Ten opponents, with a potential matchup against Michigan in the Players Era Festival if the bracket breaks that way.
Other opponents for Gonzaga include an exhibition game at Arkansas on Oct. 24, LSU on Nov. 14 at the Spokane Arena, Creighton on Dec. 12, and Duke on Feb. 20 in Detroit.
The Zags will also open up in the Players Era Festival against Kansas State on Nov. 24, and will play either Baylor or Alabama on Nov. 26. The third game will be a matchup against either Michigan, Creighton, TCU, or Miami, and the team will play a fourth game in the tournament if they manage to win the first three.
Gonzaga will be properly battle-tested before getting into Pac-12 play for the first time, and matchups against Oregon and Duke will keep them NCAA Tournament-ready right up until March.
Today's best reads
- Gonzaga announces date, time for 2026 Kraziness in the Kennel
- Gonzaga, Arkansas set date for late-October exhibition showdown
- Transfer guard Skylar Wicks decommits from Gonzaga
- Gonzaga adds Bryce Douglas to staff after stops at Duke and Florida
- Gonzaga's updated starting lineup and rotation after adding Xaivian Lee
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/gonzaga as Gonzaga vs. Oregon date set for Seattle showdown at Climate Pledge Arena.