Gonzaga to Face Arizona State in Tempe as Part of Stacked Nonconference Schedule

Gonzaga is heading to the desert this fall, set to take on Arizona State in Tempe on November 14. The matchup marks just the second time these two programs have faced off, and it will be played at Desert Financial Arena, one of several true road tests the Zags will navigate during a loaded nonconference schedule.

This particular game carries added meaning for Gonzaga guard Adam Miller, who transferred from Arizona State this offseason. Miller was a key contributor for the Sun Devils last season, averaging just under 10 points per game and shooting better than 42% from three-point range. Now, he’ll return to Tempe wearing a different uniform, looking to make an early statement with his new team against some familiar faces in front of what’s sure to be a charged crowd.

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Gonzaga’s trip to Arizona is just part of a brutal stretch of games that head coach Mark Few has pieced together in the nonconference schedule to prepare his team for a deep run in March and April.

Before heading to Tempe, the Zags will have already hosted a pair of tough opponents in Spokane: Oklahoma and Creighton. Those early tests will take place either in Spokane Arena or on the Zags’ home floor and will set the stage for their first true road challenge of the year against Arizona State. Following the trip to Tempe, Gonzaga will head to Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival, a multi-game event over Thanksgiving week. There, the Zags are slated to open pool play with matchups against Alabama and Maryland. Depending on results of those two game, Gonzaga could then face any combination of the following programs: Auburn, Baylor, Creighton, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, St. John’s, San Diego State, Syracuse, Tennessee, and UNLV.

Adding even more difficulty to the slate, Gonzaga is scheduled to square off with Kentucky on December 5 in a neutral-site contest in Nashville. Just over a week later, the Zags will meet longtime West Coast rival UCLA on December 13 in Seattle, continuing what has become one of the most competitive and entertaining nonconference rivalries in college basketball. Finally, Gonzaga has a game scheduled against Baylor, but the date has not been confirmed yet.

Altogether, the schedule is one of the most ambitious in the country. With a mix of blue-bloods, elite mid-majors, and true road environments, Gonzaga’s early-season journey will offer plenty of answers about this roster’s ceiling and help mold it for the postseason grind.