Gonzaga schedules game with Big Ten opponent next season

Originally posted on Gonzaga Bulldogs on SI
By Cole Forsman | Last updated Jul 10, 2025 3:07 PM ET

Gonzaga and UCLA meet again, only this time in the Pacific Northwest.

The Bulldogs and Bruins have locked in a high-profile matchup between preseason top-25 teams for Dec. 13 from Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena in what's dubbed the 2025 Seattle Hoops Showdown. UCLA knocked off the Zags, 65-62, from INTUIT Dome last December in the first of a two-game scheduling agreement the schools arranged last summer.

According to a news release from Gonzaga, tickets for the Dec. 13 contest will be available starting Sept. 19, with a one-day presale event on Sept. 18.

The Zags and Bruins have delivered some thrilling battles over the years, with four of the last five contests being decided by an average margin of 3.3 points. Gonzaga had won four straight over UCLA, including three by four points or fewer, prior to their meeting in Southern California last December.

Both rosters have been shaken up a bit over the past seven months, though the Bruins will have their top two scorers, Tyler Bilodeau (13.5 ppg) and Eric Dailey (11.4 ppg), back in uniform next season. Joining them is an incoming transfer class that ranks No. 10 in the country on EvanMiya.com, headlined by the reigning Mountain West Player of the Year Donovan Dent (20.4 ppg, 6.4 apg at New Mexico).

The Bulldogs surround their returning frontcourt of Graham Ike (17.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg) and Braden Huff (11.0 ppg) with a skilled wing in Tyon Grant-Foster (14.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg at Grand Canyon) and 3-point shooting in Adam Miller (9.8 ppg at Arizona State, 42.9% from downtown). Redshirt junior Braeden Smith and Virginia transfer Jalen Marley will make their Gonzaga debuts after both sat out last season, while Steele Venters looks to play in his first official game with Gonzaga following back-to-back season-ending injuries in 2023 and 2024.

The Bulldogs are seeking their first win at Climate Pledge in their fourth game there after suffering losses to Alabama (2021), UConn (2023) and Kentucky (2024) in their previous three trips to Seattle.

The Bruins are among the high-profile teams spread throughout Gonzaga's 2025-26 nonconference schedule, which also includes standalone dates with Oklahoma (Nov. 8), Creighton (Nov. 11), Kentucky (Dec. 5), Arizona State (TBD) and Baylor (TBD). The Zags also have three games to look forward to in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, where they'll take on Alabama (Nov. 24), Maryland (Nov. 25) and an unknown third opponent over the course of Thanksgiving week.

Intersport, a Chicago-based sports marketing and events agency, will manage all aspects of the Seattle Hoops Showdown event.