Gonzaga and Kentucky discontinue series, will not play in 2026-27

The dream of hosting the Kentucky Wildcats at the McCarthey Athletic Center is officially over, for now.

After playing each of the last four seasons, Gonzaga and Kentucky will discontinue their yearly series, cancelling the remaining two games in a mutually agreed-upon decision announced by both schools.

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According to the release, the decision was made to “allow each program freedom to reevaluate future scheduling priorities, including conference obligations and nonconference opportunities.”

The two remaining games included a matchup at Rupp Arena in Lexington in 2026-27 and the first matchup between these two programs at the McCarthey Athletic Center in 2027-28.

The series was originally announced on Oct. 6, 2022, on a video call between Mark Few and then Kentucky coach John Calipari at Rupp Arena. Gonzaga won the first two matchups of the series, defeating Kentucky at the Spokane Arena on Nov. 20, 2022, 88-72, and then at Rupp on Feb. 10, 2024, 89-85, in a game that helped catapult Gonzaga to a strong finish after a slow start to the season.

Mark Pope took over as Kentucky’s head coach after that season, and led the ‘Cats to a dramatic 18 point comeback victory over Gonzaga in overtime at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, 90-89, on Dec. 7, 2024.

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The last game of the series took place on Dec. 5, 2025, when Gonzaga obliterated Kentucky, 94-59, at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

All told, Gonzaga went 3-1 against Kentucky with a +54 margin of victory, with the three wins all helping boost GU’s nonconference resume in their final years as members of the West Coast Conference.

What it means for Gonzaga

It’s certainly disappointing Gonzaga won’t get Kentucky at home, especially with the move to the Pac-12 resulting in GU having a whopping 16 nonconference games annually.

The Pac-12 will play a 16 game balanced conference schedule, and with college basketball expanding the regular season to a max of 32 games, Gonzaga seems like they would have had plenty of…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/gonzaga-kentucky-discontinue-series-not-164508560.html

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Publish date : 2026-05-20 16:45:00

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