Gonzaga vs. Oregon date set for Seattle showdown at Climate Pledge Arena

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.

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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

Oregon coach Dana Altman reacts to a call during the first half of the Northwest Elite Showdown against Gonzaga at the Moda Center in Portland Dec. 21, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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.

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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…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/gonzaga-vs-oregon-date-set-165952514.html

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Publish date : 2026-09-01 16:59:00

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