One of the top nonconference games of the 2025-26 college basketball season will take place Friday night in Nashville when No. 11 Gonzaga faces No. 18 Kentucky. This will mark the fourth consecutive season that the programs have faced off, with Gonzaga owning a 2-1 advantage in the series. Last year’s game was won by Kentucky (90-89) in overtime.
Gonzaga is coming off a 40-point loss in the Players’ Era Festival title game against No. 3 Michigan. Before that, the Bulldogs got off to a 7-0 start with wins over Creighton, Arizona State, Alabama and Maryland on their résumé. Entering this weekend, Kentucky is the final-ranked opponent (currently) remaining on Gonzaga’s schedule.
Year 2 of the Mark Pope era at Kentucky has gotten off to a bumpy start. The Wildcats are 5-3 with losses to Louisville, Michigan State and North Carolina. Those losses are nothing to sweat about in the long term, but the Wildcats haven’t beaten an opponent ranked inside the top 200 of the NET.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of the marquee matchup between Kentucky and Gonzaga.
Where to watch Kentucky vs. Gonzaga live
Date: Friday, Dec. 5 | Time: 7 p.m. ETLocation: Bridgestone Arena — Nashville, TennesseeTV: ESPN2 | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Kentucky vs. Gonzaga: Need to know
Mark Pope’s honeymoon has ended: My colleague David Cobb wrote an outstanding story about Pope and Kentucky after the Wildcats suffered a 67-64 loss to North Carolina in the ACC/SEC Challenge. As he wrote, that loss signaled the end of Pope’s honeymoon phase with his alma mater, and that statement couldn’t be more true. The Wildcats entered this season with one of the most expensive rosters in the sport, and so far, the results have been underwhelming. Of course, there is plenty of time to change the narrative, and what better way to start than defeating Gonzaga?
Gonzaga has looked like one of the best team’s in the country: Gonzaga suffered a shocking loss to Michigan last week, which marked its first of the season. Before that game, Gonzaga looked like one of the best five teams in the country. The Bulldogs opened the Players Era Festival with a statement win over Alabama and followed it up with a 39-point win over Maryland. All seven of Gonzaga’s wins this season have come by double digits. This game could be one of Gonzaga’s last chances to add another signature win to the résumé.
Kentucky’s shooting regression is one to monitor: Part of what made Year 1 of the Pope era at Kentucky so successful was the 3-point team shooting. The Wildcats shot 37.5% from the 3-point line last year, which ranked No. 24 among all Division I teams. Through the first month of this season, the Wildcats rank No. 120 in that category (35.3%). In Kentucky’s last game against North Carolina, it shot 1 of 13 from beyond the arc. That marked the fewest 3-point makes Kentucky had in a single game since the 2020-21 season. The key in this game is how well Kentucky shoots from outside the arc.
Kentucky vs. Gonzaga prediction, picks
Kentucky has been a question mark this season. The Wildcats don’t have a marquee win on their résumé yet, and a win over Gonzaga would certainly fit that bill. However, this matchup will be a tough one for Pope’s squad. Gonzaga’s blowout loss to Michigan doesn’t do justice to how well it was playing during the first few weeks of the season. Unless Kentucky starts making shots from the 3-point line at a high clip like last year, I expect Gonzaga to come away with a win. Pick: Gonzaga -5.5
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