Per Kevin McPherson of Hogville.net, the Gonzaga Bulldogs have set up an exhibition with the Arkansas Razorbacks at the Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The preseason matchup will take place sometime in mid-to-late October.
Coach John Calipari confirmed that this tune-up scrimmage before the start of the official 2026-27 season will happen during an interview with Pig Trail Nation. Coach Mark Few and the Zags have had a deep relationship with Calipari-led programs, such as the Memphis Tigers, the Kentucky Wildcats, and now the Razorbacks.
In the all-time head-to-head history dating back to 2005, Calipari leads Few in the series 4-2.
In 2025-26, Arkansas finished with a 28-9 overall record and a second-place finish in the SEC at 13-5. Future 2026 NBA Draft lottery pick and freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr. led his group to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
Here is the update to Gonzaga’s potentially rigorous 2026-27 non-conference schedule, with not all dates/locations/times finalized.
*at Arkansas Razorbacks (Oct. 2026, at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas)
vs. Purdue Boilermakers (Nov. 2, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada)
vs. LSU Tigers (Nov. 14, 2026, at Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Washington)
Kansas State Wildcats/Players Era Festival (Nov. 24-28, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada)
vs. Michigan State Spartans (Dec. 19, 2026, at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, California)
vs. Duke Blue Devils (Feb. 20, 2027, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan)
at Creighton Bluejays (Chi Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska)
vs. UCLA Bruins (To be determined)
vs. Oregon Ducks (To be determined)
The battles with the Big Ten Conference’s UCLA Bruins and Oregon Ducks are on the fence, either taking place in the 2026-27 or 2027-28 season. UCLA would be the first game of their renewed two-year neutral site series, and Oregon the second game of their two-year neutral site series.
The Pac-12 Conference regular-season matchups and the Pac-12 Conference Tournament dates in Las Vegas, Nevada, have yet to be announced.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho
