West Coast, Best Coast: UCLA, Gonzaga Renew Rivalry

The top rivalry out on the West Coast between the UCLA Bruins and Gonzaga Bulldogs officially returns on Dec. 5 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. What’s being called the “West Coast Showdown” will air nationally on FOX, with the time for tip-off to be determined later. Pre-sale tickets go live on Oct. 7 at 11 a.m. PT, to the general public on Oct. 8 at 11 a.m. PT.

The Zags are looking to make it nine victories over the Bruins in their 12 all-time matchups. The biggest storyline with the offseason starting to dwindle away that could potentially influence the hype around this specific game is whether former UCLA lead guard Donovan Dent will receive a fifth year of college eligibility from the NCAA, and if he will ultimately choose to transfer to Gonzaga.

Here is the full update to the 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. New Mexico State Aggies (Nov. 7, 2026, at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington)

vs. LSU Tigers (Nov. 14, 2026, at Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Washington)

Kansas State Wildcats/Players Era Festival (Nov. 24-28, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada)

vs. UCLA Bruins (Dec. 5, 2026, at Honda Center in Anaheim, California)

at Creighton Bluejays (Dec. 12, 2026, at Chi Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska)

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)

vs. Oregon Ducks (To be determined)

The battle with the Big Ten Conference’s Oregon Ducks is still on the fence, either taking place in the 2026-27 or 2027-28 season. This would be the second game of their two-year neutral site series.

The Pac-12 Conference announced that the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Under the tutelage of Commissioner Teresa Gould, the two-year contract will span both the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons.

Next season’s tournaments will take place from March 9 through 13, a day before Selection Sunday. The top two seeds will receive double byes straight to the semifinals. The third and fourth seeds will receive a bye to the quarterfinals. Very similar to how the West Coast Conference Tournament was run at the Orleans Arena in Sin City.

Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho