Gonzaga opens WCC play on Jan. 4 against Pepperdine, closes at Saint Mary’s

For the first time since 2010-11, Gonzaga’s path to a potential West Coast Conference regular season title won’t go through Provo, Utah, but the Bulldogs may have to do something they haven’t since 2021 if they hope to claim at least a share of the league crown for the 12th consecutive year.

Gonzaga’s WCC slate opens on Jan. 4 against Pepperdine, six days after the Bulldogs host national runner-up San Diego State at the McCarthey Athletic Center, and the regular season ends on March 2 with a highly-anticipated clash with Saint Mary’s in Moraga, California.

The Bulldogs haven’t won at UCU Pavilion since the 2021 season, dropping an 80-78 overtime game in Moraga last season and losing 67-57 the year prior. The Gaels will have a chance to win a third consecutive home game against the Bulldogs for the first time since 1989 in a matchup that could determine the WCC regular-season championship.

Gonzaga needed a 77-68 victory over Saint Mary’s in the WCC finale last year in Spokane to split the regular-season league championship. The Bulldogs went into the WCC Tournament as the No. 2 seed, but cruised past the Gaels for a 77-51 victory in the conference championship game.

With nine teams in the WCC following BYU’s departure this offseason, Gonzaga will play each of its eight conference opponents both at home and on the road.

Following Jan. 4 and Jan. 6 home games against Pepperdine and San Diego, the Bulldogs will go on the road for three contests, visiting Santa Clara on Jan. 11, Pepperdine on Jan. 18 and San Diego on Jan. 20.

Gonzaga will host San Francisco on Jan. 25 and visit Pacific on Jan. 27 before returning to Spokane for three straight home games.

After upsetting the Bulldogs at the Kennel last year to end Gonzaga’s 76-game home winning streak, Loyola Marymount will return to Spokane on Jan. 30. The game will also mark a homecoming of sorts for former GU guard Dominick Harris, who transferred to LMU this offseason.

Saint Mary’s, a projected top 25 team entering the 2023-24 college basketball season, will make its annual visit to Spokane on Feb. 3. The Gaels return three starters from last year’s team that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, including standout guard Aidan Mahaney.

The three-game homestand concludes on Feb. 7 against Portland. The Pilots will make a rare Wednesday visit to Spokane to accommodate Gonzaga’s trip to Kentucky for a highly-anticipated nonconference game three days later.

Five days after their visit to Lexington, the Bulldogs will travel to LMU on Feb. 15 before hosting Pacific on Deb. 17.

Gonzaga will play at Portland on Feb. 22 and host Santa Clara on Feb. 24 before closing out conference play with two difficult games in the Bay Area, at San Francisco on Feb. 29 and Saint Mary’s on March 2.

The Bulldogs, Gaels and Dons have all won 20-plus games each of the last two seasons and all three qualified for the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga won a tightly-contested game at USF’s Memorial Gym last season, needing a game-winning follow shot from guard Rasir Bolton inside the last 10 seconds.

The annual WCC Tournament will take place from March 7-12 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, with semifinal and championship games on March 11 and 12.

Gonzaga’s nonconference schedule, tipoff times and television details will be released at a later date.