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Gonzaga Basketball

Gonzaga, Purdue to officially meet in 2026-27 season opener televised by TNT

Purdue Boilermakers forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) moves the ball against Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (13) during the first half of an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 basketball game on Friday, Mar 29, 2024, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)
By Theo Lawson theol@spokesman.com(509) 459-5584

For the fourth time since 2022, Gonzaga and Purdue will play in a highly anticipated, nationally televised neutral-site game. For the first time, the matchup will mark the start of college basketball’s regular season.

Two weeks after CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reported the Zags and Boilermakers would meet on Nov. 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the matchup became official on Wednesday.

The game, which will be televised by TNT Sports networks, is part of the four-game Naismith Hall of Fame Series. It will feature one other men’s game, UCLA vs. Arizona, and two high-profile women’s matchups including USC vs. UNLV and Stanford vs. Arizona.

Additional details regarding the television broadcast and tipoff times will be announced at a later date. Tickets will go on sale in April, according to a press release.

“We have tremendous respect for Purdue and for the outstanding program Matt Painter has built – his teams are always tough, disciplined and well-coached,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “Opening the season against an opponent of that caliber in Las Vegas will be a great challenge and an exciting way to start the year.”

There have been three chance meetings between Gonzaga and Purdue in recent years, beginning in 2022-23 when the teams met in the second round of the Phil Knight Legacy tournament in Portland. The Boilermakers won 84-66 on their way to a championship at the PK85.

With two-time national player of the year center Zach Edey, Purdue won two more games against Gonzaga the following season, handling the Zags 73-63 in the first round of the Maui Invitational in Honolulu before matching up with Few’s team again in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. With 27 points and 14 rebounds from Edey, Purdue won 80-68 and eventually made the national championship game, where the Boilermakers would lose to UConn.

“We take pride in making our non-conference schedule one of the best in the country and playing an outstanding team led by a very successful coach Mark Few,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “They will provide a big challenge for our program. Our fans have traveled in large numbers for all of our neutral-site games and we expect a great atmosphere to start the season.”