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Gonzaga Wraps Up Non-conference Scheduling

The addition of Northern Arizona will be the final game.

By Peter Woodburn
Saint Mary’s v Gonzaga Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

The Gonzaga Bulldogs added a late December 2020 game against Northern Arizona as the final game of the non-conference schedule. As it stands now, the non-conference slate is exactly what you’d expect from a Gonzaga Bulldogs squad—challenging.

The highlights of the schedule (and there are many) include a game at Texas, at home against Arizona, Tennessee in Madison Square Garden, against USC in Portland, at home against Washington, and against Texas Tech in Phoenix.

The Zags will also partake in the 2020 Orlando Invitational, featuring Auburn, Belmont, Boise State, Michigan State, Saint Louis, Siena, and Xavier. The bracket for the tournament has not been finalized yet, although it is probably expected that the Spartans and the Zags will appear on opposite sides of the bracket for a potential championship matchup.

Theoretically, the season will begin on Nov. 10 against North Carolina Central. Theoretically is the necessary qualifier for any discussion of a college basketball season. With the COVID-19 pandemic showing zero signs of slowing down in the United States and getting much worse in large swaths of the country, there is still a very real chance that a 2020-21 college basketball season is nothing more than an asterisk in the annals of history.

However, as it stands now, the season is happening, and the Zags have scheduled a thorough slate to test its talented squad. Featuring the incoming Tricky Trio and returning a vast majority of its core, the Zags are one of the top-rated teams in most preseason polls of any value. This Gonzaga squad will be one of the most-talked-about legitimate national title contenders.

Here is the full schedule for the non-conference slate:

  • Nov. 10 vs. North Carolina Central
  • Nov. 13 at Texas
  • Nov. 17 vs. USC (Portland)
  • Nov. 20 vs. North Florida
  • Nov. 22 vs. California-State Bakersfield
  • Nov. 26-29: Orlando Invitational
  • Dec. 5 vs. Arizona
  • Dec. 8 vs. Tennessee (New York City)
  • Dec. 12 vs. Washington
  • Dec. 14 vs. Tarleton
  • Dec. 19 vs. Texas Tech (Phoenix)
  • Dec. 21 vs. Bellarmine
  • Dec. 28 vs. Northern Arizona

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