Zags Are Going to Hang Out in Orlando This Year

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are going to be residents of Orlando, Florida for a bit as it looks like the solution to the non-conference scheduling, somewhat, is to bubble up.

Gonzaga is one of eight teams already playing in the Orlando Invitational, alongside Auburn, Belmont, Boise State, Michigan State, Saint Louis, Siena and Xavier. The Zags are also scheduled to play Tennessee at the Jimmy V Classic.

It looks more and more like college basketball will be starting over a month later than usual, and with it will come limitations on how and when teams can play. Presumably, the NCAA will also issue guidelines on the number of non-conference games teams can play during the somewhat-shortened season.

A non-conference slate of the Jimmy V Classic, the Orlando Invitational, and a possible game against the Baylor Bears (considering Baylor was on the other side of the Jimmy V Classic this will most likely be confirmed sooner than later) sounds exactly like what most every Gonzaga fan screams for each year: only top tier competition, no cupcakes.

Presumably, you’d expect to see ESPN start to mesh some of those games together, as it doesn’t make much sense to hold the Orlando Invitational, and then do the Jimmy V Classic a couple of weeks later (as originally scheduled). However, if I have learned anything during this pandemic it is to just never make any prediction whatsoever.

At least we have, for now, some college basketball on the docket.