Jul. 10—Gonzaga will be returning to a familiar venue to face a familiar opponent on the second Saturday of December.
The Zags and UCLA have set a Dec. 13 date for their highly anticipated nonconference matchup at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. A tipoff time and television designation are expected to be announced in the coming weeks, according to a news release from Intersport.
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Tickets for the game, which is being billed as the 2025 Seattle Hoops Showdown, will go on sale Sept. 19, with a one-day presale taking place on Sept. 18.
It marks the second game of a home-and-home series between the Zags and Bruins, who met last season at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. UCLA ended a four-game losing streak against Gonzaga, winning 65-62 in a game in which the teams totaled just 52 points in the first half and finished shooting a combined 45 of 110 (40.9%) from the field.
Gonzaga’s Graham Ike, the game’s leading scorer with 24 points, headlines Mark Few’s 2025-26 roster, which also features fellow big man Braden Huff and forward Emmanuel Innocenti — the only returning players who appeared in last year’s game against the Bruins.
Three UCLA starters return to the team in 2025-26, including forwards Eric Dailey and Tyler Bilodeau, along with guard Skyy Clark. The Bruins made a splash in the transfer portal, adding one of the nation’s top point guards in New Mexico’s Donovan Dent, along with Michigan State center Xavier Booker. San Diego transfer Steven Jamerson, who faced GU multiple times in West Coast Conference play, could also be a contributor for the Bruins.
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UCLA checked in at No. 15 in ESPN’s most recent way-too-early preseason poll, while Gonzaga came in at No. 19.
The West Coast powers have a storied history, with all 10 meetings between the programs coming since 2000 and eight occurring since 2014. Most notably, the teams played in the 2021 Final Four, when Jalen Suggs hit a long-range, buzzer-beating 3-pointer to lift the Zags over the Bruins in overtime. Julian Strawther hit a winning 3-pointer against UCLA two years later in the Elite Eight.
