Report: Gonzaga to meet first-year coach Will Wade, LSU in Nov. 14 nonconference game at Arena
Gonzaga was able to replace one SEC team on its nonconference schedule with another and managed to add a pseudo home game in the process.
Two weeks after Gonzaga and Kentucky mutually agreed to terminate the remainder of their six-year nonleague series, scrapping the Zags' upcoming trip to Lexington, it was reported Wednesday that LSU and first-year coach Will Wade would make a cross-country trip to play Mark Few's program at the Arena.
The game is set to take place on Nov. 14, according to Alex Rosinski. A tipoff time and television broadcast details will be announced at a later date.
Wade, one of the most polarizing coaching figures in the country, could bring one of the most intriguing rosters in college basketball to Spokane just two weeks into the 2026-27 college basketball season.
The 43-year-old coach is entering his second stint with the Tigers after working at LSU from 2017-2022 before being terminated as the result of an alleged recruiting violation.
The nonconference game in November will mark Gonzaga's first-ever matchup with LSU, but not with the Tigers' coach.
After his first stop at LSU, Wade spent two seasons at McNeese State from 2023-25, facing fifth-seeded Gonzaga in the opening round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament in Salt Lake City. The Zags won easily, 86-65, before cruising past Kansas in a Round of 32 game to advance to the Sweet 16.
After consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in two seasons at McNeese State, Wade was hired at North Carolina State last season. The Wolfpack went 20-14 and lost in the NCAA Tournament First Four before Wade made a highly scrutinized return to LSU, signing a seven-year contract with the Tigers less than two weeks after telling reporters "I was hired at N.C. State to do a job. We're going to win and we're going to win big at N.C. State."
Since being hired by LSU, Wade has drawn more criticism for building a roster that could include two former NBA draft picks, 25-year-old Yam Madar and 23-year-old Saliou Niang, and former St. John's star RJ Luis, who's attempting to return to college basketball after spending the 2025-26 season on a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz and playing for the Boston Celtics' G League team.
Wade has also secured commitments from a pair of 23-year-old international pros: Brice Dessert and Marcio Santos.
The Nov. 14 nonleague contest won't officially count as a home game on Gonzaga's NCAA Tournament resume, but Few's teams have had an impeccable track record in recent years playing in front of home crowds at the Arena.
The Zags are 3-0 against high-major competition and 5-0 against all opponents at the Arena since 2022, beating Kentucky 88-72 in 2022, pulverizing Baylor 101-63 in 2024 and cruising past Oklahoma 83-68 last season.
Few's team could play multiple games at the Arena in 2026-27, with the downtown Spokane venue also hosting first- and second-round NCAA Tournament games on March 18 and 20.
Gonzaga is still months from finalizing its schedule, but the mid-November matchup with LSU currently stands as the only game in Spokane - and in the state of Washington - on the team's nonconference schedule.
The Zags will be leaving the Inland Northwest at least five times for nonleague games, starting with the Nov. 2 season opener against Purdue at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. GU will then return to Vegas for at least three games at the Players Era Festival, starting with a Nov. 24 opener against Kansas State. Few's team is slated to play Michigan State at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California, on Dec. 19 and will take on Duke on Feb. 20 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
Gonzaga is also expected to visit Creighton in Omaha for the second game of a home-and-home series, but the teams have yet to agree on a date.
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