Gonzaga has one of its deepest teams in years and Mark Few’s team has high expectations entering the 2014-15 season. The Zags have top-15 talent this season and before they hit the WCC portion of the schedule, Gonzaga will challenge themselves with a very difficult non-conference schedule.
According to a release from the school, Gonzaga will face AAC teams like SMU and Memphis at home while also participating in the NIT Season Tip-Off, which includes games against Saint Joseph’s, Georgia and Minnesota or St. John’s.
And that doesn’t include the three consecutive Pac-12 games on the schedule, including road games at Arizona and UCLA within a week of each other in early December.
With a lot of tough games on the docket, Gonzaga is clearly preparing for a season in which they hope to make the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009.
Here is the full non-conference schedule:
Fri, Nov 14: Sacramento State, Spokane, Wash. TBA
Mon, Nov 17: SMU, Spokane, Wash. 8:00 p.m.
NIT Season Tip-Off - Opening Round
Wed, Nov 19 Saint Joseph’s, Spokane, Wash. 8:00 p.m.
Sat, Nov 22 St. Thomas Aquinas, Spokane, Wash. TBA
NIT Season Tip-Off - Championship Round
Wed, Nov 26: Georgia, New York, N.Y. 6:30 p.m.
Fri, Nov 28: Minnesota or St. John’s, New York, N.Y. TBA
Tue, Dec 02: Southeastern Louisiana, Spokane, Wash. TBA
Sat, Dec 06: Arizona, Tucson, Ariz. 2:15 p.m.
Wed, Dec 10: Washington State, Spokane, Wash. (Spokane Arena) 8:00 p.m.
Sat, Dec 13: UCLA, Los Angeles, Calif. 7:00 p.m.
Mon, Dec 15: Texas Southern, Spokane, Wash. TBA
Battle in Seattle
Sat, Dec 20: Cal Poly, Seattle, Wash. (KeyArena) 7:00 p.m.
Sat, Jan 31: Memphis, Spokane, Wash. 7:00 p.m.
In case you forgot about Gonzaga’s newcomers, the group -- led by Kentucky transfer Kyle Wiltjer -- self-produced an introductory mixtape which shows off some dunks and some goofy locker-room dance moves.