Gonzaga, Duke to meet in Detroit for February nonconference showdown

Apr. 30—Gonzaga is hopeful its 2026-27 season will end with a pair of games in Detroit, but Mark Few's team will make a pit stop in the Motor City nonetheless for a nonconference game against one of the most popular brands in the sport.

The Zags will face Duke on Feb. 20 at Little Caesars Arena, the home of the NBA's Detroit Pistons and the site of GU's Sweet 16 loss to Purdue in 2024.

The matchup is part of Duke's three-game partnership with Amazon Prime Video, which will broadcast the game against Gonzaga and the Blue Devils' nonconference tests against UConn and Michigan.

According to Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, each of Duke's opponents will make north of $500,000 for playing in the games, with the Blue Devils set to receive significantly more as the primary organizer.

A tipoff time for the game and ticket information will be announced at a later date.

The Zags and Blue Devils are among the teams many expect could be in the mix for a trip to the Final Four, which will take place in Detroit less than two months after the teams play at Little Caesars Arena. Ford Field, home to the NFL's Detroit Lions, will be hosting Final Four games on April 3 and April 5.

The addition of Duke to another strong nonconference schedule all but guarantees Gonzaga will play at least eight high-major programs next season.

The Zags are opening the season on Nov. 2 against Purdue at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will play road games at Kentucky and Creighton, along with a neutral-site game on Dec. 19 against Michigan State at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California. Gonzaga is also making another trip to the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, where Few's team should line up against three more high-major programs.

Gonzaga will either finish its two-game, neutral-site series against Oregon next season at Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena or during the 2027-28 season. The Zags are also slated to start another two-year, neutral-site series with UCLA, although details still haven't been finalized.

There have been five previous meetings between Gonzaga and Duke, but this will be the first time the schools face off since Jon Scheyer took over as head coach of the Blue Devils in 2022.

The most recent meeting between the schools came in 2021, when a Gonzaga team led by Chet Holmgren lost 84-81 to Duke and fellow top three pick Paolo Banchero in Las Vegas.

The pairing of and won the previous matchup, 89-87, to capture the championship at the Maui Invitational and hold off a top-ranked Duke team led by , and .