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Sep. 25—Gonzaga will get a tune-up game against a high-major program before diving into one of the country’s most challenging nonconference schedules.
Roughly one week before squaring off with Baylor in the season opener, the Zags will face USC in a preseason charity exhibition that’s set to take place at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, California, according to the Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman.
Details haven’t been finalized, but the exhibition will take place Oct. 26 or 27 and benefit the new cardiovascular care unit at Eisenhower Hospital in Rancho Mirage, California.
The Bulldogs have history with the Trojans and their first-year coach, Eric Musselman, who recently accepted the job at USC after spending the past five years at Arkansas.
Gonzaga most recently played USC last season, cruising past the Andy Enfield-led Trojans 89-76 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The Bulldogs are 2-2 against USC, also defeating the Trojans 85-66 in the Elite Eight of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
Musselman replaced Enfield in April after USC’s coach left for the same position at SMU. The 59-year-old Musselman led his fourth-seeded Arkansas team to a 74-68 win over Chet Holmgren, Drew Timme and top-seeded Gonzaga during the Sweet 16 of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
USC nearly turned over its entire roster from last season, which meant replacing standout guard Isaiah Collier, who was selected 19th overall by the Utah Jazz during the 2024 NBA draft, high-scoring senior Boogie Ellis and Bronny James, the son of NBA standout LeBron James and the 55th overall selection of the draft.
The Trojans’ 2024-25 roster features a few faces that should be familiar to Gonzaga.
Wesley Yates, a sophomore guard and Washington transfer, was once a Gonzaga recruit during his high school career in Beaumont, Texas.
The Bulldogs had multiple encounters with sophomore guard and San Diego transfer Kevin Patton Jr. during West Coast Conference play last season and faced Yale transfer Matt Knowling during the 2023-24 season opener at McCarthey Athletic Center. Saint Thomas, a forward who recently played at Northern Colorado, was a high school teammate of former Gonzaga guard Hunter Sallis at Millard North High School in Omaha, Nebraska.
Acrisure Arena has hosted college basketball games in the past, including last year’s neutral-site nonconference showdown between Arizona and Michigan State.
Gonzaga played Tennessee during a charity exhibition before the 2022-23 season, losing 99-80 at the Legends of Basketball Classic in Frisco, Texas.
The Bulldogs’ nonconference calendar begins with a Nov. 4 game against Baylor and features a home date with Arizona State, a road game against San Diego State and neutral-site contests against Kentucky, UConn and UCLA.
Gonzaga is also slated to play three games at the Battle 4 Atlantis, opening the Bahamas-based tournament on Nov. 27 against West Virginia.