College basketball fans have longed to see the Gonzaga Bulldogs transfer to a much more competitive conference, but until that happens, the program will have to be a bit more creative in their non-conference schedule to set themselves up on dates with elite teams outside of the West Coast Conference. That is also why it's big news that Gonzaga will have a home-and-home series against the Kentucky Wildcats beginning in the upcoming 2022-23 college basketball season, as announced by Kansas basketball head coach John Calipari.
Via Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports:
“John Calipari announced tonight at Rupp Arena that Kentucky and Gonzaga will start a home-and-home series on November 20th in Spokane. Return game at Rupp Arena in 23-24. GREAT for college basketball.”
The revelation was also made in front of a crowd at Rupp Arena in the middle of a live Wildcats practice session, with Calipari speaking to Few online.
Hey @ZagMBB, how about a game?
Stay tuned for more details … pic.twitter.com/6OWIG3zUjh
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) August 2, 2022
There has only been one instance when Kentucky basketball and Gonzaga shared the floor, and that was way back in 2022 during that year's edition of the Maui Invitational, which the Wildcats won to the tune of an 80-72 score.
Kentucky and Gonzaga are both perennial contenders on the national stage of college basketball, but the Bulldogs have no national title to show so far. Nevertheless, under Mark Few, the Bulldogs have built the reputation of being one of the toughest teams not only in the mid-majors but nationally as well. In each of the last three seasons, Gonzaga has, in fact, finished either as the no. 1 or no. 2 team on the AP top rankings.
The Wildcats, meanwhile, have been a disappointment over the past few seasons, having made the national tournament just once over that stretch, and that was when they got eliminated in the first round of the 2022 March Madness by Saint Peter's.
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