Gonzaga Non-Conference Schedule Released

Mar 21, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs players celebrate after defeating Oklahoma State Cowboys in a men

GoZags has released the full Gonzaga men’s basketball schedule.  The schedule has many games that had already been announced, but I want to look at the schedule as a whole now that it is fully released.

First of all, I’m pumped for the game against Southern Methodist University.  It will be a great early test for the Zags.  I know that SMU is not the same team that they were last year, but they are a talented team nonetheless.  This game is part of ESPN’s tipoff marathon.  I’m hoping that the game against SMU will be a better game than last year’s blowout win over Colorado State as part of last year’s tipoff marathon.

The Zags will be challenged on the road this season.  Playing at Arizona and at UCLA will be good experiences for the Zags.  These are both games that, if won, would be huge statements for Gonzaga.  Being able to play against this high level of competition will be helpful for the Zags.  I’m definitely looking forward to both of those games.  The game against Arizona is a rematch of last season’s game that knocked the Zags out of the tournament.  The Zags may be looking for revenge.  It won’t come easily, but it will be a good battle either way.

I think the game that I’m looking forward to the most is Memphis at Gonzaga.  Last season Gonzaga lost a heartbreaker to Memphis after giving up a first half lead.  It was a game that had me on the edge of my seat the whole time.  The Kennel will be packed for this game and I expect it to be one of the most exciting home games of the season.

Finally, there’s the Battle in Seattle.  This season the game is against Cal Poly who was a 16 seed in the tournament who went on to lost to Wichita State.  I’m pretty indifferent about this game.  It is a huge improvement from last year’s matchup against South Alabama though.  I expect Gonzaga to be able to handle Cal Poly easily.

Overall I’m pretty happy with the schedule.  Gonzaga will be challenged by good teams and this should give the Zags a little more preparation for the tournament than usual.