No. 14 Gonzaga Faces Unbeaten LSU in First-Ever Meeting in Spokane
LSU's unbeaten men's basketball team met No. 14 Gonzaga in Spokane, Washington, on November 14 in the first-ever game between the programs. Gonzaga was a 5.5-point favorite. Both teams entered the Bad Boy Mowers Series game with perfect records.
The LSU men's basketball team was scheduled to face No. 14 Gonzaga on Saturday, November 14, 2026, at Numerica Veterans Arena in Spokane, Washington. LSU vs Gonzaga was the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
It was the toughest test yet for the Tigers, who arrived Thursday afternoon. Both teams entered the Bad Boy Mowers Series game unbeaten.
Game details
Tip-off was set for 12:30 p.m. PT (2:30 p.m. in Baton Rouge, 3:30 p.m. ET). USA Network televised the game, the Tigers' first appearance on that network since the late 1980s, LSU said.
The arena holds 12,000 and is not Gonzaga's home floor. LSU expected it to be full of Bulldogs fans, and Gonzaga was looking for its eighth straight win in the building. A six-minute drive separates the arena from the Gonzaga campus.
Gonzaga's start
Gonzaga is 2-0. It beat Purdue 78-72 in Las Vegas, then routed New Mexico State 109-68 last Saturday.
The Bulldogs trailed by no more than five at halftime of that game, then outscored New Mexico State 62-26 in the second half. They scored 36 points off 19 turnovers.
Mark Few has 20 wins against Southeastern Conference opponents, and Gonzaga has won seven of its last nine against the league. Few and Will Wade, now LSU's head coach, met in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, when Gonzaga beat Wade's McNeese State team 86-65 in the first round.
LSU's early form
LSU is 3-0 after wins over LSU New Orleans, Texas Southern and Louisiana Tech. Backup center Michael Ruzic leads the team with 15.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
Abdi Bashir averages 14.0 points off the bench. Donovan Dent is at 13.7 points, with 25 assists in three games, and Mo Dioubate is at 12.7. Saliou Niang averages 11.7 points and 10.3 rebounds, and Brice Dessert adds 10.0 points.
LSU scored 60, 62 and 40 points in the paint in its first three games and ranks in the top five nationally in that category. The Tigers want to attack Gonzaga inside.
Betting line
Gonzaga was favored by 5.5 points, with a moneyline of -225 against +185 for LSU. The over/under was 160.5 points.
LSU was 3-0 against the spread, though Haslametrics ranked its schedule 26th-easiest in the country. All three opponents rank among the bottom 125 teams nationally.
LSU practiced for close to two hours Friday at Spokane Community College. A Spokane hockey game kept both teams out of the arena Friday night.
The Tigers return home next week to face ULM on November 18 and Queen's on November 21. Both games start at 7 p.m. at the Maravich Center.
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