Kentucky, Gonzaga Announce 6-Year CBB Series Including 2 Neutral Site Games

Kentucky and Gonzaga may be setting the stage for college basketball's next great non-conference rivalry.

The powerhouses announced plans for a six-year series beginning with the 2022-23 campaign.

The series will feature each school hosting two games, along with a pair of neutral site contests.

Kentucky and Gonzaga have only played one previous time, with the Wildcats earning an 80-72 win at the 2002 Maui Invitational.

In 2021, Gonzaga coach Mark Few pointed out that Kentucky and Duke had never made the trip to Spokane, Washington—a move that may have sparked the agreement between the two schools.

"We've had everybody come up here. There are only about two left that we haven't had that we need to get up here at some point," Few said. "Probably Kentucky and Duke and then we'll have the whole market cornered. We've been very fortunate to have the people come up here and play us."

Once derided for playing a weak schedule relative to teams in top conferences, Gonzaga has made difficult non-conference games an emphasis in recent years. The Bulldogs played games against Texas, Duke, UCLA, Alabama and Texas Tech before starting their WCC schedule last season.

This year's Gonzaga team is loaded with veteran talent, with All-American Drew Timme back to lead the charge along with Rasir Bolton and Julian Strawther on the perimeter.

Kentucky will bring back National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe, with his matchup against Timme being one of the most anticipated head-to-heads this season.