en-us SportSpyder - The Latest Gonzaga Bulldogs Basketball News https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/news FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Mark Few and John Calipari recently took a detour from their conversations about the Protect College Sports Act, ongoing 5-in-5 eligibility issues and other pertinent topics that have prompted coaches in their position to advocate for the future of the game. Few and Calipari had more pressing business to discuss on their latest phone call, namely the upcoming exhibition matchup between their Gonzaga and Arkansas programs, what both programs hope to get from it and how the longtime friends can help one another roughly a week before their teams dive into rigorous nonconference schedules. So Few and Calipari, two of the four active Naismith Hall of Fame coaches still drawing up plays in 2026-27 – St John’s Rick Pitino and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo being the others – briefly tabled the PCSA and other macro NCAA issues to discuss ball and strategy. “We’ve got Gonzaga,” Calipari told local media earlier this week. “Mark and I talked the other day. I’ve said, ‘Do you have your zone in yet?’ ‘Nope, I’ve got no zone.’ Great, neither one us are playing zone. I go, ‘Do you want me to press some?’ He said, ‘Yeah, let’s press each other so we can turn it over and have something to teach.’ I told him our out of bounds plays, these are what we have, and he told me his out of bounds plays.” The 1 p.m. PT contest between the 15th-ranked Zags and 12th-ranked Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena will be televised on streaming platform SEC Network+. It’s the first of two exhibition matchups for Gonzaga, which hosts NAIA Lewis-Clark State four days later at McCarthey Athletic Center before opening the season Nov. 2 against Purdue in Las Vegas. It’s not uncommon for coaches, particularly those with the history and tight-knit friendship of Few and Calipari, to trade thoughts, notes and ideas before exhibition games that have no bearing on regular-season win/loss records, AP Top 25 rankings or NCAA Tournament seeding. So on Saturday, Gonzaga might provide a specific look to help Arkansas in an area where the Razorbacks have struggled during preseason practices, just as long as Calipari returns the favor later in the game. “We’re friends, I want it to be a war,” Calipari said. “When you’re playing this type of team, there’s times you’re saying I hope we get beat so I can grab the attention of this team. But I just tell everybody come and enjoy watching these guys. … We should have a roster of 10, 11 being able to play in that game.” The Hall of Fame coaches go as far back as 2000, when Few’s Gonzaga program visited Calipari’s Memphis team for a nonconference game. The Bulldogs and Tigers played every year from 2006-09, often finding a way to wedge nonconference games into their conference schedules during January and February. Memphis claimed four straight wins against Gonzaga before Calipari left to become the Kentucky coach in the spring of 2010. Few and Calipari scheduled a six-game nonconference series between their Gonzaga and Kentucky programs in 2022, but Calipari was involved in just two of those matchups – 88-72 and 89-85 wins for Gonzaga – before accepting the Arkansas job in 2024. The faces on Arkansas’ roster may be new, but the Razorbacks’ makeup should be familiar to anyone who’s monitored Calipari at his previous stops. Arkansas secured the country’s top-rated recruiting class, bringing in three of the top-20 prospects from the 2026 recruiting class, and a heralded international recruit. The group is led by powerful combo guard Jordan Smith, a candidate to be the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NBA Draft, and fellow five-stars Abdou Toure and Davion Thompson. Miika Muurinen, an athletic 7-foot Finnish prospect who played at AZ Compass Prep in 2024-25 with Gonzaga wing Davis Fogle, recently gained eligibility and joins the Razorbacks as a five-star international freshman. The Zags will trot out some version of the roster they hope will stay on the floor throughout the 2026-27 season, though 5-in-5 eligibility lawsuits continue to complicate things eight days out from the opener. Fifth-year transfers Xaivian Lee (Florida) and Javon Bennett (Dayton) are currently eligible to play Saturday, but Chauncey Wiggins (Florida State) and Spanish forward Izan Almansa may sit out as they face eligibility hurdles. Gonzaga coaches have spent the week reminding players Saturday’s opportunity is only an exhibition by name, urging them to approach it the same they would a top-25 showdown during the regular season. “Just going out there and making sure we play our hardest and first of all, treat it like a real game because we’re trying to prepare for the season and get our bearings rolling,” said Gonzaga guard Isiah Harwell, who scored six points off the bench for Houston in a 94-85 victory over Arkansas last season at the Prudential Center in New Jersey. “Just going out there, making sure we’re playing hard, we’re rebounding, boxing out, making sure we’re doing all the little things right.” Fri, 23 Oct 2026 15:08:20 GMT Theo Lawson https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58411385 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58411385 true false Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs play an exhibition game on Saturday against John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks - the first of two exhibitions for the Z Fri, 23 Oct 2026 00:27:20 GMT Andy Patton https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58406637 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58406637 false false Parker Jefferson was indoctrinated into Arkansas fandom years before he could tie his own shoes, dribble a basketball or even put together a coherent sentence. There wasn’t really a choice for someone whose parents met as college athletes in Fayetteville, Ark., outfitted their children in Arkansas apparel – the novelty rubber Razorback hog noses were always a hit – and routinely made the five-hour drive from the Dallas area to their college town to visit family and attend football and basketball games. Yes, Jefferson could probably perform a perfect rendition of the iconic Arkansas “Woo Pig Sooie” rally cry, but he’ll have to abstain when the sophomore forward and his Gonzaga teammates take the floor for Saturday’s 1 p.m. PT exhibition (SEC Network+) between the Bulldogs and Razorbacks. “I can remember having them laying on my lap when kids are too young to even move their arms and legs,” mother Carrie Jefferson said Thursday during a phone interview. “Kind of like you’d play peek-a-boo with a kid, I’d raise their arms and go ‘Woooooo Pig Sooie.’ My kids have literally been learning how to ‘Call the Hogs’ since they were infants.” Saturday’s meeting is nothing more than an exhibition, unless you’re one of the estimated three- to four-dozen family members or friends seated in the Jeffersons’ section at Bud Walton Arena. On Wednesday, the Gonzaga forward reported the official headcount was 22. The next day, his mother offered a correction: that’s only how many tickets Parker managed to gather from Gonzaga teammates and coaches willing to offload some of their own. The actual number could be closer to 40, Carrie confirmed, with nearly 20 relatives, former Arkansas women’s basketball teammates and other acquaintances expected to purchase their own seats or use season tickets. “Man, I had to basically scramble to get as many (tickets) as I could,” Parker said. It’s an especially meaningful occasion for Carrie, who was born roughly 75 miles south in the small town of Charleston, Ark., where Parker’s grandparents still reside. With no professional sports in the state and no major college programs that could compare with Arkansas, Carrie was raised on Razorbacks football and basketball, idolizing Hall of Fame hoops coaches Eddie Sutton (1975-85) and Nolan Richardson (1985-2002). “I was really little then … I really didn’t understand there was a men’s and women’s. I was just saying, I was going to grow up and play for Nolan Richardson,” Carrie said. “So it was pretty cool to then go there and get to be around Nolan. So when you’re raised in Arkansas, you’re just a Razorback fan. It’s kind of by default.” Carrie suspects it could be emotional watching her son jog through the tunnel and onto the court Saturday afternoon. She enjoys telling people she “opened” Bud Walton Arena 33 years ago, and it’s not far from the truth. Carrie’s freshman season in ‘93 began just weeks after construction finished on the 19,368-seat building that now sits in the heart of campus. She and Arkansas teammates would finish practice at Barnhill Arena, strap on hardhats and wander over to the construction site, where workers were still bolting seats into the ground. “We got to kind of be involved in the process of designing our locker room and that kind of thing,” said Carrie, who had the opportunity to watch daughter Kaylee play at Bud Walton during her tenure at Sam Houston State. “It’s just such a nostalgic thing. … I can’t even describe it. I literally feel like I can still feel the sweat I poured out there.” Fayetteville is also where Carrie met Jefferson’s father, Mike, an offensive lineman on the Razorbacks’ football team who hailed from Germany before moving to Louisville, Ky. Carrie and Mike met at a popular college bar, where they were introduced by Mike’s football teammate and began dating after an Arkansas Athletes Outreach event. Jefferson’s parents are now separated, but both plan to be in attendance for Saturday’s exhibition. Parker attended games at Bud Walton as a kid and returned in 2022 as a prospective Arkansas basketball player. Eric Musselman offered a scholarship to the three-star prospect – then rated as one of the top 45 centers in the country – and easily persuaded Jefferson to take an official visit as a high school sophomore. But any chance of Jefferson following in his parents’ footsteps fizzled when Musselman left for USC. Jefferson passed up on an offer from the Trojans to sign at Minnesota before reopening his recruitment when Gophers coach Ben Johnson was fired. One month later, he was committed to Gonzaga. “Obviously it was good for the storyline and having parents there,” Jefferson said. “It was a cool thing that I was getting recruited by them, but my parents were never pushing it on me.” Jefferson and his mother have traded stories about their varying experiences as college athletes. “We’re so spoiled now, the student-athletes. They were barely even getting a pack of ramen noodles from their coaches,” ... Fri, 23 Oct 2026 01:04:02 GMT Theo Lawson https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58406844 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58406844 true false Gonzaga Bulldogs lock in three eligible point guards as Xaivian Lee’s status is secured after a critical preliminary injunction in California. Will this lega... Thu, 22 Oct 2026 23:07:28 GMT Locked On Zags https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58405989 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58405989 false false Longtime friends Mark Few and John Calipari will meet up on Saturday in an exhibition battle between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Arkansas Razorbacks. It's the firs Thu, 22 Oct 2026 21:29:26 GMT Andy Patton https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58404641 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58404641 false false Gonzaga Bulldogs score a major win as Xaivian Lee is cleared to play, solidifying Mark Few’s point guard rotation just as the season heats up. With eligibili... Thu, 22 Oct 2026 19:48:30 GMT Locked On Zags https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58403039 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58403039 false false SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga opens its 2026-27 season with an exhibition at Arkansas Saturday at 3 p.m. Central Time, 1 p.m. Pacific Time. Thu, 22 Oct 2026 04:33:47 GMT https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58395547 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58395547 false false Photo via Gonzaga Men’s Basketball I’ve been wrong about a lot of Gonzaga basketball-related things in the last few months. Wrong that the courts would clear the eligibility mess before it cost anybody games. Wrong about how fast the NCAA would move on clearances for international players. Wrong about Donovan Dent, entirely. So it’s a […] Thu, 22 Oct 2026 03:54:34 GMT Mac Smith https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58395361 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58395361 false false I’ve been wrong about a lot of Gonzaga basketball related things in the last few months. Wrong that the courts would clear the eligibility mess before it cost anybody games. Wrong about how fast the NCAA would move on clearances for international players. Wrong about Donovan Dent, entirely. So it’s a nice feeling to get […] Wed, 21 Oct 2026 19:35:11 GMT Mac Smith https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58390985 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58390985 false false The Gonzaga Bulldogs have consistently been among the best programs in college basketball for over a decade, a testament to the hard work of Mark Few and the Za Wed, 21 Oct 2026 19:06:34 GMT Andy Patton https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58390580 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58390580 false false By ADAM ZAGORIA Class of 2027 wing […] The post appeared first on . Wed, 21 Oct 2026 17:45:37 GMT Adam Zagoria https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58389378 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58389378 false false By ADAM ZAGORIA Five-star Prolific Prep (FL) […] The post appeared first on . Wed, 21 Oct 2026 16:42:33 GMT Adam Zagoria https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58388498 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58388498 false false Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs got good news on Tuesday when a preliminary injunction was granted in the state of California, keeping Xaivian Lee eligible... Wed, 21 Oct 2026 07:05:39 GMT Locked On Zags https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58383356 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58383356 false false The Gonzaga Bulldogs’ move to the Pac-12 Conference not only means new opponents, but also new television networks. On October 14th, the league’s broadcast schedule for the 2026-27 season was announced by the revamped league. Through their 31 regular-season contests, the Zags will reappear on ESPN, FOX, TNT, and CBS/CBS Sports Network. The season opener […] Wed, 21 Oct 2026 03:58:26 GMT Josh Gilchrist https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58382737 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/gonzaga-bulldogs-basketball/articles/58382737 false false