Baylor, Gonzaga finalizing deal to play opening night in marquee matchup to start 2024-25 season
College basketball has long struggled to draw attention to its product at the start of a new season, and for months it looked like opening night of the 2024-25 campaign might be the sport’s weakest night ever. That’s no longer the case as Baylor and Gonzaga have entered the final stages of an agreement to play on Monday, Nov. 4 in a matchup that’s guaranteed to restart the sport’s engine, sources told CBS Sports.
The potential preseason top 10 teams will meet at Spokane Arena in downtown Spokane, Washington, rather than Gonzaga’s on-campus venue, the McCarthey Athletic Center.
Two potential future Hall-of-Fame coaches.
The two most successful shows of the last five seasons.
And the national title match from three years ago will be repeated.
That’s a pretty good way to start the 2024-25 season.
Baylor and Gonzaga faced off for the 2021 national championship inside the COVID-19 bubble in Indianapolis, with the Bears defeating the Bulldogs 86-70 to win the program’s first national title. The teams last met on Dec. 2, 2022, with Baylor winning 64-63 at South Dakota. BU holds a 5-2 edge in seven meetings dating back to 1991.
Baylor’s Scott Drew and Gonzaga’s Mark Few are especially close. The coaches have worked together over the past two months to ensure a matchup that works for their programs and also proves to be a boon for college basketball. Sources told CBS Sports that they previously explored Las Vegas and even Mexico as potential destinations for the game, but logistics led them to play in Gonzaga’s home city.
Tip times and television networks are still to be determined. CBS Sports first reported on the possibility of the matchup earlier this summer.
The Bears will enter the 2024-25 season ranked No. 7 Gary Parrish’s Top 25 and 1One spot ahead of the Zags.
While Duke’s Cooper Flagg will be the most talked-about freshman/player in the game this season, Baylor’s freshman wing VJ Edgecombe could be just as impressive. Drew has also brought in key transfers like Norchad Omier (Miami) and Jeremy Roach (Duke), while Langston Love and Jaden Nunn serve as key returners for BU.
Big ten Graham Ike and point guard Andrew Nembhard are the most notable players on a Gonzaga team that made it to the Sweet 16 for its ninth consecutive NCAA Tournament.
For Baylor, the season opener will be the start of the toughest week of the season for any team. The Bears will face Arkansas and new coach John Calipari four days later on Nov. 9 in Dallas.
However, in addition to Baylor-Gonzaga, opening night will feature about 90 unimaginative matchups, many of which involve power-conference teams hosting mid-major fodder — games that always end with a bang. Weak and slow starts have long been a problem for college basketball as many high-major coaches look to start the season against by-game opponents who look easy to win against.
After Baylor-Gonzaga on opening night, the most interesting matchup will be Texas vs. Ohio State in Las Vegas.
