Report: Gonzaga, Baylor in discussions about nonconference opener in Mexico City

Aug. 29—A potential nonconference meeting between a pair of preseason top-10 teams, Gonzaga and Baylor, continues to gain traction as the 2024-25 college basketball season approaches.

As of Thursday, the teams that met in the 2021 national championship are still focused on scheduling a game during the early stages of the season, but after CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander reported the Zags and Bears were interested in playing in Las Vegas, the schools are apparently considering another potential destination.

An opening-week game between the college hoops powerhouses could take place in Mexico City, according to Bracketeer.org’s Rocco Miller, who provided details on the potential matchup during Thursday’s episode of Locked On Zags with host Andy Patton.

Citing multiple sources, Miller said the marquee nonconference matchup would take place Nov. 6 on the third day of the 2024-25 college basketball season. That would presumably be GU’s season opener, seeing as the Bulldogs don’t have another game scheduled until Nov. 10, when they are slated to host Arizona State at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Major television networks haven’t shown interest in picking up broadcast rights for a game in Mexico City, according to the report, and streaming company FloSports would likely air the game with on-demand options.

If Gonzaga and Baylor are unable to reach an agreement to play in the Mexican capital, the nonconference foes are still interested in playing an early-season game at a neutral site, likely in Las Vegas, Miller reported.

The Big 12 Conference had previously committed to playing a series of basketball, baseball and soccer games in Mexico in 2024, but it delayed those events — which included a men’s hoops game between Houston and Kansas — to 2025.

Under longtime coach Mark Few, Gonzaga’s taken an aggressive “anybody, anywhere,” approach to nonconference scheduling, playing a variety of high-major and blue-blood programs at hostile road arenas and unique neutral-site venues.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/report-gonzaga-baylor-discussions-nonconference-020200208.html

Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.

Publish date : 2024-08-30 02:02:00

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