Block out your vacation time kids, because you should be spending a lot of time at school durning winter break.
As the end of summer draws near for Gonzaga students prepare for the new school year, the anticipation for many is not the start of a new academic year, but basketball season that arrives only a few months after students.
The final schedule has not been released yet, but individual games have been publicized by the school’s athletic department, and the West Coast Conference released the compiled game list for the 2011-2012 season for the entire conference this week—allowing fans to piece together what will likely be the majority of the Zags’ season.
Many elite teams will be facing the Bulldogs this year, the majority at The Kennel nonetheless. Thanks to slipperstillfits.com, some GU faithful have already put together a list of the games set for the Zags. Here is what has been accumulated with times (PST & TV networks).
Nov 11th – vs. Eastern Washington University TBA
Nov 14th – vs. Washington State University TBA
Nov 26th – vs. Western Michigan University (at Spokane Arena) 1:00 pm
Nov 30th – vs. University of Notre Dame 8:15 pm, tentatively on ESPN2
Dec 3rd – @ University of Illinois 3:15 pm, tentatively on ESPN2
Dec 10th – vs. Michigan State University 6:00 pm, tentatively on ESPN2
Dec 17th – vs. Arizona (at Key Arena, Seattle) TBA, CBS
Dec 20th – vs. Butler 6:00 pm, tentatively on ESPN2
Dec 28th – vs. Portland, TBA
Dec 31st – @ Xavier 5:00 pm, tentatively on ESPN2
Jan 5th – vs. Pepperdine TBA
Jan 7th – vs. Santa Clara TBA
Jan 12th – @ Saint Mary’s TBA
Jan 14th – @ Loyola Marymount TBA
Jan 19th – vs. San Francisco TBA
Jan 21st – vs. San Diego TBA
Jan 26th – @ Portland TBA
Feb 2nd – @ BYU TBA
Feb 4th – @ Pepperdine TBA
Feb 9th – vs. Saint Mary’s TBA
Feb 11th – vs. Loyola Marymount TBA
Feb 16th – @ Santa Clara TBA
Feb 18th – @ San Francisco TBA
Feb 23rd – vs. BYU TBA
Feb 25th – @ San Diego TBA
Alright so by taking a quick look, the Zags seem to be loading up on some tough competition against high level programs before WCC play starts. While there is plenty to commentate about the matchups against the likes of Notre Dame, Michigan State, Arizona, Butler and of course the hated WSU, I will save those rants for later dates when basketball season really gets going.
This post is to share something else, something that involves planning. Christmas break. Like I said at the beginning, summer break is almost over and students have basketball season and future vacations to look ahead to, not really new books and classes. So what better way to spend the final days of summer than planning the next few vacations?
Obviously since basketball is a winter sport games are always played during the winter holiday break from school, which lasts four weeks for Gonzaga this year. However, in the past the Zags play one or two big games during the vacation month and then several less “primetime” caliber games throughout the end of December and beginning of January.
This year, appears a little different. First of all, WCC play begins December 28th, nearly two weeks before classes begin again at Gonzaga. GU not only has five WCC games before students return from break, but three of them are home games. As a devoted fan and student, I really don’t want to miss out on three conference games, and I surely hope my fellow Kennel Club goers feel the same.
Students at this point, might as well plan on spending half their break at school. With the Butler game taking place at the beginning of winter break, and three conference games at the MAC in the last two weeks of vacation, it only seems appropriate that any devoted Zag has at least some inkling to spend a chunk of time in Spokane to cheer on the boys.
It still is several months away, but I encourage students to contemplate attending some of these games in the dark winter days, in hopes of providing that extra support for the Zags.
With a rough nonconference schedule, and an always testing WCC calendar, not to mention the addition of BYU to the league, it probably wouldn’t hurt the team to have a full student section for the games that take place while classes are out.
Take a vacation back to school!
