If you think a small Jesuit university based in Spokane, Washington named after an Italian Saint seems like an unlikely source of power on the hardwood, you would certainly have had plenty of company for most of the Gonzaga Bulldogs’ history. While Gonzaga had previously produced some excellent individual players such as Frank Burgess in the 1960s (who chose a career in law and became a judge instead of playing in the NBA) and John Stockton (who went on to star for the Utah Jazz and is considered to be one of the best NBA point guards of all time), the Bulldogs were considered no more than a somewhat obscure regional team until they started to emerge on the national scene in the mid-1990s. The team qualified for their first NCAA March Madness tournament in 1995 and reached the Elite 8 in 1999, losing a heartbreaker 67-62 to the UConn Huskies. Despite these initial successes, no one would have predicted the rise to dominance that was to come for the Bulldogs in the decades since. Under head coach Mark Few, who took over in 1999 and remains at the helm to this day, the Bulldogs have managed, incredibly, to qualify for every single NCAA March Madness tournament since that first 1999 Elite 8 adventure. In that time, the team has made 13 Sweet 16 appearances, 6 Elite 8 appearances, and 2 Final Four appearances  in which they progressed to the final championship game, only to lose 71-65 to the North Carolina Tar Heels in 2017 and 86-70 to the Baylor Bears in 2021. 

How to find the cheapest tickets to Gonzaga Bulldogs Basketball games

With incredible success at the conference and national levels along with many top players like John Stockton and Rui Hachimura who have gone on to star in the NBA, it is no surprise that the Gonzaga Bulldogs basketball games are a big ticket draw for Gonzaga students and alumni as well as local Washington residents and general basketball fans. People drive from all over the state and beyond just to see the Bulldogs play, even traveling to away games and the NCAA March Madness tournament. While this creates a fantastic atmosphere on game days, it can make tickets difficult to find, especially for key conference games or rivalry matchups (see above). Tickets to postseason tournament games are always in big demand and often sell out in advance. Your best option when searching for the cheapest tickets to Gonzaga Bulldogs games is to check our listings on TicketX and use our handy TicketX seating chart to compare prices and locations. Tickets can be purchased from TicketX with a single click for the lowest commission fees! 

Gonzaga Bulldogs Basketball Rivalries

The Gonzaga Bulldogs (also known as the Zags) have a huge rivalry with the St. Mary’s Gaels of Moraga California, with these two teams vying to dominate the West Coast Conference over the past few decades. Considered one of the top basketball rivalries on the American West Coast, Bulldogs-Gaels has frequently been contested in the conference’s championship game, with Gonzaga winning the lion’s share both historically and in recent years (including 17 out of the last 23 conference title games). That said, the Bulldogs consider their state rivals the Washington Huskies to be their fiercest foes, contesting a home-and-home series that the Huskies used to win more frequently but that the Bulldogs have come to dominate in recent years. As well as a heated rivalry with the BYU Cougars, Gonzaga also hosts an annual “Battle in Seattle” game at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle against a top team from somewhere in the nation. 

Are Gonzaga Bulldogs basketball games exciting?

The Gonzaga Bulldogs’ incredible successes over the past couple of decades have earned them many fans, both locally and around the nation, and so the team plays some of its home games at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena rather than its campus arena to accommodate a higher capacity. Gonzaga fans are passionate and loyal, even traveling long distances to watch the Bulldogs at away games or postseason tournament matchups. With Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena set to host First and Second Round games of the 2024 March Madness tournament, excitement around the team is higher than ever, with fans hoping that their team can go one more step and claim a first-ever national championship this season. If you get the chance to go see the Gonzaga Bulldogs in action, do not miss the opportunity. Buy your Gonzaga Bulldogs tickets from TicketX right away!