MISSOULA — The Montana men's basketball team has yet to release its full 2022-23 schedule, but already it's shaping up to be one to remember.
UM will take on perennial national championship contender Gonzaga on Dec. 20 as part of its non-conference slate. College hoops analyst Rocco Miller broke the news on Twitter on Monday afternoon while MTN Sports confirmed the news with a spokesman at Montana.
Gonzaga will enter the 2022-23 season as the likely No. 1 overall team in men's college basketball after reloading its roster and bringing back key contributors from last season. The game will be played in Spokane, Washington, just a three-hour drive from Missoula.
While the game used to be a staple between the two regional NCAA Division I programs, Gonzaga and Montana haven't played each other since Dec. 8, 2015 when Gonzaga beat Montana 61-58 in Travis DeCuire's second season as head coach of the Griz program.
Gonzaga fell to Baylor in the men's national championship in 2021 and advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2022.
Guarantee games against high-major opponents have been a staple under DeCuire. The Griz received $205,000 in 2021-22 in guarantee game revenue. Montana earned $255,000 in 2020-21 and $355,000 in 2019-20.
Montana's full non-conference schedule will likely be released later in the summer.
