SPOKANE, Wash. — In a surprise move on Thursday morning, Virginia announced that they will play Gonzaga at 1 p.m. on Dec. 26 on KREM 2.
Virginia won the last NCAA Tournament in 2019 and is currently ranked No. 17 in the AP Poll. Gonzaga sits atop the poll at No. 1 right now.
College basketball reporter Andy Katz says that Gonzaga's game against Baylor is now unlikely to get scheduled due to COVID-19 issues within Baylor's program, so Virginia was the next program to slide in to that game.
Gonzaga forward Drew Timme hails from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, so this game will be a homecoming of sorts for him. A limited amount of fans will be allowed to attend.
Virginia coach Tony Bennett also has connections to the Inland Northwest, as he was the head coach at WSU before making the move to Charlottesville.
The Bulldogs have been on pause since COVID-19 issues caused them to cancel all competitions before playing Baylor on Dec. 5.
The next time the Zags are back in action is at 9 a.m. on Dec. 19 on KREM 2 against No. 3 ranked Iowa.
