SPOKANE, Wash. — Gonzaga men’s basketball returns to the floor for the first time this season on Sunday, hosting the Northwest University Eagles in the first of two exhibition games this season.

How to Watch / Stream Gonzaga vs. Northwest Exhibition Game:

Gonzaga vs. Northwest will tip off at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19. The game can be seen on SWX-TV in Washington, Idaho, Montana, and parts of Oregon, and streamed for free at SWXLocalSports.com.

The tune-up game will provide a learning experience for the six or seven Zags who have never played in a true game-day atmosphere at the McCarthey Athletic Center, outside of Kraziness in the Kennel.

Head coach Mark Few and his staff welcomed two transfers this offseason: Adam Miller from Arizona State and Tyon Grant-Foster from Grand Canyon. Grant-Foster is still awaiting an official NCAA ruling on his eligibility waiver and currently has only a waiver to practice with the team.

Jalen Warley and Braeden Smith will also be some-what new faces to GU fans this season. Warley transferred from Virginia last year and will be eligible to play this season. Smith transferred from Colgate last year but used a redshirt for the 2024-25 season.

The Zags return eight other players, not counting Warley or Smith, including two starters. Graham Ike and Braden Huff return to the starting lineup, forming one of the most dominant frontcourt duos in the country. Other returning players include Steele Venters, Emmanuel Innocenti, Ismaila Diagne, Joaquim Arauz-Moore, and Cade Orness. True freshmen joining Gonzaga this season are Parker Jefferson, Mario Saint-Supéry, Alonzo Metz, and Davis Fogle.

The exhibition against Northwest, an NAIA program based in Kirkland, Wash., is Gonzaga’s first game-action of the season. The Bulldogs will host Division II Western Oregon in another exhibition on Oct. 27.

Northwest went 5-23 last season and 8-21 the year prior. Competing in the Cascade Collegiate Conference, the Eagles return senior Trent Williams, their leading returning scorer, who averaged 8.7 points per game last season. Junior Ethan Martin also returns after making a team-high 39 three-pointers at 41.1 percent. Northwest was picked eighth out of 11 in the league’s preseason poll.

Gonzaga opens the regular season at home against Texas Southern on Nov. 3.