WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame has announced that Purdue and Gonzaga will open the 2026-27 season at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas as part of the Hall of Fame Series Opening Night on Nov. 2, 2026.
Position Sports, in partnership with the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, announced the four-game event today, marking the fourth consecutive year the Hall of Fame Series has been held in Las Vegas following a near sellout in 2025.
The Opening Night showcase will feature two marquee men’s matchups as Arizona renews its rivalry with UCLA and Gonzaga faces Purdue in an early-season clash between perennial national championship contenders. The women’s slate includes USC taking on hometown UNLV in a game expected to mark the return of Trojans star JuJu Watkins - the 2024-25 consensus National Player of the Year - following her recovery from a knee injury, with Arizona and Stanford squaring off in the second matchup.
All four games will be nationally televised across TNT Sports' networks and platforms, with additional broadcast details, game times, and credential information to be announced at a later date. Tickets will go on sale in late April. Fans can visit HOFSeries.com for official hotel information, pre-sale details, and event updates.
In addition, The John Purdue Club has announced that land-only travel packages — which will include game tickets — will be made available to John Purdue Club members. The John Purdue Club will follow up directly with additional details and information when additional details become available.
Consistently among the top-20 teams in the country, Purdue and Gonzaga will meet for sixth time in series history with Purdue owning a 5-0 all-time series lead. The Boilermakers defeated the Bulldogs three times in a two-year span, topping Gonzaga in the Phil Knight Legacy semifinals in Nov. 2022 (84-66), the Maui Invitational quarterfinals in Nov. 2023 (73-63) and in the 2024 Sweet 16 in Detroit (80-68).
Purdue also defeated Gonzaga in the 2000 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, played in Albuquerque (75-66).
The contest is the third announced game for the Boilermakers for the upcoming season. Purdue will face Iowa State in Ames, Iowa, on a date to be determined and will host Tennessee in Mackey Arena on Dec. 12, 2026.