NCAA BASKETBALL
Year: Conferences: Teams:
Seasons Conferences Arenas All Tournaments NCAA Tournament Admin
Spokane Arena
720 W. Mallon Ave
Spokane, WA 99201
Opened: September 10, 1995
Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (Spokane Arena) is a multi-purpose arena in Spokane, Washington. Opened in 1995, it is home to the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League. Spokane Arena, in addition to its duties as being the host of Chiefs and Shock games, also has served as a secondary home for the men's basketball programs of Gonzaga University and Washington State University for nearly every year since opened. Washington State has played 33 matchups in the Spokane Arena in 19 of the 22 years with a record of 18-15 (1-7 vs. ranked opponents), while Gonzaga has hosted 18 games in 15 of the 22 years with a record of 12-6 (1-2 vs. ranked opposition).

In-state rivals Washington State and Gonzaga have faced off against each other in the arena on five occasions (1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2014) with the Zags owning a 3-2 record against the Cougars in those games. The Bulldogs' faced off against local rival Eastern Washington University at the arena in four consecutive years (2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005), each won by the Zags, but just like with the Cougars, the rivalry has gone dormant due to the rise of the Zags' program to major status since the late 1990s, while the Cougars and Eagles have not seen much national spotlight. Washington State has often hosted home games at the Spokane Arena as a part of its Pac-12 Conference men's basketball schedule, holding a 7-9 against conference foes in the arena, facing UCLA (1996 and 2004), Oregon (1997 and 2011), Oregon State (1997, 2011, and 2017), Arizona (1998, 2001, and 2006), Washington (1999), USC (2000 and 2004), Stanford (2004), California (2005), and Colorado (2014). With Gonzaga's rise to prominence, the Zags were able to bring high major schools like Washington (1998), Georgia (2003), Memphis (2007, 2009, and 2011) and Oklahoma (2009) to the Spokane Arena, with the Gonzaga holding a 2–3 record in those matchups, but with conference realignment and the West Coast Conference's additions of BYU (2011) and Pacific (2013), the Zags have been more selective and limited in their scheduling with four less matchups in their non-conference schedule, so they have only played in the Spokane Arena once since 2012.

Notably, this was the reason why the West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament had never been in Spokane before 2006; the Class B and WCC tournaments clash every year, and Gonzaga's on-campus arena at that time, the Charlotte Y. Martin Centre, was too small to host the WCC tournament (it seated only 4,000 people). In 2004, Gonzaga opened a new on-campus arena, the McCarthey Athletic Center, which enabled it to enter the WCC tournament rotation. The conference has since moved its tournament to the neutral Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
Last 10 Games
Date Opponents Result
Dec 17, 2025Eastern Washington @ Washington State 0 - 0
Nov 8, 2025Oklahoma @ Gonzaga 68 - 83
Nov 21, 2024Eastern Washington @ Washington State 81 - 96
Nov 4, 2024Baylor @ Gonzaga 63 - 101
Mar 24, 2024Yale @ San Diego State #57 - 85
Mar 24, 2024Grand Canyon @ Alabama #61 - 72
Mar 22, 2024UAB @ San Diego State #65 - 69
Mar 22, 2024Yale @ Auburn #78 - 76
Mar 22, 2024Grand Canyon @ Saint Marys #75 - 66
Mar 22, 2024Charleston @ Alabama #96 - 109

# - 2023-24 NCAA Tournament