What to know before attending an Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert
Learn how to pay for parking, what you’re allowed to bring and what you shouldn’t forget ahead of an Acrisure Arena event.
College basketball fans in the Coachella Valley continue to get an assist from the Acrisure Series as a new game has been created pitting two perennial powers who will face off at Acrisure Arena as Michigan State and Gonzaga will meet on Dec. 19.
The game between two iconic college hoops programs with Hall of Fame coaches is a December offshoot of the multi-team Acrisure Series which takes place annually on Thanksgiving week at the Palm Desert, California arena.
It will be part of a unique doubleheader as the Michigan State and Gonzaga women’s teams will play each other before the men’s game.
“We are excited to bring a true marquee doubleheader like Gonzaga and Michigan State to Acrisure Arena this December,” Total Sports Consulting President and co-tournament director Dan Shell said as part of his quest to make the Coachella Valley a premier destination for college hoops. “Having both the men’s and women’s programs compete at Acrisure Arena creates an incredible holiday basketball experience and is exactly the type of event we want to continue building in the Coachella Valley.”
It’s the second major college basketball announcement at the arena this summer as it was already revealed that blue blood Duke will play at Acrisure Arena on Nov. 21 against Washington State to kick off the 2026 Acrisure Series.
Tickets for the MSU-Gonzaga doubleheader go on sale Wednesday, July 15 and one ticket will allow admission to both games.
On the men’s side, Michigan State and Gonzaga both expect to continue their lengthy NCAA Tournament streaks with top-10 caliber teams returning this fall. In fact, the Spartans and Bulldogs have the two longest active streaks as Michigan State has made 28 consecutive NCAA Tournaments with coach Tom Izzo at the helm and Gonzaga has made 27 straight with Mark Few leading the team.
Coincidentally, the last time these two teams met was also at a neutral venue in Southern California when the Spartans and Bulldogs played on the deck of an aircraft carrier in San Diego on Nov. 11, 2022.
It’s a full circle moment for the Spartans who played in the first-ever college basketball game at Acrisure Arena — the 11,000-seat arena that opened in 2022 — In November 2023 when Michigan State faced Arizona.
“We’re very excited about the opportunity to return to Palm Springs and play at Acrisure Arena. We played the first college basketball game there a few years back, and it was a great environment and a great arena,” Michigan State coach Izzo said in a statement provided by the event. “Getting the chance to play against a terrific program in Gonzaga that is led by one of my great friends in college basketball, Mark Few, made this an easy game to put on our schedule. Michigan State has a great alumni presence in Southern California, and I know our West Coast Spartans will be very excited for the game and we are too.”
Gonzaga is a perfect fit for a game like this as the greater Palm Springs area is a popular winter location for many “snowbirds” from the Pacific Northwest.
“Michigan State has been one of the premier programs in college basketball for a long time, and that’s a reflection of the incredible job Tom Izzo has done building and sustaining that program,” Gonzaga coach Few said in the press release. “Tom is not only one of the best coaches our game has ever had, but he’s also a great friend and someone I admire tremendously, so anytime our teams have the chance to compete against each other it’s special. These are the kinds of nationally relevant matchups that are great for college basketball.”
The women’s game is no slouch either as both teams are coming off an NCAA Tournament bid. The Spartan women have actually had success in the building already, having hoisted an Acrisure Series trophy during the Thanksgiving tournament in 2024. Gonzaga, meanwhile has a tradition of excellence, having made the NCAA Tournament 16 years in a row.
The MSU-Gonzaga women’s game will start at 11 a.m. and the men’s game will start at 2:30 p.m. in that Dec. 19 doubleheader.
Acrisure Arena is home to the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League and, starting this fall, the Los Angeles Lakers G League team now known as the Coachella Valley Lakers.
