GCU to play Liberty in Jerry Colangelo Classic on Dec. 8 in Phoenix

Grand Canyon's men's basketball team will play in the Air Force Reserve Jerry Colangelo Classic, presented by Citi.

The college basketball double-header will be played on Dec. 8 at Talking Stick Resort Arena.

GCU will face Liberty, which is coached by former Mesa Westwood High School athlete Ritchie McKay. Liberty had its best season last year, going 29-7 and winning its first NCAA Tournament game, beating Mississippi State in the first round.

Saint Mary's College will play Dayton in the other game in the double-header. Saint Mary's is coached by Randy Bennett, also a Westwood High alum, who is the son of former longtime Mesa Community College coach Tom Bennett.

"To again play in an event that bears (Colangelo's)  name means a lot," GCU coach Dan Majerle said in a release. "He is a huge part of this university. Also to return downtown to play a game in the Suns arena for the third straight year is always a great experience for our players and our fans. On top of that, we're playing a really good team who won a game in the NCAA tournament last year, so it will be a good test for us."

Game times and broadcasting will be announced later.

GCU is 0-2 in games in December at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Last year, the Antelopes lost to Nevada and two years ago they lost to St. John's.

St. Mary's will return to Talking Stick on Dec. 18 to face ASU in the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase.

"We are looking forward to playing Dayton and Arizona State this year in Phoenix," Bennett said in a release. "With neutral site games against Wisconsin and Nevada as well, we think our non-conference schedule will be very competitive. Dayton and ASU are programs with great histories and tons of previous success so it should be a good test for our guys."

Tickets for the Jerry Colangelo Classic and Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase will go on-sale to the general public on June 27th via all Ticketmaster locations and the Talking Stick Resort Arena box office. 

“We are thrilled to play another great neutral site game against a solid opponent, while competing at a place our fans are familiar with and can support us," ASU coach Bobby Hurley said in an release. "We have played in a lot of states and cities the past four years in non-conference action, so it will be nice to play a game like this in Sun Devil territory. President Crow has done an amazing job with our downtown campus, and we look forward to playing in that area in a quality December matchup against another 2019 NCAA Tournament team.”

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Source: Azcentral.com

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