FARMINGTON, Utah - Matchups for the third annual Big Sky vs. Summit League Challenge have officially been announced by both conference offices on Wednesday morning.
Games will take place on Wednesday, December 3
rd and Saturday, December 6
th. The majority of programs will play one home game and one road game. Due to the Summit League having nine basketball member institutions, and the Big Sky Conference having 10, both Sacramento State's men's and women's teams will not have any games in the challenge.
Idaho State has been matched up with the University of Missouri Kansas City and the University of Denver. The Bengals men's team will travel to Kansas City, Missouri to take on UMKC on Dec. 3
rd, while hosting Denver in Pocatello, ID on Dec. 6
th.
"We look forward to these games each season", shares Bengals' Head Coach,
Ryan Looney. "The agreement helps schedule two great games for us. Travel is never easy and we know Kansas City and Denver will be challenges for us. Getting a quality opponent from the Summit League to play in Pocatello is exciting for our fans."
ISU is familiar with both squads they will face off against, having played at UMKC in the 2022-23 season & Denver in two of the last three seasons.
Idaho State is 4-0 All-Time vs. the Kansas City Roos, their last meeting coming on Nov. 29
th, 2022, where the Bengals would get the win, 75-65.
The Bengals hold a 4-7 All-Time record against the Denver Pioneers, losing their last four in a row, including their meeting during the 2023-24 season in Denver in overtime.
The two leagues will be playing for a combined trophy, taking both men's and women's results into consideration equally from 36 total games. Last year the Summit League walked away with the trophy for the second straight year.
Big Sky Conference home games will be available to stream on ESPN+, while Summit League home games will be available on the Summit League Network.
The full list of men's games in the Big Sky vs. Summit League Challenge can be found below:
Wednesday, December 3
North Dakota at Idaho
North Dakota State at Montana
St. Thomas at Montana State
South Dakota State at Northern Arizona
Oral Roberts at Weber State
Eastern Washington at Denver
Idaho State at Kansas City
Northern Colorado at Omaha
Portland State at South Dakota
Saturday, December 6
Kansas City at Eastern Washington
Denver at Idaho State
South Dakota at Northern Colorado
Omaha at Portland State
Idaho at South Dakota State
Montana at North Dakota
Montana State at Oral Roberts
Northern Arizona at North Dakota State
Weber State at St. Thomas
