Completed Event: Men's Basketball at UNLV on February 7, 2026 , Loss , 78, to, 80
M Basketball
at UNLV
L 78-80
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Arizona Tip-Off includes GCU, solid field in Glendale
6/15/2023 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Lopes play San Francisco, then South Carolina or DePaul in nationally televised games
The first peek into the Grand Canyon men's basketball slate for next season comes with the announcement of a new, nationally televised event just 9 miles from campus.
GCU will join seven other programs in the first Arizona Tip-Off at Desert Diamond Arena in nearby Glendale, where the Lopes will open the Nov. 17-19 event against San Francisco before playing South Carolina or DePaul. Both games will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
The Lopes are part of the event's Cactus Division, which coincides with a Desert Division that includes Northern Arizona, South Dakota, Purdue Fort Wayne and VMI. Each division plays independently with opening rounds making for a four-game, eight-team opening day on Nov. 17 at the former Arizona Coyotes arena, which neighbors 2024 Final Four site State Farm Stadium.
The Arizona Tip-Off's third-place and championship games will follow on Nov. 18 for the Desert Division and on Nov. 19 for GCU's Cactus Division.
The Lopes, coming off their second NCAA tournament trip in three years under head coach Bryce Drew, will face the Dons for the third time in Drew's first four GCU seasons. They split the previous meetings with a 2020-21 season loss (68-63) at the Far West Classic in Las Vegas and a 2021-22 season victory (49-48) at the Jerry Colangelo Classic in downtown Phoenix.
"Really excited about the Arizona Tip-Off, a great event with really good basketball programs in it," Drew said. "We love being close to home so our fans can be a part of it."
San Francisco is a West Coast Conference program coming off 20- and 24-win seasons, including a 2022 NCAA tournament appearance when the Dons were undefeated until the Lopes beat them. San Francisco second-year head coach Chris Gerlufsen reloaded his roster in the transfer portal with six additions, including USC transfer Malik Thomas and players originally form Serbia, China and Mongolia. He also landed incoming freshman guard Ryan Beasley, the San Francisco Chronicle Player of the Year.
That makes for a strong Lopes tournament field with a second game coming against South Carolina of the SEC or DePaul of the Big East.
South Carolina returns six players, featuring guard Meechie Johnson after he withdrew from the NBA Draft. Gamecocks second-year head coach Lamont Paris added ESPN top-100 freshman recruit Collin Murray-Boyles to four transfers who started last season at The Citadel, Minnesota, Vanderbilt and Wofford.
DePaul added five transfers under third-year head coach Tony Stubblefield, who previously assisted top-10 teams and a Final Four squad at Oregon. The Blue Demons brought in Chico Carter from their Arizona Tip-Off opening opponent, as well as signing Elijah Fisher (Texas Tech), Jaden Henley (Minnesota) and Jeremiah Oden (Wyoming) and top-100 freshman Churchill Abass, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound Nigerian from NBA Academy Africa.
GCU offseason addition Tyon Grant-Foster last played for DePaul in the 2021-22 opener before a medical issue ended his season and sidelined him for last season.
The multi-team event also includes several games on campus sites prior to the Glendale games. GCU will host Northern Arizona on Nov. 12 at GCU Arena, marking the first meeting between the in-state foes since March 18, 2015.
The Lumberjacks are coming off of a 12-23 season but made a spirited run to the championship game of the Big Sky Tournament and sat just one win away from March Madness. Northern Arizona's roster includes former Lope Liam Lloyd, who started 27 of 35 games and averaged six points for the Lumberjacks last season.
Intersport created the Glendale event, which will be hosted by the Arizona Sports and Entertainment Commission. Only six of the 25 regularly contested multi-team events next season will be in the Pacific or Mountain time zones.
"Bringing a premium early season experience to Glendale, alongside incredible partners at the Arizona Sports and Entertainment Commission, will make the Arizona Tip-Off a very attractive opportunity for teams, and we're excited to begin this relationship," said event director Mark Starsiak, the Intersport vice president of basketball. "Glendale and the Greater Phoenix area are known not only for being a basketball-centric region, but for hosting major sporting events. We're confident that, in a short time, the Arizona Tip-Off will make its way onto the short list of elite, early-season multi-team events."
Game times are to be determined. Fans can register for tournament updates and ticket information at www.arizonatipoff.com or follow @Arizona_TipOff on Twitter and Instagram.
GCU will join seven other programs in the first Arizona Tip-Off at Desert Diamond Arena in nearby Glendale, where the Lopes will open the Nov. 17-19 event against San Francisco before playing South Carolina or DePaul. Both games will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.The Lopes are part of the event's Cactus Division, which coincides with a Desert Division that includes Northern Arizona, South Dakota, Purdue Fort Wayne and VMI. Each division plays independently with opening rounds making for a four-game, eight-team opening day on Nov. 17 at the former Arizona Coyotes arena, which neighbors 2024 Final Four site State Farm Stadium.
The Arizona Tip-Off's third-place and championship games will follow on Nov. 18 for the Desert Division and on Nov. 19 for GCU's Cactus Division.
The Lopes, coming off their second NCAA tournament trip in three years under head coach Bryce Drew, will face the Dons for the third time in Drew's first four GCU seasons. They split the previous meetings with a 2020-21 season loss (68-63) at the Far West Classic in Las Vegas and a 2021-22 season victory (49-48) at the Jerry Colangelo Classic in downtown Phoenix.
"Really excited about the Arizona Tip-Off, a great event with really good basketball programs in it," Drew said. "We love being close to home so our fans can be a part of it."
San Francisco is a West Coast Conference program coming off 20- and 24-win seasons, including a 2022 NCAA tournament appearance when the Dons were undefeated until the Lopes beat them. San Francisco second-year head coach Chris Gerlufsen reloaded his roster in the transfer portal with six additions, including USC transfer Malik Thomas and players originally form Serbia, China and Mongolia. He also landed incoming freshman guard Ryan Beasley, the San Francisco Chronicle Player of the Year.
That makes for a strong Lopes tournament field with a second game coming against South Carolina of the SEC or DePaul of the Big East.
South Carolina returns six players, featuring guard Meechie Johnson after he withdrew from the NBA Draft. Gamecocks second-year head coach Lamont Paris added ESPN top-100 freshman recruit Collin Murray-Boyles to four transfers who started last season at The Citadel, Minnesota, Vanderbilt and Wofford.
DePaul added five transfers under third-year head coach Tony Stubblefield, who previously assisted top-10 teams and a Final Four squad at Oregon. The Blue Demons brought in Chico Carter from their Arizona Tip-Off opening opponent, as well as signing Elijah Fisher (Texas Tech), Jaden Henley (Minnesota) and Jeremiah Oden (Wyoming) and top-100 freshman Churchill Abass, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound Nigerian from NBA Academy Africa.
GCU offseason addition Tyon Grant-Foster last played for DePaul in the 2021-22 opener before a medical issue ended his season and sidelined him for last season.
The multi-team event also includes several games on campus sites prior to the Glendale games. GCU will host Northern Arizona on Nov. 12 at GCU Arena, marking the first meeting between the in-state foes since March 18, 2015.
The Lumberjacks are coming off of a 12-23 season but made a spirited run to the championship game of the Big Sky Tournament and sat just one win away from March Madness. Northern Arizona's roster includes former Lope Liam Lloyd, who started 27 of 35 games and averaged six points for the Lumberjacks last season.
Intersport created the Glendale event, which will be hosted by the Arizona Sports and Entertainment Commission. Only six of the 25 regularly contested multi-team events next season will be in the Pacific or Mountain time zones.
"Bringing a premium early season experience to Glendale, alongside incredible partners at the Arizona Sports and Entertainment Commission, will make the Arizona Tip-Off a very attractive opportunity for teams, and we're excited to begin this relationship," said event director Mark Starsiak, the Intersport vice president of basketball. "Glendale and the Greater Phoenix area are known not only for being a basketball-centric region, but for hosting major sporting events. We're confident that, in a short time, the Arizona Tip-Off will make its way onto the short list of elite, early-season multi-team events."
Game times are to be determined. Fans can register for tournament updates and ticket information at www.arizonatipoff.com or follow @Arizona_TipOff on Twitter and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
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