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
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Final Four's SDSU tops GCU's nonconference visits
7/27/2023 12:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Lopes face NCAA tournament qualifer SEMO in regular-season opener at home
The Havocs and Lope Nation have seen a top-25 team play at Grand Canyon. Big Ten and ACC basketball powerhouses have paid GCU Arena visits, as has Arizona State twice.
But GCU never has viewed a visitor with the credentials of this season's home game on Dec. 5, when San Diego State comes off a national runner-up season to be the Lopes' first-ever Final Four guest. The Aztecs' return to 7,000-seat GCU Arena as part of seven nonconference home games that will play out in front of the Lopes' notoriously raucous environment.
GCU's new look will debut with a Nov. 1 exhibition home game against Embry-Riddle of Prescott, Arizona, before the regular season starts against a fellow 2023 NCAA tournament qualifier in Southeast Missouri State. Five of the Lopes' six regular-season home nonconference opponents either won a conference regular-season title, won a conference tournament championship or reached the conference tournament championship game last season.
GCU challenges those credentials after reaching the NCAA tournament in two of the past three years and boasting a roster this season with three past All-WAC honorees — Jovan Blacksher Jr., Ray Harrison and Gabe McGlothan — and a promising batch of experienced newcomers.
"Since we've been here, it's definitely the most attractive schedule," Lopes fourth-year Lopes head coach Bryce Drew said. "We're playing quite a few really good teams. Obviously, San Diego State will be an incredible night here with a national runner-up, so that's pretty special."
SEMO, as the Ohio Valley Tournament champion is known, made a GCU-like run with four conference tourney wins in four days to punch an NCAA Big Dance ticket for the first time since 2000. The Redhawks return three starters from a team that averaged 77.5 points per game last season.
Northern Arizona will come to GCU Arena on Nov. 12 for the first time since the CollegeInsider.com Tournament in 2015, when the Lumberjacks won in the Lopes' second Division I season. NAU will return a familiar face with former GCU guard Liam Lloyd, who averaged 6.1 points for last season's 12-23 Lumberjacks that made a run to the Big Sky Tournament championship game.
After the Lopes shift to nearby Glendale's Desert Diamond Arena for the previously announced Nov. 17-19 Arizona Tip-Off against San Francisco and either South Carolina or DePaul, GCU will return to campus for a Nov. 25 tilt against North Dakota State.
The Bison reached the Summit League championship game for the fifth consecutive year last season and return seven of their top eight scorers, including 6-foot-5 senior guard Boden Skunberg (15.1 points per game). Under 10th-year head coach David Richman, North Dakota State ranked 20th nationally for defensive rebounding last season.
The anticipation then will build for the Dec. 5 game against San Diego State, which made its third straight NCAA tournament appearance memorable with a thrilling run to the national title game against UConn. The deep, defensive Aztecs went 32-7 with the last victory coming on a Final Four buzzer shot by guard Lamont Butler. He is part of a returning SDSU starting backcourt with Darrion Trammell, a former WAC foe at Seattle U.
The Aztecs have averaged 25.2 victories in Brian Dutcher's six seasons as head coach. When Dutcher was an assistant, GCU defeated SDSU 76-72 at home with DeWayne Russell (pictured at right) and Oscar Frayer combining for 40 points.
"It will be a great opportunity nationally to have more people hear about our program and our school," Drew said.
With the expanded 20-game WAC schedule this season, GCU will have an earlier start to conference play with a Nov. 29 game at UT Rio Grande Valley and a Dec. 2 home game against UT Arlington before resuming nonconference play on Dec. 16 in a previously announced Jerry Colangelo Classic matchup against Portland at downtown Phoenix's Footprint Center.
The home nonconference slate resumes Dec. 20 against former WAC foe Sam Houston, which won the regular-season conference title last season despite an overtime loss to the Lopes. GCU also beat Sam Houston 78-75 in another thriller at the WAC Tournament semifinals in Las Vegas.
Following a 26-8 season, Sam Houston moved to Conference USA and promoted longtime assistant coach Chris Mudge to head coach after Jason Hooten left to lead New Mexico State. Sam Houston ranked fourth nationally for scoring defense and returns past starters Cameron Huefner and Jaden Ray.
GCU Arena's final nonconference visitor will be Louisiana Tech on Dec. 30. Also from Conference USA, the Bulldogs are returning four players who started most of last season's games on a team that averaged 15.2 opponent turnovers per game. Louisiana Tech has averaged 23 wins over the past 11 years.
To see the Lopes' full schedule, click here. A limited number of season tickets remain available starting at under $100. To purchase, click here.
But GCU never has viewed a visitor with the credentials of this season's home game on Dec. 5, when San Diego State comes off a national runner-up season to be the Lopes' first-ever Final Four guest. The Aztecs' return to 7,000-seat GCU Arena as part of seven nonconference home games that will play out in front of the Lopes' notoriously raucous environment.
GCU's new look will debut with a Nov. 1 exhibition home game against Embry-Riddle of Prescott, Arizona, before the regular season starts against a fellow 2023 NCAA tournament qualifier in Southeast Missouri State. Five of the Lopes' six regular-season home nonconference opponents either won a conference regular-season title, won a conference tournament championship or reached the conference tournament championship game last season.GCU challenges those credentials after reaching the NCAA tournament in two of the past three years and boasting a roster this season with three past All-WAC honorees — Jovan Blacksher Jr., Ray Harrison and Gabe McGlothan — and a promising batch of experienced newcomers.
"Since we've been here, it's definitely the most attractive schedule," Lopes fourth-year Lopes head coach Bryce Drew said. "We're playing quite a few really good teams. Obviously, San Diego State will be an incredible night here with a national runner-up, so that's pretty special."
SEMO, as the Ohio Valley Tournament champion is known, made a GCU-like run with four conference tourney wins in four days to punch an NCAA Big Dance ticket for the first time since 2000. The Redhawks return three starters from a team that averaged 77.5 points per game last season.
Northern Arizona will come to GCU Arena on Nov. 12 for the first time since the CollegeInsider.com Tournament in 2015, when the Lumberjacks won in the Lopes' second Division I season. NAU will return a familiar face with former GCU guard Liam Lloyd, who averaged 6.1 points for last season's 12-23 Lumberjacks that made a run to the Big Sky Tournament championship game.
After the Lopes shift to nearby Glendale's Desert Diamond Arena for the previously announced Nov. 17-19 Arizona Tip-Off against San Francisco and either South Carolina or DePaul, GCU will return to campus for a Nov. 25 tilt against North Dakota State.
The Bison reached the Summit League championship game for the fifth consecutive year last season and return seven of their top eight scorers, including 6-foot-5 senior guard Boden Skunberg (15.1 points per game). Under 10th-year head coach David Richman, North Dakota State ranked 20th nationally for defensive rebounding last season.
The anticipation then will build for the Dec. 5 game against San Diego State, which made its third straight NCAA tournament appearance memorable with a thrilling run to the national title game against UConn. The deep, defensive Aztecs went 32-7 with the last victory coming on a Final Four buzzer shot by guard Lamont Butler. He is part of a returning SDSU starting backcourt with Darrion Trammell, a former WAC foe at Seattle U.The Aztecs have averaged 25.2 victories in Brian Dutcher's six seasons as head coach. When Dutcher was an assistant, GCU defeated SDSU 76-72 at home with DeWayne Russell (pictured at right) and Oscar Frayer combining for 40 points.
"It will be a great opportunity nationally to have more people hear about our program and our school," Drew said.
With the expanded 20-game WAC schedule this season, GCU will have an earlier start to conference play with a Nov. 29 game at UT Rio Grande Valley and a Dec. 2 home game against UT Arlington before resuming nonconference play on Dec. 16 in a previously announced Jerry Colangelo Classic matchup against Portland at downtown Phoenix's Footprint Center.
The home nonconference slate resumes Dec. 20 against former WAC foe Sam Houston, which won the regular-season conference title last season despite an overtime loss to the Lopes. GCU also beat Sam Houston 78-75 in another thriller at the WAC Tournament semifinals in Las Vegas.
Following a 26-8 season, Sam Houston moved to Conference USA and promoted longtime assistant coach Chris Mudge to head coach after Jason Hooten left to lead New Mexico State. Sam Houston ranked fourth nationally for scoring defense and returns past starters Cameron Huefner and Jaden Ray.
GCU Arena's final nonconference visitor will be Louisiana Tech on Dec. 30. Also from Conference USA, the Bulldogs are returning four players who started most of last season's games on a team that averaged 15.2 opponent turnovers per game. Louisiana Tech has averaged 23 wins over the past 11 years.
To see the Lopes' full schedule, click here. A limited number of season tickets remain available starting at under $100. To purchase, click here.
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