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
GCU set to face Georgia in Atlanta
8/5/2024 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Lopes-Bulldogs play Dec. 14 in home of NBA's Hawks on ESPN Networks
Grand Canyon enhanced its national standing in college basketball last season and will live up to becoming a national program by traveling to Atlanta for a matchup with Georgia.
The Lopes and Bulldogs will play for the first time ever on Saturday, Dec. 14, as part of the fifth annual Holiday Hoopsgiving at State Farm Arena, the home of one of GCU head coach Bryce Drew's former NBA teams, the Atlanta Hawks.
The game will be part of a tripleheader that also features Arizona State vs. Florida and Auburn vs. Ohio State. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN Networks.
"We're really excited to be playing Georgia in such a great event," Drew said. "Playing across the country in an NBA arena on TV is a tremendous opportunity for our team."
The matchup is attractive to a wide basketball audience with two of the nation's most-improved programs in recent years. The rapid ascent of GCU basketball was punctuated by its first NCAA Division I tournament win last season, when the Lopes knocked off No. 15 Saint Mary's.
Georgia, whose campus is 72 miles from the venue, drastically improved in the first two seasons under head coach Mike White, whose 10-win improvement in his first season in Athens was followed by Georgia's first 20-win season in eight years last season.
The Bulldogs reached the NIT semifinals and return one of the SEC's best freshmen, 6-foot-5 guard Silas Demary Jr., after he led Georgia in steals per game (1.4) and averaged 10.5 points in conference play. Georgia's depth translated to the 21st-best bench scoring production in the nation.
In White's program rebuild, Demary is one of three returning players who were top-50 national prospects entering Georgia last season.
White followed that initial recruiting effort with a pair of 6-foot-10 signees who ranked in the top 100 this year and a transfer class that ranks top 10 nationally. The transfer group includes 6-foot-9, 235-pound forward Justin Abson, last season's Conference USA Player of the Year for Appalachian State.
GCU is coming off a historic 30-5 season and brings back five of its top six scorers from that team. The Lopes won the WAC regular-season and postseason titles and reached the NCAA tournament for the third time in Drew's four seasons at the GCU helm.
White's rise replicates his previous work with four NCAA tournament teams at Florida in a seven-year stay (2015-22). White has been Coach of the Year in three conferences (WAC, CUSA, SEC) with a career winning percentage (279-161, .634) that is similar to what Drew has achieved (173-124, .648).
GCU also faced an SEC opponent in a neutral-site event last season, when it took a narrow 75-68 November loss to South Carolina in Glendale.
"Holiday Hoopsgiving continues to grow year after year, and we are thrilled to host another incredible lineup of teams at State Farm Arena for the fifth-year anniversary," said Christopher Williams, who is CEO of event organizer The VII Group. "This event not only brings top-tier basketball to Atlanta but also provides these student-athletes with a unique opportunity to compete on a big stage in front of a national audience."
Holiday Hoopsgiving tickets will go on sale at a later date. Event information, including ticket sales and game times, will be at www.HolidayHoopsgiving.com.
The Lopes previously have announced nonconference games for next season against Arizona State and Stanford. GCU will play ASU in the Hall of Fame Series on Nov. 14 at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix. On Nov. 26, the Lopes will be in Palm Desert, California, to take on Stanford in the Acrisure Holiday Classic.
The Lopes and Bulldogs will play for the first time ever on Saturday, Dec. 14, as part of the fifth annual Holiday Hoopsgiving at State Farm Arena, the home of one of GCU head coach Bryce Drew's former NBA teams, the Atlanta Hawks.The game will be part of a tripleheader that also features Arizona State vs. Florida and Auburn vs. Ohio State. All three games will be broadcast on ESPN Networks.
"We're really excited to be playing Georgia in such a great event," Drew said. "Playing across the country in an NBA arena on TV is a tremendous opportunity for our team."The matchup is attractive to a wide basketball audience with two of the nation's most-improved programs in recent years. The rapid ascent of GCU basketball was punctuated by its first NCAA Division I tournament win last season, when the Lopes knocked off No. 15 Saint Mary's.
Georgia, whose campus is 72 miles from the venue, drastically improved in the first two seasons under head coach Mike White, whose 10-win improvement in his first season in Athens was followed by Georgia's first 20-win season in eight years last season.
The Bulldogs reached the NIT semifinals and return one of the SEC's best freshmen, 6-foot-5 guard Silas Demary Jr., after he led Georgia in steals per game (1.4) and averaged 10.5 points in conference play. Georgia's depth translated to the 21st-best bench scoring production in the nation.
In White's program rebuild, Demary is one of three returning players who were top-50 national prospects entering Georgia last season.
White followed that initial recruiting effort with a pair of 6-foot-10 signees who ranked in the top 100 this year and a transfer class that ranks top 10 nationally. The transfer group includes 6-foot-9, 235-pound forward Justin Abson, last season's Conference USA Player of the Year for Appalachian State.
GCU is coming off a historic 30-5 season and brings back five of its top six scorers from that team. The Lopes won the WAC regular-season and postseason titles and reached the NCAA tournament for the third time in Drew's four seasons at the GCU helm.
White's rise replicates his previous work with four NCAA tournament teams at Florida in a seven-year stay (2015-22). White has been Coach of the Year in three conferences (WAC, CUSA, SEC) with a career winning percentage (279-161, .634) that is similar to what Drew has achieved (173-124, .648).
GCU also faced an SEC opponent in a neutral-site event last season, when it took a narrow 75-68 November loss to South Carolina in Glendale.
"Holiday Hoopsgiving continues to grow year after year, and we are thrilled to host another incredible lineup of teams at State Farm Arena for the fifth-year anniversary," said Christopher Williams, who is CEO of event organizer The VII Group. "This event not only brings top-tier basketball to Atlanta but also provides these student-athletes with a unique opportunity to compete on a big stage in front of a national audience."
Holiday Hoopsgiving tickets will go on sale at a later date. Event information, including ticket sales and game times, will be at www.HolidayHoopsgiving.com.
The Lopes previously have announced nonconference games for next season against Arizona State and Stanford. GCU will play ASU in the Hall of Fame Series on Nov. 14 at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix. On Nov. 26, the Lopes will be in Palm Desert, California, to take on Stanford in the Acrisure Holiday Classic.
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