Lopes, Dons set for rematch at Phoenix Suns Arena as part of 8-team event
(Phoenix, AZ) The Grand Canyon men’s basketball team is returning to downtown Phoenix for the Jerry Colangelo Classic. The Lopes will take on San Francisco on Dec. 18, 2021, at Phoenix Suns Arena.
“We are thrilled to be a part of the Hall of Fame’s Jerry Colangelo Classic and to be playing in downtown Phoenix,” second-year Lopes head coach Bryce Drew said. “Being in our hometown NBA Arena will be a great experience for both our players and our fans. We played San Francisco last year and know how strong of a program they are, so we are looking forward to another opportunity to compete against them.”
GCU will be part of a quadruple-header event that also features Gonzaga vs. Texas Tech, USC vs. Georgia Tech and Northern Arizona vs. San Diego. Including the Lopes, the field includes five teams that qualified for the 2021 NCAA tournament.
Photo – GCU Athletics
This will be the second consecutive year that GCU will pair up with San Francisco at a neutral site. The Lopes and Dons were originally set to meet in the 2020 Colangelo Classic, but after the event’s cancellation, the matchup took place in the Far West Classic at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. The Dons came away with a 68-65 victory.
“Coach Drew has done a great job in a short period of time at GCU,” San Francisco head coach Todd Golden said, “and playing them in the Phoenix Suns Arena is the kind of game that will prepare us well for our conference slate.”
Last season, Golden’s Dons got off to a 10-7 start against a difficult nonconference schedule that featured an upset win over No. 4 Virginia. San Francisco ended the regular season on a six-game skid and went 1-1 in the WCC Tournament.
GCU returns to Phoenix Suns Arena for the fourth time in five years and will compete in the third straight iteration of the Colangelo Classic.
“We look forward to hosting a unique collegiate event in Phoenix, featuring two Arizona teams and honoring Jerry Colangelo, a man who has done so much for the game and the state he calls home,” John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame said. “We think this will be a great opportunity for college basketball fans to come out and enjoy the wonderful desert climate this holiday season, while taking in four games at the newly renovated Phoenix Suns Arena.”
Ticket information, game times and television broadcast details and will be released at a later date. As the health and safety of the athletes, fans and staff is of the utmost importance, the Basketball Hall of Fame will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely in the coming months and provide updates as needed.
Press Release courtesy of Grand Canyon University – Josh Hauser
