BYU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Idol Sports & Entertainment announced this morning that Northern Arizona University men’s basketball will take on Brigham Young University on Nov. 30 in Prescott Valley, Arizona.
The event will take place at Tim’s Toyota Center and will feature two programs who participated in postseason tournaments a season ago. NAU posted a 19-13 record in 2010-11, making their sixth national postseason appearance in school history and first in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament before losing to eventual champion Santa Clara. The Lumberjacks were the second-best three-point shooting team in the country behind only Ohio State and ranked fourth overall in field goal percentage.
Head Coach Mike Adras returns three starters in 2011-12. Rising junior Gabe Rogers was named to the All-Big Sky second team, finishing the season as the fifth-best three-point shooter in the country by percentage. Rogers shot 46.8 percent beyond the arc, while hitting 82 three pointer and scoring 13.1 points per game.
BYU wrapped up a remarkable season with a trip to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, nearly reaching the Elite 8 before falling to Florida in overtime. The Cougars, led by Naismith Player of the Year Jimmer Fredette, won a school record 32 games in 2011.
The Lumberjacks haven’t played a game of this magnitude so close to home since 1990 when they fell to the second ranked Arizona Wildcats in Flagstaff.
“We are excited to play in Prescott for the second consecutive season against a quality BYU team that had a great run in the NCAA Tournament this past year,” said Adras. “It should be a great game for us to play a school that has a lot of fans in the state of Arizona. It will be an exciting game in a beautiful venue.”
BYU head coach Dave Rose is also eager to showcase his team in front of fans in Prescott Valley.
“We’re looking forward to a great game against Northern Arizona. Idol Sports & Entertainment has done a great job putting this game together,” said Rose. “We’re excited for the opportunity to give our fans in Arizona the opportunity to see us play.”
The Prescott event will be only the second all time meeting between the teams, with the previous game taking place in Flagstaff in 1946. The Lumberjacks won the contest by the score of 54-31.
NAU played in Prescott Valley in 2010, defeating Alabama State 74-46.
Tim’s Toyota Center is a $36 million multipurpose facility that opened in 2006 and is currently the home to the Arizona Sundog’s Hockey Club, Central Hockey League and the Arizona Adrenaline Indoor Football Team. The facility is used for Arizona Interscholastic Association basketball and holds between 5,000 and 6,000 for a basketball event.
BYU formally joined the West Coast Conference last Friday and will field a team in 11 of the Conference’s 13 sponsored sports.
Tickets for the event will go on sale in September and will be available for purchase through GetTix.net.
