DWU basketball eager to open season at home with CorTrust Classic this weekend
· Yahoo Sports
Oct. 29—MITCHELL — The early season kickoff to the Dakota Wesleyan University basketball teams returns on Friday, with the inaugural CorTrust Classic taking place at the Corn Palace.
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Eight teams will gather in Mitchell Friday and Saturday. The Tiger squads will host, featuring doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday nights to cap each day's action.
Play begins at 1 p.m. Friday with Concordia (Neb.) and Valley City (N.D.) State in a women's game, followed by Hastings (Neb.) against Valley City State in a men's contest. The DWU women will play William Penn (Iowa) at 5:30 p.m., followed by DWU's men against Bethany College of Kansas at 7:30 p.m.
The teams will be in action again on Saturday, with DWU playing both VCSU teams at 5:30 p.m. (women) and 7:30 p.m. (men).
DWU women's basketball coach Jason Christensen said the idea for the event came after talking with Concordia women's basketball coach Drew Olson. The Tigers will play in the Bulldogs' Cattle Classic next week for the second consecutive year on the women's side, playing nationally ranked teams in Seward, Nebraska.
"I went to his classic and now they're coming to ours. That's kind of how it worked out. It's something we're hoping to do every year. I talked with (DWU men's basketball coach) Sam Nicholson and we got our men in it."
Christensen said CorTrust Bank's sponsorship helped finalize the idea and make the event possible.
"I think it's awesome," he said. "We get to have two games here at the Palace, which is great because it's tough to find non-conference games here at home. It's a good thing for both the men and the women and gives our fans a great chance to watch some basketball."
An early season classic is nothing new for DWU. The Tigers had the TeamMakers Classic for many years in the 2000s and 2010s, and the Fulton State Bank Classic until 2016.
The women's basketball field includes No. 2 DWU and No. 10 Concordia (Neb.) in the national preseason top-25. The two Great Plains Athletic Conference member schools will meet up later in the second for their two regular conference contests. Valley City State was picked eighth out of 12 teams in the Frontier Conference in a preseason poll, and William Penn was tabbed 15th out of 16 teams in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.
None of the men's squads are nationally ranked. DWU was picked fourth in the preseason GPAC poll, while Hastings was 10th. Valley City State was picked 10th out of 12 teams in the Frontier Conference, while Bethany (Kan.) was picked to finish 14th in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference.
CorTrust Classic basketball schedule
Friday, Oct. 30
Women's basketball
1 p.m.: Concordia (Neb.) vs. Valley City State (N.D.)
5:30 p.m.: Dakota Wesleyan vs. William Penn (Iowa)
Men's basketball
3 p.m.: Hastings (Neb.) vs. Valley City State (N.D.)
7:30 p.m.: Dakota Wesleyan vs. Bethany (Kan.)
Saturday, Oct. 31
Women's basketball
1 p.m.: Concordia (Neb.) vs. William Penn (Iowa)
5:30 p.m.: Dakota Wesleyan vs. Valley City State (N.D.)
Men's basketball
3 p.m.: Hastings (Neb.) vs. Bethany (Kan.)
7:30 p.m.: Dakota Wesleyan vs. Valley City State (N.D.)