Ace Hunt

GoSycamores.com

ST. LOUIS -- Indiana State Basketball will visit Utah State on December 3, 2016 as part of the Missouri Valley/Mountain West Conference Challenge Series, it was announced today (Dec. 22) by the league office. 

It will mark just the second ever meeting in the all-time series with the Aggies. The only previous matchup came on November 25, 1972 when Utah State downed the Sycamores 97-96 in an overtime season opener played in Logan, Utah. This will be the sixth time the Sycamores have participated in the challenge and hold a 2-3 record in previous matchups. Indiana State defeated Wyoming earlier this year by the score of 70-55 inside Hulman Center. 

Nine of the 10 games scheduled in the series for next year will take place on the same date (Dec. 3, 2016). The agreement between the Mountain West and Missouri Valley Conferences is in the second year of a four-year term.

This year, the Mountain West Conference won the series, 6-4, with the final games being played this past Sunday. The Mountain West has an all-time series edge of 3-1-1 in five previous Challenge seasons, which includes an overall advantage of 28-17 in games played in association with the series.

The Challenge Series features head-to-head competition between 10 Mountain West and 10 Missouri Valley teams annually, with each conference hosting five games apiece each season.

Annual matchups for teams in the Challenge Series will be based upon factors including the previous year's achievements, records and RPI rankings, as well as projected rankings/strength of teams in the upcoming season, based on composite sources. Each season will be considered separately in terms of matchups, therefore, games from the previous year's Challenge Series may not be returned.

Television rights for each Challenge Series contest will be controlled by the home team's conference television agreement, which will dictate the distribution of the game and all related matters, including tip times.

2016 CHALLENGE SCHEDULE

Saturday, Dec. 3 -- San Diego State at Loyola -- Chicago, IL
Saturday, Dec. 3 -- Indiana State at Utah State -- Logan, UT
Saturday, Dec. 3 -- UNI at Wyoming -- Laramie, WY
Saturday, Dec. 3 -- Boise State at Evansville -- Evansville, IN
Saturday, Dec. 3 -- Missouri State at Air Force -- Colorado Springs, CO
Saturday, Dec. 3 -- Wichita State at Colorado State -- At Fort Collins, CO
Saturday, Dec. 3 -- Nevada at Bradley -- At Peoria, IL
Saturday, Dec. 3 -- New Mexico at Illinois State -- At Normal, IL
Saturday, Dec. 3 -- Fresno State at Drake -- At Des Moines, IA
Monday, Dec. 19 -- Southern Illinois at UNLV -- Las Vegas, NV