Mo. Valley, Mountain West to start hoops series

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) -- Nine teams from the Mountain West and Missouri Valley conferences will compete in an annual basketball series starting next season.

The Challenge Series, similar to the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, will begin Nov. 13 with Bradley at BYU. Eight other games will be played with Wyoming finishing at Northern Iowa on Dec. 23.

The other games in the first year of the four-year deal are Colorado State at Indiana State on Nov. 20; Southern Illinois at UNLV on Nov. 21; Air Force at Missouri State on Dec. 5; TCU at Wichita State on Dec. 12; Creighton at New Mexico and Illinois State at Utah on Dec. 19; and San Diego State at Drake on Dec. 22.

Evansville, which finished last in the Valley last season, will not participate the first year.

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