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Colorado Springs • Utah State will visit Missouri State next season as part of the renewed Mountain West-Missouri Valley men's basketball challenge, the leagues announced Thursday.
The Aggies, under new coach Tim Duryea, will visit Missouri State on Dec. 1 as part of the head-to-head series between Mountain West and Missouri Valley schools.
"We are thrilled to be involved with the Missouri Valley Conference," Duryea said. "Anyone who knows college basketball knows that the Missouri Valley is one of the best conferences in the country."
The game will be the first meeting between Missouri State and Utah State, which finished 18-13 overall last season. All-time, the Aggies are 16-13 against Missouri Valley Conference opponents.
"Missouri State is a solid program with great facilities," Duryea said. "They have a rich basketball tradition and we are anxious to make the trip."
Missouri State finished 11-20 last season, including 5-13 in the conference. Like Utah State, the Bears will return all five starters.
Next season's complete Mountain West-Missouri Valley schedule includes:
Nov. 13 — Illinois State at San Diego State, Air Force at Southern Illinois; Nov. 14 — Colorado State at Northern Iowa; Nov. 16 — Wyoming at Indiana State; Nov. 18 — Loyola at New Mexico; Dec. 1 — Utah State at Missouri State; Dec. 2 — UNLV at Wichita State; Dec. 12 — Drake at Nevada; Dec. 20 — Bradley at Boise State, Evansville at Fresno State.
The previous Mountain West-Missouri Challenge ran from 2010-13.
"Bringing back the … Challenge is mutually beneficial for both leagues," said Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson. "Improving overall non-conference schedules and providing quality opponents is important to the Mountain West."
Said Missouri Valley commissioner Doug Elgin: "The reintroduction of this series is a positive step for both leagues. Tough non-conference scheduling has always been paramount in improving our league's stature on the national scene. The series helps institutions in both leagues achieve that goal."