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Mountain West, Missouri Valley announce dates for 2017 MVC-MW Challenge

It’ll be the sixth edition of the event.

By Greg Mitchell

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NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament-First Round-Iowa State vs Nevada
Jordan Caroline will lead Nevada into the 2017 MVC-MW Challenge.
Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

The dates for the 2017 Mountain West-Missouri Valley Challenge were released by the conferences on Wednesday.

Here are the official dates:

  • Loyola (Chicago) at Boise State, Nov. 28
  • Utah State at Valparaiso, Nov. 28
  • Colorado State at Missouri State, Nov. 28
  • UNLV at Northern Iowa, Nov. 29
  • Air Force at Indiana State, Nov. 29
  • Illinois State at Nevada, Nov. 29
  • Evansville at New Mexico, Nov. 29
  • San Jose State at Southern Illinois, Dec. 2
  • Drake at Wyoming, Dec. 2
  • Bradley at San Diego State, Dec. 3

This will be the sixth edition of the event. Last season, the two leagues tied with five wins apiece.

Notably, next season will be first MVC-MW Challenge without Wichita State, which left the MVC for the American Athletic Conference in April. Valparaiso, which joined the MVC as WSU’s replacement, will be making its first appearance in the event.

The most intriguing game would seem to be Illinois State’s visit to Reno, as it pits the reigning MWC regular season and tournament champions against a Redbirds’ team coming off a 28-7 (17-1) season. Both teams lost significant pieces but should be competitive in 2017-18. The Redbirds (No. 15) and Wolf Pack (No. 6) are both in our most recent (but still way too early) rankings.

Other teams appearing in the Challenge that landed in our rankings include San Diego State (No. 17) and Boise State (No. 20), with Wyoming receiving votes.

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