CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos men's basketball team is hitting the road this summer for a pair of NCAA exhibition matchups in British Columbia before making their third consecutive appearance at the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League in Nassau, Bahamas.

The Dinos open the road swing at Simon Fraser University's West Gym in Burnaby on July 28, tipping off against the Purdue Boilermakers at 7 p.m. MT. One of the NCAA's most consistent programs with 37 tournament appearances and three Final Four runs, Purdue claimed their third Big Ten Tournament championship this past season before advancing to the Elite Eight.

Calgary then transitions to Langley Christian School for a 4 p.m. MT tipoff against the Marquette Golden Eagles on July 29. The Golden Eagles have won 20 or more games in three of the last four seasons, highlighted by a Big East Tournament title in 2023 and a run to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen the following season.

Head coach Dan Vanhooren sees the trip as an important benchmark for the program heading into the coming season.

"We get to play a really high level of competition," said Vanhooren. "It sets the bar for us on some of the goals that we'd like to achieve and tests us in a major way – we can compete at our level, and it'll elevate our level and push our boundaries."

From B.C., the Dinos head to the Bahamas for the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League, an exhibition event that draws NCAA, international, and Canadian university programs. Vanhooren sees the change of scenery as equally valuable off the court.

"It's a really good team-building setup where we're in a whole different environment than we're used to," said Vanhooren. "We can really work at our team culture and what we like and what we don't like and the things that we want to accomplish in our goals for the year, so it's a really positive trip for us."

Calgary opens Bahamas play against the Cincinnati Bearcats on Aug. 2 at 12 p.m. MT. The Bearcats finished 18-15 last season. 

The Dinos wrap up the trip on Aug. 4 at 10 a.m. MT against the Arkansas Razorbacks. Led by head coach John Calipari, a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee in 2015, Arkansas claimed its first SEC Tournament championship since 2000 last season before advancing to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

The Dinos open their Canada West campaign Oct. 30-31, hosting the Saskatchewan Huskies. Season tickets and single game tickets go on sale July 27 at GoDinos.com/Tickets.

-UC-