LEXINGTON – The Transylvania men’s basketball program is Bahamas-bound this upcoming weekend for a preseason exhibition game and clinic in the Exumas, a southern island of the Bahamas. Lexington-based sports firm bdG Sports, which also plays host to annual college basketball and professional golf events throughout the Bahamas, will manage the four-day trip for the Pioneers.

Transylvania’s fall-break schedule includes departing Lexington on Saturday, Oct. 14 and conducting a youth clinic in George Town, Bahamas upon arrival. The following day will see the Pios compete in an exhibition game against a Bahamas Select Team. Other highlights on the trip include a coaches’ clinic with local Bahamian coaches along with a team island excursion on Monday, Oct. 16. The squad will return to Kentucky on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

“We are excited about the opportunity to take our team to Exuma and positively impact the local community there through the game of basketball,” Transylvania head coach Brian Lane said. “Many thanks to the Bahamas Basketball Federation, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, and bdG Sports for offering this opportunity. We can’t wait to bring our brand of Bluegrass basketball to the Bahamas.”

bdG Sports has strong roots in Exuma and The Bahamas. The firm annually manages the first two golf tournaments on the Korn Ferry Tour in Exuma and Abaco. The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic is played each January at a Greg Norman-designed course at Sandals Emerald Bay. bdG also manages multiple college basketball events at the Baha Mar resort in Nassau each year in both August and November. bdG played host to Kentucky men’s basketball for its Big Blue Bahamas summer tour at Baha Mar in August 2022 while  both Xavier and Penn State participated this past August. Each November, bdG plays host to three “Baha Mar Hoops” tournaments with this year’s line-up featuring 22 teams playing over 10 days. Louisville men’s basketball won its division at the 2021 Baha Mar Hoops event.

“One of the missions of our company is to positively impact the communities that have embraced us and our events,” bdG Sports President & CEO Brooks Downing said. “George Town is anchored by a beautiful outdoor court, but there’s not an indoor gym in the Exumas. We hope this trip down by Transy will spark greater interest in the sport, and who knows, maybe it will produce the next Buddy Heild, DeAndre Ayton or Mychal Thompson, all great Bahamian basketball stars.

“For Coach Lane and his men’s basketball team, I owe them a sincere thank you as Coach volunteered to take his squad down for this unique experience. They will experience the true Bahamas as the Exumas boasts the most beautiful waters in the world, the local Bahamians are the most welcoming, friendly people you’ll ever meet and regardless of their background, they take education and sports very seriously. This will be a win-win for both the Pioneers as well as the local Exumians, and Coach Lane deserves all the credit for making his happen.”

Transylvania, who posted a 14-12 overall mark last season, returns top scorers junior Colby Napier (14.9 points, 2.6 3-pointers) and senior Jaylan Green (14.2 points, 4.5 rebounds) along with senior Simon Smith (10.0 points, and junior Hunter Penn (8.8 points, 6.7 rebounds). The Pioneers play two preseason exhibition games at Bellarmine (Oct. 24 at 6:30 p.m.) and home against Marysville College (Oct. 27 at 7 p.m.) before opening the regular season at Centre (Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m.).

DETROIT – A heavyweight showdown comes to the Motor City when Michigan State battles Baylor in a likely top-25 matchup Saturday, Dec. 16 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit as announced today by promoter bdG Sports. The event, entitled the Continental Tire Motor City Invitational, will be broadcast live in prime time on FOX.

Michigan State will enter the new season projected as a national championship contender with three returning starters and a lauded incoming recruiting class featuring three top-50 players. The Spartans will be paced by their returning leading scorer Tyson Walker (14.8 points) and incoming freshman Xavier Booker, a McDonald’s All-American last season.

“Any time we get a chance to play in Detroit and at Little Caesars Arena, I’m excited for that opportunity,” Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said. “Spartan fans in Detroit have always come out to support us and it’s a tremendous arena for college basketball. We’re excited to play a great team like Baylor in what should be a great day for the city and our sport.”

Michigan State finished the 2022-23 season with a 21-13 overall record, including an 11-8 mark in the Big Ten Conference, and played in its 25th-consecutive NCAA Tournament, the second-longest active streak in Division I men’s basketball. The Spartans advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 15th time under Izzo.

Baylor is reloading after an impressive run over the past three seasons that has seen the Bears achieve the third-highest win percentage in college basketball (.796 overall which is best among Power-5 programs) and the 2021 National Championship. The Bears will be bolstered by a top-10 recruiting class headlined by McDonald’s All-American Ja’Kobe Walter and top-100 prospects Miro Little and Yves Missi. Jalen Bridges, Caleb Lohner, and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua lead a strong group of returners.

“We have the same non-conference scheduling philosophy as Michigan State,” Baylor head coach Scott Drew said. “We want to play the best in the country to prepare ourselves for conference play. We have tremendous respect for Michigan State, and all Coach Izzo has accomplished with his program. Playing a game like this in an NBA arena will undoubtedly make us a better team and be a great experience for our team.”

Tickets for the game start at $30 and go on public sale on Friday, Sept. 22 at 10 a.m. ET at Ticketmaster.com and on the Ticketmaster app. Complete event information can be found at www.motorcityinvitational.com and on social media at @bdGlobalSports.com.

As a corporate supporter of college athletics across the country, including partnerships with both Michigan State and Baylor, Continental Tire is a natural fit to title one of the biggest games in college basketball this coming season.

PHILADELPHIA – Tickets for the Kentucky-Penn game on Saturday, Dec. 9 at Wells Fargo Center, home to the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, go on public sale on Thursday, Sept. 7, event-promoter bdG Sports announced Thursday. The game tips at noon ET and will be televised on ESPN2.

The game in Philadelphia serves as a homecoming game for some of the members of Kentucky’s top-ranked recruiting class. Justin Edwards is a Philadelphia native while D.J. Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw hail from Camden, New Jersey, a short jaunt across the Delaware River from downtown Philadelphia. Senior Kareem Watkins also calls Camden home and two Wildcats – sophomore Adou Thiero and graduate transfer Tre Mitchell – are from the Pittsburgh area.

“Having the chance to play in a sports-crazed city like Philadelphia and against one of the all-time winningest programs in college basketball is a tremendous opportunity for our program and our fans,” UK head coach John Calipari said. “It’s been awhile since we’ve played in the Philly area, so I’m excited for D.J., Aaron, Justin and Kareem to be able to play close to home.”

Last season, Edwards’ high school team, Imhotep, which was ranked No. 6 in the nation, played host to No. 11-ranked Camden High featuring Wagner and Bradshaw, at St. Joseph’s University. Wagner took over the game late, scoring 14 of his game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter to lead his team to a 60-57 win in front of a sold-out Hagan Arena.

In addition to its core of great freshmen on the roster, Kentucky returns senior Antonio Reeves, who averaged 14.4 points per game a season ago and was named the Southeastern Conference’s Sixth Man of the Year. The Cats also added Mitchell, a grad transfer from West Virginia, and late this summer, completed their roster with the addition of Zvonimir Ivisic, a 7-2 forward from Croatia.

For Penn, the game offers a rare opportunity to play a Power-5 opponent in its backyard. Outside of Big 5 play, the Quakers’ last such game was an 89-75 win over Miami in 2018 at the Palestra. Penn returns three starters from last season’s squad which finished 17-13 and one game back of the Ivy League leaders.

“We love to put our guys in a position to make memories, and this game at Wells Fargo Center—our second in as many weekends at that venue—against the NCAA’s second-winningest program will certainly do that,” Penn head coach Steve Donahue said. “We are happy to welcome Coach Calipari back to the Keystone State, and of course we expect a great crowd with so many local players on both rosters. We are giving our team the chance to write an indelible chapter in Penn’s incredible men’s basketball history this season, and this game can certainly help them make their mark.”

Kentucky and Penn have played five times, most recently in 2011, with the Wildcats leading the series 5-0. UK last played in Philadelphia in 2006 in the NCAA Tournament First and Second Rounds.

One of college basketball’s foremost event promoters, bdG Sports has worked closely with Kentucky in the past taking the Wildcats to both Las Vegas (to play Utah in 2019) and The Bahamas (Big Blue Bahamas foreign tour in 2022).

“It’s always a privilege for us to work with Coach Calipari and his staff at Kentucky,” said Brooks Downing, founder and CEO of bdG Sports. “This game is a great opportunity for both UK fans in the northeast and supporters of the Kentucky freshmen from the area to see the Cats play. And for Penn fans, this is a great opportunity to catch a college basketball blueblood on a neutral court in their hometown.”

Tickets for the game start at $25 and go on public sale on Thursday, Sept. 7 at 10 a.m. ET at Ticketmaster.com and on the Ticketmaster app. Complete event information can be found at www.kentuckypenn.com and on social media at @bdGlobalSports.com.

CINCINNATI – Longtime local men’s basketball rivals meet for the first time since 2010 when Cincinnati and Dayton battle in the Hoops Classic presented by altafiber on Saturday, Dec. 16 at the newly renovated Heritage Bank Center. The matchup was announced Wednesday by veteran event promoter, bdG Sports.

Tip time and television information will be announced later.

The matchup between Cincinnati and Dayton is contracted as a one-year agreement with an option for a second year.

“It’s exciting to re-ignite this rivalry with two programs that have experienced a lot of success in college basketball,” said Brooks Downing, President & CEO of bdG Sports. “Both coaches deserve a big thank you for their willingness to start this series.”

“We’re happy to partner with bdG Sports, which will facilitate a community engagement aspect around a big-time college basketball game in our city,” UC head coach Wes Miller said.

UC added seven newcomers this season, including four high-impact transfers this spring as it competes in its first Big 12 season. The Bearcats saw a five-win improvement from Year 1 to Year 2 under Wes Miller, including its 40th 20-win season en route to the NIT Quarterfinals. UC’s 77.1 ppg were up 7.7 from the previous year and its most since 2001-02.

“We are excited about the opportunity to compete in the Hoops Classic,” Dayton head coach Anthony Grant said. “This game will be a showcase of two tradition-rich programs with very passionate fan bases. It certainly makes for a very attractive matchup in non-conference play.”

Dayton was 22-12 in 2022-23, with second-place finishes in the Atlantic 10 in both the regular season and post-season tournament.  The Flyers return three starters, including junior forward DaRon Holmes II, a two-All-Atlantic 10 pick and the Most Outstanding Player of the 2023 A-10 tournament.

Cincinnati and Dayton have met 91 times prior with the Bearcats holding a 60-31 advantage. The rivalry is the third longest in program history for both schools. Cincinnati has played only Miami (Ohio) [149 games] and Louisville [99] more times while Dayton has faced only Xavier [159] and Miami (Ohio) [132] more often.

The Bearcats won the last meeting with Dayton, a 68-34 decision on Nov. 27, 2010 at the Queen City’s downtown arena. Dayton’s last victory over Cincinnati came the season prior, an 81-66 NIT quarterfinals result at Fifth Third Arena on March 22, 2010.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets go on public sale starting Wednesday, July 26 at 10 a.m. ET at HeritageBankCenter.com, Ticketmaster.com or through the Ticketmaster app.