CALGARY – The Northern Arizona University men's basketball team will travel to Canada August 11-15 to participate in the Battle of the Border tournament hosted by the University of Calgary at the Jack Simpson Gym.

The Lumberjacks will play five games over five days in the tournament, including a pair against the host Dinos on Friday, Aug. 13 and Saturday, Aug. 14. Northern Arizona will also play the Lethbridge Pronghorns twice along with a single tilt against Edmonton's Concordia University College of Alberta.

Northern Arizona is the third Big Sky school to make the trip to Calgary for the tournament after Weber State in 2007 and Montana in 2008. The tournament began in 2006 with the Wyoming Cowboys of the Mountain West Conference, while Creighton of the Missouri Valley Conference also appeared in 2007.

The Lumberjacks went 14-14 overall (8-8 Big Sky) in 2009-10, falling in the opening round of the Big Sky Tournament. The Lumberjacks have a talented returning group for the 2010-11 season, including four returning starters and 10 letter winners overall. Overall, NAU returns 87 percent of its scoring, including the five top scorers and seven of the top eight, and 77 percent of the rebounds from the 2009-10 season.

They will face a new-look Dinos squad with eight new faces set to join the lineup following the graduation of four seniors. After back-to-back trips to the national semi-final, Calgary will be a much younger team led by second-year point guard Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson and fourth-year swing man Tyler Fidler, who is off to the national team training camp this summer.

"We are excited to be hosting another NCAA Division I school, and I look forward to the competition with our young lineup,” said Calgary head coach Dan Vanhooren. “It will be an opportunity for us to have a look at some of our young talent and measure where we are and what we need to do in the preseason to get ready for the Canada West schedule.”

NAU last went on an international trip in 2003, posting a 3-1 record in Mexico. The NCAA allows a school to take a foreign trip once every four years. The trip is sponsored by Global Sports for the participation by the Lumberjacks in a multi-team preseason tournament.

NAU plans on broadcasting one game from the tournament on the Lumberjack Radio Network. Specific details will be announced later.

2010 Battle of the Border Men's Basketball Tournament

All games in the Jack Simpson Gym / All times Flagstaff Time

Wednesday, Aug. 11

Lethbridge vs. Northern Arizona, 6 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 12

Concordia vs. Northern Arizona, 7 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 13

Calgary vs. Northern Arizona, 6 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 14

Calgary vs. Northern Arizona, 6 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 15

Lethbridge vs. Northern Arizona, 9 a.m.

DID YOU KNOW…Based on AHRRC information NAU athletics has a significant impact on the Flagstaff economy. Lumberjack student athletes add $8.7 million to the Northern Arizona economy and visiting teams contributed $650,000 to the hotel and restaurant economy of Flagstaff.