FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (July 29, 2025) – As part of The Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, the Northern Arizona men's basketball team will face Drake in the 2025-26 season opener. The Lumberjacks and Bulldogs will meet on a neutral court at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. during The Field of 68's innovative event on the opening day of the college basketball season.
"I think our success last year, going to the postseason, gives us credibility and for us to be invited to an event like this is a great opportunity, especially playing a team of Drake's caliber," said head coach
Shane Burcar. "I don't think anybody does Opening Day better than Major League Baseball, and I know Jeff Goodman and Rob Dauster (of The Field of 68) is trying to create that excitement for college basketball. This is big time for NAU."
The Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon is in its second year after debuting in 2024-25. In its second year, the Opening Day Marathon is expanding from three games to six with three showcase games each at two venues – the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center in Rock Hill, S.C. and the Sanford Pentagon.
The quality of teams across this year's Opening Day Marathon field is impressive. Nine of the 12 teams won at least 20 games last season with three teams (Drake – Missouri Valley, Omaha – Summit League and High Point – Big South) winning their respective conferences to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Additionally, St. Bonaventure, Bradley and Furman competed in the NIT, while Queens and NAU played in the CBI.
No team was more impressive than Drake, who NAU will match up in the second of three games at Sanford Pentagon with tip-off scheduled for 2 p.m. MST. The Bulldogs are coming off a 31-4 season, qualifying for their third consecutive NCAA Tournament. The three-time defending Missouri Valley Conference tournament champions were one of 10 Division I teams with 30-plus wins and finished the season with the third-best winning percentage (.886) in the country behind Florida, the national champions, and Duke.
"We've opened up at Michigan State, at Arizona and at UConn, so opening up with a team like Drake with 30-plus wins gives us an opportunity to immediately know where we're at in early November," Burcar said. "We know how good Drake has been in recent years. It's all going to come down to an 18-game race in the Big Sky and we want to be prepared for that 18-game race, and this game will be a test that our guys are excited about."
NAU and Drake have met once previously in program history. Drake defeated NAU, 76-56, in the Fresno State Classic, also on a neutral court in Fresno, Calif., on Nov. 30, 2013.
The Lumberjacks return key contributors in redshirt senior
Diego Campisano, senior
Oakland Fort and redshirt junior
Ryan Abelman from last season's 18-16 squad that competed in a postseason tournament for the first time since 2015. NAU's 18 wins marked the program's most since the 2014-15 campaign as the Lumberjacks were invited to play in the College Basketball Invitational.
NAU's full 2025-26 schedule will be released at a later date.
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The Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon Schedule
Rock Hill Sports & Event Center (Rock Hill, S.C.)
Queens vs. Winthrop – 8 a.m. ET/6 a.m. MST
Bradley vs. St. Bonaventure – 11 a.m. ET/9 a.m. MST
High Point vs. Furman – 6:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. MST
Sanford Pentagon (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
Murray State vs. Omaha – 1:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. MST
Drake vs. Northern Arizona – 4 p.m. ET/2 p.m. MST
South Dakota State vs. Merrimack – 9 p.m. ET/7 p.m. MST
