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UB, St. Bonaventure basketball teams to play in same arena as NBA Finals

Posted at 12:59 PM, May 28, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-28 12:59:00-04

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The University at Buffalo and St. Bonaventure men’s basketball teams will compete in the first-ever James Naismith Classic at the Scotiabank Arena, home of the Toronto Raptors.

The newly developed basketball showcase will be a tripleheader featuring the University of Tennessee vs. University of Washington, University at Buffalo vs. Harvard University, and St. Bonaventure University vs. Rutgers University.

“This is a great opportunity for our fans to make a short trip to Toronto and spend the day watching some first-class basketball in a fantastic venue, UB Bulls Head Coach Jim Whitesell said.

The Classic will be held on November 16, 2019 - six months after the Scotiabank Arena hosted the NBA Finals.

“Over the past 20-25 years, we’ve had many great players at St. Bonaventure who came from the Toronto area, including 2012 first round NBA draft pick Andrew Nicholson who was one of our all-time best. I also think we’ll have strong fan support there, so in all, this is an exciting opportunity and we are thrilled to be invited to participate,” St. Bonaventure Head Coach Mark Schmidt said.

Tickets for the James Naismith Classic will go on sale to the general public on Friday, May 31 via Ticketmaster.