Image courtesy of Illinois State Athletics
NORMAL, Ill. – This past week, the Bloomington-Normal community was surprised with an announcement that has been over 50 years in the making. The athletics department of Illinois State University and Illinois Wesleyan University announced a doubleheader for both the school’s men’s and women’s basketball teams.
The two games between ISU and IWU will be a pre-season exhibition that will take place on Oct. 29 at CEFCU Arena. For the men’s teams, this will be the first time in 53 years that ISU and IWU play each other. For the women, it will be the first time these two squads ever face off.
“Since I’ve arrived here, I’ve heard people talk about this game like it’s something that they are missing,” said ISU men’s head coach Ryan Pedon. “There’s no reason we shouldn’t play this game right now.”
All proceeds from the event will be split between Western Avenue Community Center and a mental health collaboration that the two schools decide on.
“It’s so much bigger than basketball; it’s kind of the best of both worlds,” said ISU women’s head coach Kristen Gillespie. “Hopefully what grows out of this is more neutral fans that want to come to both of our games.”
The women’s teams will tip-off at 1 p.m. with the men’s game proceeding 30 minutes after the end of the first game. Tickets for the event will go on sale Oct. 2 and cost $20 to attend both games.