Between their 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons, the Calgary Dinos Men’s Basketball team is set to face some top-tier talent.
Between July 28 and Aug. 4, the University of Calgary Dinos are set to play in two exhibition matchups against American opponents and make a third consecutive appearance at the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League.
In a statement, Dinos Head coach Dan Vanhooren said he sees the trip as an important litmus test heading into the coming season.
“We get to play a really high level of competition,” he said.
“It’ll elevate our level and push our boundaries.”
For their first friendly matchup, the Dinos will take the court in Burnaby to face the Purdue Boilermakers on July 28. A UCalgary-issued statement called the Boilermakers one of the NCAA’s most consistent programs, having 37 tournament appearances and three Final Four runs to their name.
The following day, UCalgary will then move to the Langley Christian School for a 4 p.m. tipoff against the Marquette Golden Eagles, who have won 20 or more games in three of the last four seasons.
In early August, for the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League, the team will be heading south to the Bahamas.
According to the statement, the exhibition event draws NCAA, international and Canadian university programs.
Having the team together in a new, but still basketball-related environment is a great opportunity, Vanhooren said.
“It’s a really good team-building setup where we’re in a whole different environment than we’re used to,” he said.
“We can really work at our team culture and what we like and what we don’t like and the things that we want to accomplish in our goals for the year, so it’s a really positive trip for us.”
Calgary opens Bahamas play against the Cincinnati Bearcats, who finished 18-15 last season, on Aug. 2 at 2 p.m.
The Dinos will wrap up their trip on Aug. 4 against the Arkansas Razorbacks, before opening their Canada West campaign Oct. 30 and 31, hosting the Saskatchewan Huskies.
