Ferris State Men's Basketball To Play Three Exhibition Games In Canada This Week

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's basketball squad, which is the reigning Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Champion, will get an early start on the 2022-23 season as the Bulldogs are slated to play three games against schools in Canada this coming week during an exhibition tour to Ontario.

Ferris State will face the University of Toronto on Thursday (Aug. 25) at 7 p.m. (ET) before visiting Waterloo on Friday (Aug. 26) for a 6 p.m. (ET) tip. The Bulldogs close the trip on Sunday (Aug. 28) at Western University of Ontario starting at 2 p.m. (ET).

The NCAA allows collegiate basketball squads the opportunity to take a foreign trip once every four years, allowing for two extra weeks of preparation prior to the trip in the month of August. The Bulldogs played one August game against another school in Canada in 2017, falling to the University of Windsor before eventually going on to register an impressive 38-1 overall record en route to the NCAA Division II National Championship.

The Bulldogs will again enter the year with high expectations despite the departure of four talented seniors from a year ago. FSU returns six on-court letter winners from last season in addition to redshirt sophomore Deng Reng, who missed all of last year due to injury, along with three other redshirt players, including former Parkside standout Solomon Oraegbu who sat out last season due to transfer rules.

Additionally, the Bulldogs have added a pair of NCAA Division II transfers in former Northern Michigan starter Dolapo Olayinka and Roberts Wesleyan transfer guard Amari Lee. Three true freshmen also join the mix this year.

Last season, Ferris State claimed the GLIAC Regular Season Championship. Along with capturing the GLIAC's regular-season championship, the Bulldogs also earned their sixth NCAA Division II Tournament appearance in the last eight years and advanced to the Midwest Region Semifinals, closing the year with a 22-9 overall record.
Ferris State will enter the 2022-23 season having won 20 games or more in seven of the past eight seasons.