HAMILTON- For the second straight year the McMaster men's basketball team will host an NCAA Division-one opponent when the Mastodons of Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne (IPFW) visit the Burridge Gym on Saturday, August 9^th.   Tip-off is set for 7 pm.

IPFW competes as a member of the Summit League.  The visit to McMaster is part of a Canadian tour that will see the Mastodons also play games against the York Lions (Aug. 10) and the Windsor Lancers (Aug. 13).

NCAA teams are allowed to make one foreign trip every four years, and Canadian tours have become a popular option of late, as teams are permitted to hold additional off-season practices and face quality Canadian opponents in preparation for their upcoming seasons.

The IPFW Mastodons venture to Canada after posting the most successful season in program history with a record breaking 25-11 overall season record, advancing to the conference tournament final and making it to the second-round of the Collegeinsider.com Tournament. They are led by 6'9" senior Steve Forbes, who finished last season second in team scoring with 12.1 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game.



IPFW coach Jon Coffman begins his first season as Head Coach, after serving as an assistant for the three previous years.  "My primary goal is building leaders…and I think having a cultural experience and going outside their comfort zone is going to be a great experience for these young men," said the rookie coach about the Canadian trip. "We're not worried about wins and losses on this trip. Ultimately we're worried about the experience...culturally as well as the experience of getting some guys some game minutes and seeing where they are."

McMaster will be looking to build on last season's success, which saw the Marauders capture the OUA bronze medal and advance to the CIS Final-8 tournament.  Senior forward Taylor Black will lead the Mac attack, which features a veteran squad, having lost only one player to graduation.

Marauder coach Amos Connolly says the team is excited to be playing meaningful basketball in August. "Although it's an exhibition game, it has significant value for our program as it lets us evaluate our strengths and weaknesses heading into September," Connolly said. "It will also give our incoming players an opportunity to compete at a level that is likely higher than what they are accustomed to. Like IPFW this week of practice will give us a great head start and most importantly provide us with film that we can use to identify our plan for the pre-season."

The Marauders played Marshall University in August of 2013, the first time a McMaster team had faced an NCAA opponent in nine years, with Marshall winning the contest 81-56.