OKLAHOMA CITY – The Mid-America Christian men's basketball team will officially open the 2022-23 season on the big stage as the Evangels will face Kansas Christian inside the Paycom Center, the home venue for the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder at 12:45 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27.
The occasion will mark the first time in program history that the Evangels will play a contest at the Paycom Center. There will also be free admission at the gate for all fans who wish to attend.
"I am extremely excited for our kids to get to have an experience like this," said MACU head coach Josh Gamblin. "Playing in an NBA arena does not happen to many people and to say they are excited would be a massive understatement."
"One of things we strive to do in college athletics is 'make moments' for others," stated MACU Athletic Director Marcus Moeller. "We're excited to use this game as an opportunity to do just that for our student-athletes, staff and campus community. It should be a very special experience and a really fun day!"
The matchup against the Falcons will be just the second time the two teams have met, the first coming on Nov. 22, 2016 when the Evangels cruised to a 127-56 victory inside the Gaulke Activity Center.
Mid-America Christian will be looking forward to opening another strong season. As one of the elite programs in the NAIA, the Evangels are coming off a 20-13 season and qualified for its fourth straight NAIA Tournament. In Gamblin's first season with the program during the 2015-16 campaign, MACU went on to defeat Georgetown (Ky.) 100-99 in overtime on Malcolm Mann's buzzer-beating shot.
As part of a fundraising effort, the MACU men's basketball team is also selling tickets to the Oklahoma City Thunder game against the Los Angeles Clippers at 7 p.m. that same evening. All proceeds will go to support the MACU basketball program. Tickets will be $21 each while payment, pickup options and all other inquiries can be arranged with Coach Gamblin at josh.gamblin@macu.edu.
*Update: Tip-off time was moved back to 12:45 p.m. after initial release.
