Ball State will open the 2005-06 season at home with the four-team CoSIDA Classic. Which three schools will join the Cardinals in Worthen Arena for the Nov. 18-20 competition, though, is anybody's guess.
Coach Tim Buckley said Ball State has made preliminary calls to "countless schools," and he has no real preference about who his team plays.
"We'll always try to get as good a field as we can," Buckley said. "A lot of the schedule is who is available and who has exempt possibilities."
Buckley said he had no idea when the three opponents will be finalized.
"We'll do it when we can do it," he said. "It's an ongoing process."
The CoSIDA Classic, sponsored by the College Sports Information Directors of America, is classified as an exempt tournament by the NCAA. All games played -- in this case three by each team -- will count as just one toward the individual schedules. The NCAA permits schools to play in two exempt tournaments over a four-year period.
Ball State played in exempt tournaments in 2001 (the Maui Invitational in Hawaii) and 2002 (the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska).
The first CoSIDA Classic was in 1998, but it was discontinued after 2000. Previous host schools have been Providence, New Mexico and North Carolina State.
Buckley said the possibility of hosting the tournament was first brought up about six months ago, but it was not set in stone until a week ago.
"We kind of felt we'd be able to host it," Buckley said. "It was just matter of hammering out the logistics.
"We're always exploring possibilities scheduling-wise, and this is one that's appealing because we get to play at home. Anytime you get the opportunity to play home games, that's a real positive."
Ball State hosted the Cardinal Varsity Club Classic -- which later became the First Merchants Classic -- all but two Decembers from 1982 to 2001. In 1987, the Cardinals played in the Cornhusker Classic, and in 1995 they played in the Illini Classic, instead of the Cardinal Varsity Club Classic.
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