Picture this:
Arizona State and Grand Canyon squaring off each season, the contest alternating between GCU and Wells Fargo arenas. Or perhaps a basketball showcase in downtown Phoenix, a crosstown rivalry building tradition one year at a time. Maybe it includes Arizona and Northern Arizona.
Far-fetched?
Maybe not.
For the past five years, ASU and GCU – located just 16 miles apart – never have met in an athletic arena or on a field of any kind. Since 2013, ASU President Michael Crow has been critical of Grand Canyon’s for-profit model of higher education, instructing his coaches to not schedule the Antelopes in any sport.