Every Big Ten school plays one or two exhibition games with a school from Division II or lower. Looking at the schedule may cause you to wonder where they find these teams to play. Since this site exists mostly to provide valuable information, let's find out what we can about some of these teams.
Ferris State - vs Michigan State Oct. 30, vs Michigan Nov. 11
Location: Big Rapids, Michigan
Enrollment: 14,381
Basketball Status: Division II
Notable Alumnus: George Ryan, governor of Illinois 1999-2003
Fun Fact: Ferris State took Indiana to overtime last year, before losing 78-65.
University of Southern Indiana - vs Purdue Nov. 6
Location: Evansville, Indiana
Enrollment: 10,820
Basketball Status: Division II
Notable Alumnus: Ilo Mutumbo, brother of Dikembe
Fun Fact: Bruce Pearl coached USI to a Div. II National Championship in 1995.
Bemidji State- vs Minnesota Nov. 1
Location: Bemidji, Minnesota
Enrollment: 5,365
Basketball Status: Division II
Notable Alumnus: Tren Baalke, GM of the San Francisco 49ers
Fun Fact: Bemidji means "lake that traverses another body of water".
Doane College - vs Nebraska Nov. 7
Location: Crete, Nebraska
Enrollment: 2,950
Basketball Status: NAIA
Notable Alumnus: Weldon Kees, poet
Fun Fact: Nebraska legend Tommie Frazier coached Doane College to a 3-17 record from 2005-06.
Slippery Rock- vs Penn State Nov. 5
Location: Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania
Enrollment: 7,848
Basketball Status: Division II
Notable Alumnus: David Batra, Swedish stand-up comedian and actor
Fun Fact: In 2008 and 2009 SRU won the Midwest Championship in women's rugby.
Robert Morris- vs Northwestern Nov. 7
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Enrollment: 7,277
Basketball Status: NAIA
Notable Alumnus: Rebecca Easton, Collateral Specialist featured on RMU's website
Fun Fact: Robert Morris fields a dominant NAIA basketball team, reaching the Final Four three times in the last five years.
Now when you're sitting with friends watching the Doane College - Nebraska game on BTN.com, you can wow them with your newfound knowledge.