The Northern Suburbs Basketball Association will play host to two elite United States collegiate teams in special exhibition games at The Bear Cave across two huge days of basketball later this month.

The Bears Championship Women will play against Fresno State University on Sunday, August 17 at 12.30pm and the league leading men will take on the University of Hartford Hawks at 6.30pm on Monday, August 18 in a unique opportunity for local fans to watch two high level college teams in the space of two days.

For the Championship Women, the clash against the Fresno State Bulldogs will be a perfect tune up for the play-offs, with the Bears playing their final regular season game the night before and Coach Natalie Stafford will have the chance to use this game for valuable big game match practice prior to the finals.

The Bulldogs are one of the premier teams on the US West Coast and boast young Victorian forward Alex Sheedy in the line-up, who will be one of the senior leaders on the Fresno State team in the 2014/2015 season.

A host of Australians have played at the university over the years and this clash is sure to be an entertaining and up-tempo affair, with the Bears looking to use the experience of Renae Garlepp and Nicole How to challenge the young collegiate stars.

The next day, the Bears will welcome back former junior and popular centre Dougal Weir as the University of Hartford Hawks clash with the league leading Norths Bears Championship men at 6.30pm.

Weir had an outstanding career at Norths at both the junior and senior level before embarking on his collegiate journey and the former Australian Under 19 representative will be out for a big one as he returns to The Bear Cave on the eve of his sophomore year with the Hawks.

The popular young post player recently had an off-season break back in Sydney and spent some of that time assisting with school holiday camps and development programs.

For Ben Knight’s Bears, the Hartford clash will be an opportunity to tune up for the finals, with the Norths outfit guaranteed a top two finish a bye ion the first round of the play-offs.

The Bears have been a model of consistency in Knight’s tenure at the club, averaging 20 wins per season and will once again be regarded as a genuine championship threat when the play-offs begin later this month.

Competing against NCAA Division One talent is always a challenge for Waratah Championship teams, but with recent experience against Butler and Washington State University, the Bears are well equipped to challenge the young Hawks.

Tickets for both games are available at the door, with an adult ticket just $5 and children Under 16 free of charge.