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UC Davis will play Stanford

First the NCAA Division II men's basketball championship. Now UC Davis wants Stanford, the Pac-10 power that made it to the Final Four last season.

"We're excited about playing one of our bigger games in school history," said Larry Swanson, UC Davis associate director of athletics.

Stanford basketball coach Mike Montgomery said Thursday that the Cardinal has agreed to play UC Davis on Nov. 13 at Stanford's Maples Pavilion.

Montgomery said Stanford mailed Davis a contract Wednesday and expects the deal to be concluded by next week.

The game will feature two of college basketball's hottest teams from last season. UC Davis had its best season ever, capturing the Division II championship and finishing with a program-best 31-2 record. Stanford went 30-5 in Division I and advanced to the Final Four for the first time since 1942.

Stanford will use the game as a tuneup for the Preseason NIT, which begins Nov. 18.

"I like the game and the competition," Montgomery said. "Davis is a quality school and has a great program. It's a nice fit for us, and it's a good way to prepare for the tournament."

It will be the schools' first meeting since 1980. Stanford leads the series 11-0, winning the last game 68-62.

UC Davis hasn't faced a Division I opponent since losing to Oklahoma State and Bryant "Big Country" Reeves 85-41 in 1993.

-- Quwan Spears