Since 1933 they've done battle, meeting 186 times. The last few seasons, it's been a spectacle witnessed by over 4,000 fans at the Idaho Center.

Well, the Canyon County rivalry returns for game No. 187 tonight, and it's back to being a home-and-home affair.

The United Heritage Tip-Off Series begins at 7:07 tonight with the College of Idaho men hosting Northwest Nazarene, then concludes Dec. 8 with the teams meeting at NNU's gym.

And while the venue has changed, so have the stakes, as the contests that's been an exhibition for both teams the last few times out, will count for each home team this season.

"For the fans and the players it's a huge thing," C of I coach Mark Owen said. "I just wish we were either in their league or they were in our league."

Sentiments NNU coach Tim Hills echoed.

Long gone are the days when this rivalry often times decided the Cascade Conference title, with the Crusaders moving to the NCAA Division II level and the Coyotes an NAIA D-II team.

But a change in affiliation takes no luster from this matchup.

"My A.D. (Rich Sanders) was talking about the (last) weekend and some booster said, 'Forget about the weekend, Tuesday's the only game we care about,'" Hills said.

And though it will be the final exhibition for NNU, well ...

"It is a big game for our fans and we're digging down and we're going for it."

No doubt it will be a classic, the first of two nights to remember this season, for fans and players alike.

"It's a lot of pressure on these guys that have not played in that type of atmosphere," Owen said.

The game will be the season-opener for the Yotes and the C of I debut for four transfers and two freshman.

"A lot of these J.C. guys come from games where they have 30 people in the gym and we'll have 3,000 here," Owens said.

"I think it's good in a respect that you get going right off the bat with a competitive nature. Both cities are excited about it, the kids will get excited about it, it is a game here at home we're taking seriously."

NNU may not have Kendall Gielow for the game. The 6-foot-7 senior forward injured his foot last week and missed the Crusaders' 89-62 exhibition win over Northwest on Saturday.

Hills knows his team will have to play good defense.

"His team is vastly improved shooting the basketball and boy, we better be having our guarding shoes on," he said.

Owen adds: "We'll go out and battle with them and it's a great test for both our schools. Coach Hills does a great job over there."

Since the teams parted affiliations at the start of the 2000-01 season, the C of I has won five of the teams' last seven meetings, with the rivals not playing during the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons.

While the recent history has favored the Coyotes, the current bragging rights belong to NNU, which won last year's matchup 76-71.

Simply speechless

College of Idaho women's soccer coach Niki Taylor was not speechless.

However, she nearly was after her 20th-ranked Coyotes added to their remarkable season by nearly beating No. 6 Concordia for the Cascade Conference tournament title and a berth to nationals.

Last year, the same two teams played in this match, with the Cavaliers winning 3-0 and dominating play, out shooting the Yotes 14-2. Concordia rode that momentum to the NAIA title game.

This year, the game was very different. The Yotes, who set a program record with 14 wins and earned their first-ever Top 25 ranking and Cascade Conference regular-season title, actually got the better of the play, and outshot the Cavaliers 14-12.

Still, the outcome didn't turn out the way the Yotes (14-3) hoped for, a win short of nationals once again.

Or are they?

Well, the C of I could receive one of possibly seven at-large berths, but it might take a miracle at this point to earn one.

Six teams currently ranked ahead of the C of I lost in their conference tournaments, and No. 9 Graceland (Iowa) and No. 18 William Jewell (Mo.) have yet to open play in the Heart of America Conference tournament. That means one will have to be ousted, making seven teams in front of the Yotes without an automatic bid.

The hope for the Yotes will be if the voters like the season the C of I had and despite losing to No. 6 Concordia, they get enough votes to climb past the likes of No. 14 Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.), No. 17 Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) of William Jewell.

Taylor realizes that's a longshot.

"I'm disappointed that the season's over just because we have a fantastic group of kids and they've worked hard and they've set new precedents for the program," she said after Saturday's loss.

A remarkable season that left the C of I coach, well ... .

"I'm speechless about it," she said. "To come as far as we have, without a goal keeper (leading scorer from last year Kelly Hardegree-Ullman stepped into goal replacing Sadie Hughes, who was injured in early September), it blows me away. I hope it's a season that all 23 (the C of I players) will take with them and remember, and we'll continue to build on it."