The excitement is already building. It only happens once every four years. No, we aren’t talking about the presidential election, or put another way, the battle in the court of public opinion. We’re talking about the Chico State women’s basketball team hosting the CCAA/GNAC Challenge. It features four great battles on the court in Acker Gym every four years, including this one.

The CCAA/GNAC Challenge is made up of four of the West Region’s best women’s basketball programs – Chico State and Sonoma State of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and Seattle Pacific and Western Washington of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC). The program’s coaches have agreed to play the tournament every season and rotate it from site to site. During its stops in Chico, its known as the Coslet Classic CCAA/GNAC Challenge in honor of Chico State women’s basketball coaching legend Fran Coslet.

This season it’s in Chico, and it marks one of the most exciting aspects of the Wildcats’ 2012-13, released Tuesday. Chico State will play 28 regular season games, 13 of which will take place in Acker Gym where the Wildcats are 84-17 over the past seven seasons.

Chico State, coming off an 18-11 season in which it advanced to the NCAA Championship Tournament for the eighth time in 10 years, returns four starters and six reserves under fifth-year Head Coach Brian Fogel.

The Wildcats open their season at Fresno Pacific on Nov. 17 and open CCAA play three nights later at Cal State Stanislaus. Their home campaign kicks off Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 when they hot Cal Poly Pomona and Humboldt State on consecutive nights.

The CCAA/GNAC Challenge takes place Dec. 7-8. The Wildcats will take on Western Washington Friday at 7 and Seattle Pacific Saturday at 7.

The Wildcats’ entire 2012-13 schedule can be viewed at HERE.