The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's and women's basketball teams kick off the New Year hosting the Ryerson Rams this Wednesday, January 7 in the first-ever BIA Cup at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.
 
The Harbord Street Business Improvement Area (BIA) has partnered with the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA), which represents 78 local BIAs and over 35,000 local businesses, to foster a cross-town basketball rivalry between U of T and Ryerson by creating the BIA Cup. The series begins Wednesday night and culminates on February 11 when Ryerson hosts Toronto and Mattamy Athletic Centre. 
 
Two lucky fans will have a chance to shoot-to-win a flight voucher, courtesy of Merit Travel, with many more prizes from Pizza Pizza, the Duke of York and more!
 
The official BIA Cup has been created with a portion of steel cladding from the Goldring Centre and a piece of concrete from what was once centre ice at Maple Leaf Gardens.

Advanced tickets to both games can be purchased here. The doubleheader will feature contests, giveaways and live performances during half time.
 
Toronto's women are 4-4 at the midway point of the season and tied for second place in the OUA East division, two points behind the No. 8 nationally ranked Rams (6-2).
 
Fifth-year guard Jill Stratton leads the Blues, averaging 13.1 points and 8.9 boards per game.  Fellow veteran Jasmine Lewin has posted 9.3 points per game.
 
The Rams are led by Keneca Pingue-Giles, who ranks eighth in the province with 14.9 points per contest. Sofia Paska is Ryerson's top rebounder, averaging 6.5 boards per game.
 
The Blues men are tied for third place, while the No. 3 Rams are in first in the East.
 
Fourth-year guard Julian Clarke and third-year forward Devin Johnson lead the Blues, averaging 15.4 and 16.0 points per game, respectively. Johnson also ranks fifth in the OUA with 9.2 rebounds per contest so far this season.
 
Veteran guard Jahmal Jones leads Ryerson with 17.1 points per contest over eight games this year, with Aaron Best also averaging double digits numbers with 14.1 points per game.
 
For more information, scores and highlights on your favourite U of T athletes and teams, please visit www.varsityblues.ca. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook for the latest and greatest in Varsity Blues intercollegiate athletics.