WICHITA, Kan.- Wichita State’s 2008-09 men’s basketball schedule is highlighted by 16 home games, a trip to the Old Spice Classic and road games at Texas Tech and TCU, second-year Wichita State University head coach Gregg Marshall announced today.
WSU plays three 2008 NCAA Tournament opponents in 2008-09 with Georgetown (1-1), Sienna (1-1) or Tennessee (2-1) and Valley opponent and defending MVC champion Drake (0-1), while that number could move to four should the Shockers play Michigan State (2-1) or Gonzaga (0-1) on the final day of the Old Spice Classic. Maryland (1-1) and Oklahoma State (0-1) round out the OSC field, both which competed in the 2008 NIT, and are possible Classic final day opponents for WSU. Postseason record is in parenthesis.
The Valley schedule also provides three 2008 NIT opponents in Creighton, Southern Illinois and Illinois State, all which were 1-1 in the postseason tournament.
The Shockers open the 103rd regular season of Shocker basketball with a three-game homestand against Florida A&M (Nov. 16), UMKC (Nov. 19) and Centenary (Nov. 24), before heading to the Old Spice Classic where they face Georgetown.
“This is quite an ambitious schedule, especially the away and neutral court games, with a team as youthful and inexperienced as ours,” Marshall said. “The Old Spice Classic and games at Texas Tech and TCU will provide an early challenge. The good news is that those two teams (TT and TCU) return to Charles Koch Arena next season.
"Our home schedule this season is also one that is full of teams that have had some degrees of success, such as Gardner-Webb winning at Kentucky and Centenary defeating Texas Tech last year."
WSU follows up the OSC with the road games at Texas Tech Dec. 3, and at TCU, Dec. 8, before another three-game homestand that features Gardner-Webb Dec. 12, which made headlines last year by defeating Kentucky, 84-68, in Rupp Arena. WSU then plays host to Northern Arizona (Dec. 20) in the return trip of the Bracketbusters series and rounds out the homestand with a game Dec. 22 against North Dakota.
WSU then opens the Valley schedule Dec. 28 at Creighton before playing host to Bradley on New Year's Eve. WSU also has a three-game conference homestand in mid-January, and also plays four-of-five at home Feb. 10-24.
The final non-conference game of the regular-season is the 2008 ESPNU BracketBusters game, which will be played Feb. 20 or 21, in Wichita with a time and opponent to be announced.
Dates for the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Basketball Tournament are March 5-8, at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.
In addition, WSU will play host to Emporia State on Mon., Nov. 10, in the exhibition game.
Dates and times are subject to change. Television games will be announced at a later date.
-Wichita State University-
Courtesy: Wichita State