WICHITA, Kan. – Wichita State released its full 2015-16 men's basketball non-conference schedule on Wednesday – a 12-game slate that will again rank among the nation's most challenging – with possible matchups against 2015 NCAA Tournament qualifiers Dayton, Iowa, New Mexico State, Notre Dame, Utah and Xavier.
 
A pool of 14 potential Division I opponents includes six that finished inside the RPI top-50 and nine postseason qualifiers. Five of the six NCAA Tournament teams in the group won at least one game and three advanced to the Sweet 16 or further.
 
WSU (30-5 in 2014-15) is seeking its fifth-straight NCAA Tournament bid and has won three of the past four Missouri Valley Conference regular season crowns. The Shockers return nine lettermen and three starters – including All-American candidates Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet – from a team that reached the Sweet 16 last spring.
 
The Shockers have performed well against some challenging early-season schedules, totaling a 45-5 non-conference mark over the past four years. A year ago, the WSU finished 10-2 against a non-conference slate that ranked 30^th nationally in the NCAA's strength of schedule calculations, helping secure yet another at-large bid to the Big Dance.
 
WSU puts the nation's fourth-longest non-conference home winning streak on the line (31) with five games at Charles Koch Arena, Home of Devlin Court, and a sixth downtown. In addition, the Shockers play three true road games and three neutral site contests.
 
WSU opens Nov. 7 with an exhibition against Division II Hawaii Pacific, then begins regular season play six days later when it hosts Charleston Southern. Following a trip to Tulsa, WSU welcomes D-II Emporia State (Nov. 21) before heading off to tournament action in Orlando, Fla. over Thanksgiving weekend.
 
A talented field at the Advocare Invitational at Orlando's HP Fieldhouse  (Nov. 26, 27, 29) includes NCAA qualifiers Dayton, Iowa and Xavier. A tantalizing rematch of last March's Sweet 16 game against Notre Dame could also await. The full eight-team bracket, which also includes Alabama Monmouth and Southern California, is due out in August.
 
In the month of December, UNLV (Dec. 9), Utah (Dec. 12 at INTRUST Bank Arena), Nevada (Dec. 22) and New Mexico State (Dec. 28) all travel to Wichita, and the Shockers play series return games at Saint Louis (Dec. 5) and Seton Hall (Dec. 19).
 
The schedule includes seven potential rematches from last year. WSU went 5-2 with wins over New Mexico State, Tulsa, Saint Louis, Seton Hall and Alabama and losses to Notre Dame and Utah).
 
The Missouri Valley Conference schedule will be released at a later date.
 
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HAWAII PACIFIC (Exhibition)
Nov. 07 | Charles Koch Arena
2014-15: 16-10 (Division II)
 
Darren Vorderbruegge – in his eighth year as head coach at Hawaii Pacific – is no stranger to Wichita. He earned his master's degree at Wichita State and jumpstarted his coaching career in 2000 by leading Wichita's North High School to the City League title and a Class 6A State Semifinal appearance.
 
CHARLESTON SOUTHERN
Nov. 13 | Charles Koch Arena
2014-15: 19-12 (RPI: 163)
Big South Co-Champion, NIT - 1^st Round
Series: WSU leads 2-0 (2-0 in Wichita)
Last Meeting: Dec. 20, 2012 in Wichita (63-53, WSU)
 
Charleston Southern won an epic triple overtime game on the final day of the regular season to stake a share of last year's Big South crown. The Cougars are a familiar foe for Gregg Marshall, who coached nine seasons in the Big South and owns more career wins over CSU than any other opponent (22-2 all-time with 15-straight victories). This is the Cougars' third trip to Wichita since 2011.
 
at Tulsa
Nov. 17 | Tulsa, Okla. / Donald W. Reynolds Center
2014-15: 23-11 (RPI: 50)
AAC Runner-Up, NIT 2^nd Round
Series: WSU leads 64-60 (trails 34-27 in Tulsa)
Last Meeting: Nov. 29, 2014 in Wichita (75-55, WSU)
 
The Shockers and Hurricanes meet for the 13^th time in the 20 years since Tulsa left the Missouri Valley Conference. WSU has won a school-record seven-straight in the series, including three-in-a-row at the Reynolds Center. The Shockers haven't won four-straight at Tulsa in over half a century, last doing it between 1956-59. They captured a record five-straight over two decade period surrounding World War II. (1931, 46-49).
 
EMPORIA STATE
Nov. 21 | Charles Koch Arena
2014-15: 12-16 (Division II)
Series: WSU leads 41-28 (21-12 in Wichita)
Last Meeting: Nov. 09, 2013 in Wichita (93-50, WSU)
 
WSU plays its fourth regular season game in five years against an in-state Division II foe. The Shockers and Hornets squared off early in the 2012-13 season and, prior to that, played exhibitions in 2008 and 2011.
 
 

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Potential Advocare Invitational Opponents (Nov. 26, 27, 29)
 
Vs. Alabama
2014-15: 19-15 (RPI: 86)
NIT – 2^nd Round
Series: WSU leads 4-3
Last Meeting: Dec. 16, 2014 in Wichita (53-52, WSU)
 
WSU swept a home-and-home from Alabama in 2013 and 2014 and defeated the Tide in the 2011 NIT Championship game.
 
Vs. Dayton
2014-15: 27-9 (RPI: 29)
Atlantic 10 Runner-Up, NCAA Round of 32
Series: Dayton leads 2-0
Last Meeting: 1962 NIT (79-71, Dayton)
 
This is the first meeting between the two programs since 1962, when Dayton bested the Shockers – led by future All-American Dave Stallworth - in the first round of the NIT in New York… The Flyers followed up a 2014 Elite 8 run with two more wins in the 2015 tournament, edging Boise State in the play-in round and sixth-seeded Providence in the Round of 64. They're 5-2 at the Big Dance over the past two years – all as a No. 11 seed.
 
Vs. Iowa
2014-15: 22-12 (RPI: 40)
NCAA Round of 32
Series: WSU leads 5-4
Last Meeting: Nov. 21, 2012 at Cancun Challenge (75-63, WSU)
 
The teams have met twice on the exempt tournament circuit during the Marshall era (2009 in Kansas City and 2012 in Mexico) – both Shocker wins. The latter came in the title game of the Cancun Challenge.
 
Vs. Monmouth
2014-15: 18-15 (RPI: 178)
Series: Tied 1-1
Last Meeting: Nov. 17, 2007 at Paradise Jam, Virgin Islands (59-50, Monmouth)
 
Vs. Notre Dame
2014-15: 32-6 (RPI: 10)
ACC Tournament Champions, NCAA Elite 8
Series: N.D. leads 2-1
Last Meeting: March 26, 2015 in Cleveland, NCAA Sweet 16 (81-70, N.D.)
 
The Irish lost a pair of NBA draft picks but return much of the core from a team that narrowly missed out on a Final Four trip.
 
Vs. Southern California
2014-15: 12-20 (RPI: 198)
Series: WSU leads 2-1
Last Meeting: Dec. 23, 2006 in Las Vegas (60-56, USC)
 
Vs. Xavier
2014-15: 23-14 (RPI: 28)
Big East Tournament Runner-Up, NCAA Sweet 16
Series: WSU leads 3-1
Last Meeting: Dec. 30, 1992 in Cincinnati (88-54, Xavier)
 
Xavier has played in 13 of the past 15 NCAA Tournaments and has won at least two games in the five of its last seven appearances.

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At Saint Louis
Dec. 05 | St. Louis, Mo. / Chaifetz Arena
2014-15: 11-21 (RPI: 273)
Series: SLU leads 41-21 (17-14 in St. Louis)
Last Meeting: Dec. 06, 2014 at INTRUST Bank Arena (81-52, WSU)
 
The teams are meeting for the third-straight year. WSU won 70-65 in its last visit to Chaifetz Arena in December, 2013. SLU won the 2014 A-10 Championship and earned a high seed at the NCAA Tournament, but last year's young team struggled to follow that success.
 
UNLV
Dec. 09 | Charles Koch Arena
2014-15: 18-15 (RPI: 116)
Series: WSU leads 2-1
Last Meeting: Dec. 04, 2011 in Wichita (71-52, WSU)
 
The MVC-Mountain West Challenge Series returns after two year absence. WSU rolled the Rebels – then ranked 18^th nationally – in a 2011-12 MVC-MVC Challenge matchup at Koch Arena. The Shockers hold a 3-1 lead in the all-time series.
 
UTAH
Dec. 12 | INTRUST Bank Arena
2014-15: 26-9 (RPI: 13)
PAC-12 Runner-Up, NCAA Sweet 16
Series: Utah leads 7-1 (2-1 in Wichita)
Last Meeting: Dec. 03, 2014 in Salt Lake City (69-68 OT, Utah)
 
WSU looks to improve to 6-0 at its downtown home away from home. Utah ended the Shockers' 35-game regular season winning streak last December in a classic overtime battle. The Utes move on without NBA first rounder Delon Wright but return plenty of firepower from a team that challenged for the PAC-12 title and won a pair of NCAA Tournament games.
 
At Seton Hall
Dec. 19 | South Orange, N.J. / Prudential Center
2014-15: 16-15 (RPI: 103)
Series: WSU leads 2-0
Last Meeting: Dec. 09, 2014 in Wichita (77-68, WSU)
 
The Shockers make their first trip to South Orange after winning the front-end of the home-and-home series in Wichita. WSU's other win in the series came in the Round of 64 during the 2006 NCAA Tournament.
 
NEVADA
Dec. 22 | Charles Koch Arena
2014-15: 9-22 (RPI: 307)
Series: Tied 1-1
Last Meeting: March 17, 2010 in Wichita (74-70, Nevada)
 
The Shockers are 35-18 all-time against current members of the Mountain West with a 20-3 mark in Wichita. One of the three losses came at the hands of the Wolfpack, which ended WSU's 17-game home winning streak during the 2010 NIT. Former NBA head coach Eric Musselman is in his first season at Nevada. The only other meeting in the series came in 1970 (a 97-69 Shocker win in Wichita).
 
NEW MEXICO STATE
Dec. 28 | Charles Koch Arena
2014-15: 23-11 (RPI: 107)
WAC Regular Season & Tournament Champ, NCAA Round of 64
Series: WSU leads 15-14 (12-4 in Wichita)
Last Meeting: Nov. 14, 2014 in Wichita (71-54, WSU)
 
The former MVC rivals (1973-83) play for the second-straight year following a long, 31-year gap. The Shockers bested the Aggies in the 2014-15 season opener. NMSU has reached 20-wins in each of the past four seasons and has appeared in five of the past six NCAA Tournaments.