utrgv mens basketball schedule
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EDINBURG (UTRGV) – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Sunday that the men’s basketball team will play 31 games leading up to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tournament, including 14 at home, starting on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 2019 NIT participant South Dakota State.
The home opener is set for Monday, Nov. 11 against Howard Payne at 7 p.m. at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
UTRGV, which is coming off of a 20-win season, will unveil a banner commemorating last year’s run to the second round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) at UTRGV Madness on Oct. 18 at 9 p.m. at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. The event is free and open to the public.
Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at UTRGVTickets.com or by contacting Carlos Munoz at either (956) 665-3747 or tickets@utrgv.edu.
“It is a challenging schedule,” UTRGV head coach Lew Hill said. “I like to challenge my guys before we go to conference because the WAC is so tough. We will have seen everything that we can possibly see by the time we get there, so we’re very excited about it.”
UTRGV’s schedule features at least 19 games, including seven at home, against teams that competed in the postseason last year.
UTRGV faces four opponents that competed in the NCAA Tournament, including national runner-up Texas Tech (Dec. 21), Oklahoma, which advanced to the third round (Dec. 30), North Dakota State, which advanced to the second round (Nov. 15), and reigning WAC Tournament Champion New Mexico State (Jan. 25 at home and Feb. 22 on the road).
UTRGV plays three opponents that competed in the NIT, including Sam Houston State (Dec. 3 at home), South Dakota State, and quarterfinalist Creighton (Dec. 13).
UTRGV competes against two other CIT participants, Seattle U (Jan. 16 on the road and Feb. 15 at home) and CSU Bakersfield (Feb. 1 at home and Feb. 27 on the road).
UTRGV also takes on four College Basketball Invitational (CBI) opponents, including Stony Brook (Nov. 16), California Baptist (Jan. 2 on the road and March 7 at home), Utah Valley (Jan. 18 on the road and Feb. 13 at home), and Grand Canyon (Jan. 30 at home and Feb. 29 on the road).
“Playing this kind of schedule prepares us a great deal,” UTRGV head coach Lew Hill said. “We need to play strong teams so we can see where we’re at. We need to be challenged every game. Every night we have to come ready to play.”
The games against North Dakota State and Stony Brook are part of the Islander Invitational, which wraps up on Nov. 17 against host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi as part of the South Texas Showdown, presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union.
UTRGV then returns home for four games, hosting Texas A&M International on Nov. 25, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, as part of the South Texas Showdown, presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union, on Nov. 30, Sam Houston State on Dec. 3, and Mid-America Christian University on Dec. 6.
UTRGV plays its first WAC home games against Kansas City and Chicago State on Jan. 9 and 11, respectively. The trip to Kansas City and Chicago State is set for Feb. 6-8.
UTRGV also plays a kids day non-conference game against UT Permian Basin on Feb. 18 at 12 p.m. All other home games are scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
The WAC Tournament runs March 12-14 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. The WAC Tournament Champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
“We’re chasing the big bad wolf, trying to knock off New Mexico State,” Hill said. “I think several teams will be good again, like they were last year. We’re going to have five or six teams that just beat each other up.”
Complete Schedule
Date Opponent Site Time (CT)
NOVEMBER
5 South Dakota State Brookings S.D. TBD
11 Howard Payne Edinburg 7 p.m.
Islander Invitational
15 North Dakota State Corpus Christi TBD
16 Stony Brook Corpus Christi TBD
South Texas Showdown, Presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union
17 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Corpus Christi TBD
25 Texas A&M International Edinburg 7 p.m.
South Texas Showdown, Presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union
30 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Edinburg 7 p.m.
DECEMBER
3 Sam Houston State Edinburg 7 p.m.
6 Mid-America Christian University Edinburg 7 p.m.
13 Creighton Omaha, Neb. TBD
Summit League/WAC Challenge
15 Omaha Omaha, Neb. 12:30 p.m.
21 Texas Tech Lubbock TBD
30 Oklahoma Norman, Okla. TBD
JANUARY
2 California Baptist* Riverside, Calif. 9 p.m.
9 Kansas City* Edinburg 7 p.m.
11 Chicago State* Edinburg 7 p.m.
16 Seattle U* Seattle, Wash. TBD
18 Utah Valley* Orem, Utah TBD
25 New Mexico State* Edinburg 7 p.m.
30 Grand Canyon* Edinburg 7 p.m.
FEBRUARY
1 CSU Bakersfield* Edinburg 7 p.m.
6 Kansas City* Kansas City, Mo. TBD
8 Chicago State* Chicago, Ill. TBD
13 Utah Valley* Edinburg 7 p.m.
15 Seattle U* Edinburg 7 p.m.
18 UT Permian Basin Edinburg 12 p.m.
22 New Mexico State* Las Cruces, N.M. TBD
27 CSU Bakersfield* Bakersfield, Calif. 9 p.m.
29 Grand Canyon* Phoenix, Ariz. 7 p.m.
MARCH
7 California Baptist* Edinburg 7 p.m.
12 WAC Tournament Quarterfinals Las Vegas, Nev. 2/4:30/8/10:30 p.m.
13 WAC Tournament Semifinals Las Vegas, Nev. 8/10:30 p.m.
14 WAC Tournament Championship Las Vegas, Nev. 9 p.m.
17-18 NCAA Tournament First Four (If Nec.) Dayton, Ohio 5:30/8 p.m.
19-20 NCAA Tournament Second Round Regional Sites TBA
21-22 NCAA Tournament Third Round Regional Sites TBA
26-27 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Regional Sites TBA
28-29 NCAA Tournament Elite 8 Regional Sites TBA
APRIL
4 NCAA Tournament Final Four Atlanta, Ga. TBA
6 NCAA Tournament Championship Atlanta, Ga. TBA
All Times CT
*Denotes WAC Match
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