| Brooks Thompson |
SAN ANTONIO ? UTSA head coach Brooks Thompson announced Monday the 2008-09 men’s basketball schedule, which is highlighted by 15 home games and road contests at Iowa, Oklahoma State, Navy, SMU and Rice.
The Roadrunners tip off the campaign with a home exhibition game against Mary Hardin-Baylor at 7 p.m. on Nov. 6. UTSA then opens the regular season with a two-game road trip the following weekend, playing at Oklahoma State for the third consecutive season on Nov. 14, and facing Iowa on Nov. 17, in the Roadrunners’ first visit to Iowa City since 2004.
“We’re playing two premier programs on the road in tough environments on our first regular season weekend,” Thompson said. “We’ve played at Oklahoma State the past two seasons, so we know what kind of opponent and crowd we’ll be facing, and Iowa will be very similar.”
UTSA returns home for a pair of games at the Convocation Center, facing East Central (Okla.) University on Nov. 22, and McMurry on Nov. 25.
“We obviously enjoy playing at home where are fans are behind us,” Thompson said. “With the excitement and anticipation surrounding our program this season, we want to pack the Convo and make it a fun place for us to play and a tough environment for our opponents.”
The Roadrunners have four of their next five games away from San Antonio, beginning with a Dec. 2 contest at Navy, followed by a Dec. 4 date at Rice. UTSA travels to Edinburg for the second straight year to face Texas-Pan American on Dec. 18 and then makes a trip to Kansas City for a game with UMKC on Dec. 22.
UTSA hosts Georgia State on Dec. 27 before concluding the month at SMU on Dec. 29. The Roadrunners stay home the first week of January to host Colgate on Jan. 2 and Texas Wesleyan on Jan. 5 in the second-half of a doubleheader, as the UTSA women host Tulsa at 6 p.m.
“Part of our non-conference scheduling philosophy is to get on the road and learn how to win,” Thompson said. “If you want to compete for a conference championship ? and we absolutely do ? you have to learn how to win on the road. With five of six away from home in the month of December, we’ll certainly get that test.”
The Roadrunners open Southland Conference play with two of their first three at home ? McNeese State on Saturday, Jan. 10, and UT Arlington on Jan. 17 ? sandwiched around a road contest at Nicholls on Jan. 14. UTSA steps out of league play to host Texas-Pan American on Jan. 21 before making the short trip down I-37 to play Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Jan. 24, the first of five consecutive Saturday games away from home.
UTSA has six additional home conference contests on the ledger, including Texas State (Jan. 28), Sam Houston State (Feb. 4), Central Arkansas (Feb. 11), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Feb. 18), Lamar for the Homecoming Game on Feb. 28 and Stephen F. Austin on March 7. The league’s schedule takes the Roadrunners to Lamar (Jan. 31), Southeastern Louisiana (Feb. 7), UT Arlington (Feb. 14), Sam Houston State (Feb. 21), Northwestern State (Feb. 25) and Texas State (March 4). The SLC Tournament returns to the Merrell Center in Katy for the second straight year on March 11-15.
“This league is getting better and tougher, and every single game is important,” Thompson said. “Any team can beat anyone on any given night, so we have to be well-prepared at home and on the road in order to be successful.”
Please visit goUTSA.com for the latest schedule information and updated game times.