GREENSBORO, NC – UNC Greensboro men’s basketball coach Mike Dement released his team’s 2007-08 schedule Friday, featuring 13 home regular season games, an additional home exhibition contest and an ESPN2 television appearance.
The Spartans, 16-14 overall and 12-6 in the Southern Conference last season, return 10 players from last year’s squad, including four starters. Six of the team’s top seven scorers return from last season, led by 2007 Southern Conference Player of the Year and AP All-America Honorable Mention selection Kyle Hines.
One of the highlights of the schedule will be the game at Davidson on Feb. 19 – the second meeting in six days between the conference’s projected frontrunners. The showdown will be televised by ESPN2.
“You don’t want to look too far forward to just one date,” said UNCG coach Mike Dement. “But the Davidson game on ESPN2 will be a fun opportunity for players from both teams. We think our schedule will be competitive. We will hit the road to face two ACC teams in Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. We also play at Missouri State, Fordham and UNC Wilmington, members of the Missouri Valley, Atlantic 10 and Colonial. Those games will be strong measuring sticks for where we are when the full conference slate kicks in.”
The format for the SoCon schedule changed this season, with the divisions remaining intact but the teams playing a full 20-game slate and facing each of the other 10 teams twice. Last year, teams played an unbalanced schedule, seeing some teams in the opposite division twice and some only once to make for a 16-game slate. Additional television games may be added after the SoCon’s television schedule is announced next month.
After a home exhibition contest on Nov. 6 against neighboring Greensboro College at 7 pm, UNCG will open the 2007-08 regular season on Friday, Nov. 9, at Georgia Tech. A week later, the Spartans will travel to Springfield, MO, to play in the Missouri State Classic, facing UT-Pan American on Nov. 16 and tourney host Missouri State on Nov. 17.
UNCG opens the home portion of its schedule on Nov. 24 against USC Upstate at 7 pm to close out the month of November.
December begins with the Spartans hosting Kent State in a marquee matchup. The Golden Flashes were 21-11 in the Mid-American Conference last season, falling in the MAC semifinals. Last year, the Golden Flashes gave Duke fits in Cameron Arena, before falling 79-72.
The slate continues with road games at Virginia Tech and Wofford, the Spartans’ SoCon opener, before returning home to face Furman on Dec. 15. UNCG will head north just before Christmas to face Fordham – giving several Spartan seniors a semi-home game during the holiday period – and then will close out 2007 with a game at UNC Wilmington on Dec. 29.
The Spartans open 2008 with three straight home games, hosting Central Arkansas, Georgia Southern and The Citadel. But then, UNCG hits the road for five straight, facing Chattanooga, Appalachian State, Elon, College of Charleston and The Citadel. The Spartans return home on Feb. 2 – their first home game in nearly a month – to face Elon.
After two straight years of having to close the regular season slate with tough SoCon road games, UNCG will be able to close this regular season out at home. The Spartans will face College of Charleston, Chattanooga and Western Carolina to finish out the regular season and prepare for the Southern Conference Tournament, which will be held in North Charleston, SC on March 7-10.
The Spartans will play an intra-squad scrimmage on Saturday, Oct. 27 at Fleming Gym that will be open to the public. The scrimmage is set to begin at 8 am and admission will be free.
Season tickets for the 2007-08 season will go on sale Tuesday, Sept. 4, through the UNCG Athletic Ticket Office. Single-game sales will be available Monday, Oct. 1, through the UNCG Athletic Ticket Office and on-line at uncgspartans.com. For more information, call the UNCG Athletic Ticket Office at 336-334-3250.
AGATE
2007-08 UNCG men’s basketball schedule (subject to change for
television): Nov. 6 Greensboro College (exh.), 7 pm; Nov.
9 at Georgia Tech, 6 pm; Nov. 16 vs. UT-Pan American (at Missouri
State Classic), 6:35 pm ET; Nov. 17 at Missouri State (at Missouri
State Classic), 9:05 pm ET; Nov. 24 USC Upstate, 7 pm; Dec. 1 Kent
State, 7 pm; Dec. 4 at Virginia Tech, 7 pm; Dec. 8 *at Wofford, 7
pm; Dec. 15 *Furman, 7 pm; Dec. 22 at Fordham, 1 pm; Dec. 29
at UNC Wilmington, 7 pm; Jan. 2 Central Arkansas 7 pm; Jan. 5
*Georgia Southern (DH), 5:30 pm; Jan. 7 *The Citadel, 7 pm; Jan. 10
*at Chattanooga, 7 pm; Jan. 12 *at Appalachian State, 3 pm; Jan. 19
*at Elon, 7 pm; Jan. 24 *at College of Charleston, 7 pm; Jan. 26
*at The Citadel, 2:05 pm; Feb. 2 *Elon, 3 pm; Feb. 4 *at Georgia
Southern, 7:30 pm; Feb. 7 *Wofford, 7 pm; Feb. 10 *at Furman, 2 pm;
Feb. 13 *Davidson, 7 pm; Feb. 16 *Appalachian State, 3 pm; Feb. 19
*at Davidson (ESPN2), 7 pm; Feb. 21 *at Western Carolina, 7 pm;
Feb. 25 College of Charleston, 7 pm; Feb. 28 *Chattanooga (DH),
7:30 pm; Mar. 3 *Western Carolina, 7 pm; Mar. 7-10 at Southern
Conference Tournament (North Charleston Coliseum; North Charleston,
SC), TBA.
- UNCG -