GREENSBORO, N.C. – Six teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference, including four home games, headline UNC Greensboro's 2009-2010 men's basketball schedule, announced Thursday.
The Spartans will begin the season with three straight games against ACC teams. UNCG will open the campaign at Duke on Nov. 13 and at Virginia Tech on Nov. 17. The first game in UNCG's new home – the Greensboro Coliseum – will come on Friday, Nov. 20, when the Spartans host Clemson at 7 p.m.
"We said we were going to have an upgraded schedule with the move to the Greensboro Coliseum, and there is no doubt that this schedule will be one of the best in the nation," UNCG coach Mike Dement said. "We will be tested in our non-conference schedule by some very good teams, including several from the top-rated conference in the nation – the ACC. It will be an outstanding way to open our new home court – the Greensboro Coliseum."
UNCG Chancellor Linda P. Brady announced last December that the program was moving its home games to the Greensboro Coliseum for the 2009-2010 season – a move to raise the visibility of the program and give it a first-class facility. The Spartans expect to typically play in a seating capacity of 7,613, but would expand that with a variety of configurations when necessary. Also included in the plan were a customized UNCG locker room and floor that will be used for the Spartans' home games.
For its game with Davidson last Feb. 5 at the Coliseum, UNCG drew 11,687 fans. Originally planned for the 7,613-seat configuration, Coliseum officials opened additional sections in both the lower and upper levels the day of the game. More than 1,800 walk-up tickets were sold for that game – surpassing the capacity of UNCG's on-campus facility Fleming Gym.
In the last 30 years, UNCG men's basketball has played 40 games in the Greensboro Coliseum – three of them against teams from the ACC: Virginia Tech (2006-07 season), Duke (2005-06) and Florida State (1994-95). The Duke game, on Dec. 31, 2005, when the Blue Devils were ranked No. 1 in the nation, drew 21,124 spectators – the largest crowd ever to see a UNCG athletic event.
The 2009-10 schedule features eight games against teams in the Top 100 of the RPI a year ago – Duke (3), Wake Forest (20), Clemson (36), Maryland (50), Davidson (64), Virginia Tech (65) and College of Charleston (99) twice. Additional opponents Richmond, Akron and The Citadel were not in the Top 100, but were 20-game winners a year ago. There are 15 home games that will be played at the Greensboro Coliseum during the 2009-10 season.
UNCG closes out the month of November with a game at USC Upstate on Nov. 24 and a home game against Dement's alma mater, East Carolina, on Nov. 28.
Southern Conference play begins in early December as the Spartans visit Samford on Dec. 5 before returning to the Coliseum to host College of Charleston on Dec. 7. A return to non-conference action has Princeton come to town on Dec. 13, followed by road games at Akron (Dec. 18) and Richmond (Dec. 21).
The Spartans return to the Coliseum for five straight home games after Christmas, starting the homestand with contests against Wake Forest (Dec. 28), NC State (Dec. 31) and Maryland (Jan. 3). A return to SoCon play closes out the homestand with dates against Wofford (Jan. 7) and Furman (Jan. 9).
UNCG will also have home SoCon dates with Chattanooga (Jan. 21), Samford (Jan. 23), Elon (Jan. 28), Appalachian State (Feb. 8), Western Carolina (Feb. 15) and Georgia Southern (March 1).
All dates and times are tentative and subject to change as television schedules evolve.
Season ticket packages are available now through the UNCG Athletics Ticket Office by calling (336) 334-3250. Packages are available for $99 in the upper level and $149 in the lower level. Information on Spartan Club member season ticket packages can be obtained by calling (336) 334-5156 or online at www.spartanclub.org.
Single-game tickets will be available for purchase through the Greensboro Coliseum box office and Ticketmaster in late-October.
For the full schedule, please visit the schedule page.
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