MOREHEAD, Ky. — Morehead State has finalized its 2015-16 men’s basketball schedule. The 31-game slate features 15 home games, highlighted by home contests at Johnson Arena against regional foe Marshall on Nov. 24, Southern Mississippi on Nov. 28, and conference rival Eastern Kentucky on Feb. 10. The Eagles will travel to Big Ten member Indiana on Dec. 5 and ACC member Pittsburgh on Dec. 13.
“Our schedule is always tough, but it’s great,” said head coach Sean Woods. “We are excited about the season and feel that our non-conference schedule will get us ready for Ohio Valley Conference play, and then for a run in March.”
The non-conference home portion of the schedule includes games against Cincinnati Christian (Nov. 13), Marshall and Southern Miss of Conference USA, Southern Conference member Western Carolina (Dec. 20), and Horizon League member Green Bay (Dec. 28). The game against Marshall will be the 97th meeting with the Thundering Herd in a series that began during the 1939-40 season.
“I like our home schedule, with the likes of Southern Miss and Green Bay,” said Woods. “It really gives us some interesting home games, which should get our fans excited about having some big-time quality teams come in. Marshall coming to our place is going to be big, so I’m looking forward to that.”
The Eagles start out on the road against Missouri Valley Conference member Illinois State (Nov. 16) and Atlantic Sun member Northern Kentucky (Nov. 21). They then have a four-game road stretch that features contests at Atlantic 10 member Saint Louis, Indiana, Pittsburgh, and Big Sky member Eastern Washington (Dec. 17). They close out the non-conference road portion of their schedule at Davidson (Dec. 23), who is in their second year in the A10, and at Southern Conference member East Tennessee State (Dec. 30).
“Our away schedule is tough, as always,” said Woods. “We have to go to IU, we have to go to Pitt, we have to play Davidson, which is one of the tougher mid-major schools in the country year-in and year-out. We have our hands full, but we’re looking forward to it.”
From Dec. 2 to Dec. 17, the Eagles will face a stretch of four road games against Saint Louis, Indiana, Pittsburgh, and Eastern Washington.
“Those are four quality teams,” said Woods. “We’ll have to show a lot of character with those quick turnarounds. We won’t have a lot of time to prepare, but that will help us prepare for tournament time. Every year we try to do something like this to help get us accustomed to a tournament-type atmosphere.”
The OVC slate includes 16 games. Morehead State opens league play on the road against Murray State (Jan. 2), followed by home games against Southeast Missouri (Jan. 7) and UT Martin (Jan. 9). The Racers are coming off of a season where they went undefeated in OVC regular season play.
Morehead State will play all of the teams in its division, the East, two times each, and face teams in the West just once.
Last season, the OVC had five teams compete in the postseason (1 NCAA, 1 NIT, 3 CIT), which set a new record for the league. They went a combined 8-5 in postseason play, which also set an OVC record.
Overall, the Eagles will face 11 teams that made the postseason a year ago, including four teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Morehead State opens the season on Nov. 5 with a home exhibition against Asbury (Ky.).
The Eagles, who posted a 17-17 overall record and 10-6 league mark last season, advanced to the semifinals of the OVC Tournament.
“We are always aware of how important our schedule is to our fan base, particularly with games we have a chance to play in Morehead,” said Director of Athletics Brian Hutchinson. “I believe this schedule challenges our team and provides great games at home for our ticket holders, students, and fans. We are definitely excited to start the year.”
Game times and home event promotions will be announced via MSUEagles.com in the near future.
Season tickets for all 30 men’s and women’s basketball games are available for as low as $80, just $2.67 per game! Or get a reserved chair back seat for every game for $190, just $6.33 per game! Call (606) 783-2386 or visit MSUEagles.com/HoopsTix for more info.
Be sure to check out the official site of Morehead State Athletics at MSUEagles.com, follow the Eagles on Facebook at Facebook.com/MSUEagles, and catch us on Twitter and Instagram at @MSUEagles. Also, download the free Morehead State Athletics Eagle Empire iPhone or Android app, which features live audio, awards for attending MSU athletic events, and much more.
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