The 2009-10 University of Nevada men’s basketball schedule will feature 15 home games and contests with 11 opponents that earned postseason invitations last year, first-year head coach David Carter announced Monday.
“We have created a non-league schedule that will definitely present our team with some challenges, home and away. It features a lot of teams that played in the postseason last year and should prepare us for the rigors of Western Athletic Conference play,” Carter said.
Following an exhibition game against Chico State on Tuesday, Nov. 10, the Wolf Pack will open the regular season with Montana State on Saturday, Nov. 14 at Lawlor Events Center. The team will then travel to Las Vegas to take on in-state rival and 2009 NIT participant UNLV on Wednesday, Nov. 18 before returning to Lawlor Events Center to take on 2009 CBI invitee Houston on Saturday, Nov. 21.
Nevada will embark on one of its longest and most challenging road trips of the season the following week, traveling to Richmond, Va., to take on 2009 Colonial Athletic Association champion and NCAA participant Virginia Commonwealth on Friday, Nov. 27 in a return of last year’s BracketBusters game. The team will then head to Chapel Hill, N.C., to face defending national champion North Carolina on Sunday, Nov. 29. The team will then wrap up a three-game road swing at Pacific on Saturday, Dec. 5 before returning home to start a four-game homestand with Fresno Pacific (Dec. 8th) and South Dakota State (Dec. 12th).
The Wolf Pack will participate in the Las Vegas Classic Dec. 17-23, playing host to Eastern Washington (Dec. 17) and Wagner (Dec. 19) at Lawlor Events Center in the first two rounds before heading to the Orleans in Las Vegas for the final two games. Nevada will take on 2009 NCAA participant BYU on Tuesday, Dec. 22 and Nebraska or Tulsa, both 2009 CBI participants, on Wednesday, Dec. 23. The team will then wrap up its preseason non-conference slate with Portland on Monday, Dec. 28 at Lawlor Events Center.
Nevada opens Western Athletic Conference action on the road, traveling to Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Jan. 2 and New Mexico State on Monday, Jan. 4. San Jose State, Utah State, Idaho and Hawai’i will visit Nevada in January, while the Wolf Pack also travels to Boise State and Fresno State.
The month of February will see the Wolf Pack play host to Boise State and Fresno State, while the team heads to Utah State, Idaho, San Jose State and Hawai’i. The Wolf Pack will step out of conference action on Saturday, Feb. 20 to participate in the ESPNU BracketBusters. Nevada will play on the road in this year’s event with its opponent to be announced in February.
Nevada will wrap up the regular season with home games against New Mexico State on March 4 and Louisiana Tech for Senior Night on March 6. The team will then play host to the 2010 WAC Tournament on March 11-13 at Lawlor Events Center. The winner of the WAC Tournament will earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Season tickets renewals for the 2009-10 edition of Wolf Pack basketball have been sent out and are due back on Monday, Sept. 21. Fans interested in purchasing new season tickets should contact Meredith Montoya ([email protected] or 775-682-6905).
