Ace Hunt
GoSycamores.com
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- The Indiana State basketball program has announced its complete 2013-14 schedule with the addition of its lone exhibition contest against Rose-Hulman as well as the release of the Missouri Valley Conference basketball schedule today by the league office.
The Sycamore slate begins with an exhibition contest against Rose-Hulman on Sunday, November 3 at 2:05 p.m. (ET). The regular season commences on Saturday, November 9 with a home contest against Ball State at 1:05 p.m. Prior to the season opener, the university will unveil a statue commemorating Indiana State legend Larry Bird at 11:30 a.m.
ISU hits the road for the first of two contests this season against Belmont with the first coming on Thursday, November 14 in Nashville and stays on the road Sunday, November 17 at Notre Dame. The Sycamores return home on Friday, November 22 when they host Truman State at 7:05 p.m.
ISU will participate in the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout from November 27-30, opening play in the event against Tulsa on Nov. 27 at 11:30 p.m. in a game that will be televised nationally by CBS Sports Network. ISU will play either TCU or host Alaska Anchorage on Friday, Nov. 29 and will play Pepperdine, Green Bay, Denver or Harvard on November 30.
The Sycamores will be on the road at Eastern Illinois on Saturday, December 7 as well as at Missouri-Kansas City on December 14. ISU also travels to Saint Louis on Wednesday, December 18 before returning home to take on IUPUI Saturday, December 21 and wraps up the non-conference portion of the schedule on Saturday, December 28 against Belmont.
“It is really difficult at our level to get good quality home games,” head coach Greg Lansing. “We have to schedule home-and-home agreements with good opponents and as a result you have to go on the road some. I would love to have more home games, but we do have five games in our house that will bring excitement to the Wabash Valley. I also want the team to play good competition in the top arenas in the country and we will have that chance as well this season. All the credit for our quality non-conference schedule goes to Associate Head Coach Lou Gudino who works year-round on a non-conference schedule that will prepare us for the MVC slate and gives us a chance to build a solid resume by the end of the year.”
The Missouri Valley Conference schedule begins on Wednesday, January 1 against league-newcomer Loyola. ISU then travels to Evansville (Jan. 4) and Drake (Jan. 8) before returning home to take on Bradley (Jan. 11) and Missouri State (Jan. 15).
The Sycamores will travel to 2013 NCAA Final Four participant Wichita State on Saturday, January 18 as well as Loyola on January 22. Indiana State hosts Illinois State on Saturday, January 25. The first month of conference play will conclude with a road trip to Southern Illinois on January 29 and the second month begins with a road contest at Northern Iowa on February 1.
Wichita State comes to the Hulman Center on Wednesday, February 5 as does Drake on February 9. ISU will travel to Bradley on Wednesday, February 12 before returning to Hulman Center to take on Southern Illinois (February 15) and Evansville (February 19).
The Sycamores begin the home stretch of the campaign at Missouri State on February 22 and then travels to Illinois State on February 26. ISU will wrap up the regular season on Saturday, March 1 against Northern Iowa.
The 2014 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament will be held at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis from March 6-9.
Tip-off times for all MVC games as well as television plans will be announced later this month when determined by the league office.
