BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- It's usually “road, sweet road” for NCAA Division I Independent basketball teams. That won't be the case for the CSUB men's program, however, as the Roadrunners will play 16 home contests in their 2010–11 schedule, the University released Thursday.
The Roadrunners will face 23 different opponents from seven different conferences, as well as two Division I Independent members. They are playing their fourth full NCAA Division I schedule and their first season as an active NCAA Division I member.
“We've certainly been building towards this as our first season of full NCAA Division I status,” says Head Coach Keith Brown. “Having the opportunity to play this many home games is unique for an Independent program. “We have a talented young team and we're excited that basketball fans in Bakersfield will have a lot of opportunities to see them compete against some of the top teams on the west coast.”
The schedule includes home games against teams from all of the midmajor conferences on the west coast (Big Sky, Big, West, Mountain West, WAC and WCC). In addition to home contests against longtime foes such as Cal State Northridge (Dec. 18), UC Riverside (Dec. 22) and Cal Poly (Jan. 29), the 'Runners will welcome future Pac–10 member Colorado to ring in the new year (Jan. 2).
The 'Runners will hit the road for several big name matchups, including a Dec. 11 game at 2010 NCAA Qualifier Utah State, a Jan. 5 game at The Pit in New Mexico, a second consecutive trip to Spokane to face perennial top 25 contender Gonzaga University (Feb. 28) and the season finale at 2009 WAC champion Boise State.
“Given the on–going budget situation, we once again scheduled in a way to help support the entire athletic program,” he added. “The high–caliber opposition will provide both challenges and opportunities. We have a talented young team and we're looking forward to testing ourselves against some of the nation's best NCAA Division I competition.”
The season begins with a tailgate and tip–off celebration at the Icardo Center on Oct. 28. The tailgate party will include free food and prizes and be followed by a slam dunk contest and the Blue–Gold intrasquad scrimmage at 7 p.m.
CSUB will open on the road at Santa Clara (Nov. 12) and Sacramento State (Nov. 14). They return to Bakersfield to play five of their next seven games, including the home opener versus Southern Utah on Nov. 17. Of note, the Nov. 24 game versus San Jose State will be played on campus in the Icardo Center due to a scheduling conflict at Rabobank Arena.
