Barnes Announces 2018-19 Men's Basketball Schedule

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The CSU Bakersfield men's basketball team has finalized its schedule and Head Coach Rod Barnes announced the 2018-19 slate on Friday. The Roadrunners will pursue another Western Athletic Conference title in 2019 following a strong, non-conference schedule, which features seven teams that participated in postseason play last year.

CSUB's leadership has again opted to go after tough opponents before conference play begins. The `Runners have matchups scheduled this season with three teams that were in the 2018 NCAA Tournament (Gonzaga, TCU, and NM State). Bakersfield will also travel to Los Angeles to take on USC, which was a No. 1 seed in the 2018 National Invitational Tournament.

Coach Barnes did not shy away from scheduling a difficult set of foes because he knows it will make his team better: "Our goal, as always, is to get our team back to the NCAA Tournament. I scheduled teams like Gonzaga, TCU, and USC so that our guys will be tested early on. We have built a culture of believing that we can play with anybody. This schedule is going to prepare our guys to play against top competition."

After CSUB's Blue-Gold Scrimmage on Oct. 18, the `Runners will host an exhibition for charity against Long Beach State on Oct. 27. All proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Red Cross' Fire Relief Fund to benefit those affected by the recent California wildfires.

"Last year," Barnes said, "we were able to go down to Long Beach to play Long Beach State and help out with the wildfire efforts. We are happy to be able to go help out again this year and hope that fans will come out and support our fundraising for the Fire Relief Fund."

The 2018-19 season will officially open on the road, Nov. 7, when CSUB takes on TCU in Forth Worth, Texas. Bakersfield will then return home to host University of Antelope Valley in the Icardo Center on Nov. 9 for CSUB's annual "Education Day" matinee.

The week before Thanksgiving, the `Runners will enjoy a special trip to Bimini, Bahamas to compete in the inaugural Junkanoo Jam. The four-day, four-team tournament will feature CSUB, Central Michigan, San José State, and Weber State. CSUB and CMU will kick off the tournament Nov. 15 in a rematch from the 2017 Great Alaska Shootout championship game.

On Sunday, Nov. 25, the `Runners will take on USC before heading to Vermillion, S.D. to face South Dakota Dec. 1. After nearly a month away from the Icardo Center, CSUB will return home to host UC Merced on Dec. 4.

"The opportunity to take our team to the Bahamas and then come back to face USC is a big win for the student-athlete experience," Barnes said. "We are exposing these guys to new cultures while giving them the opportunity to play basketball against strong teams. Then, we will give them a test in a hostile environment down in Los Angeles."

A quick trip to Idaho on Dec. 8 will be followed by a pair of home matches. Bakersfield will welcome Lamar, a 2018 CIT participant, on Dec. 13 before hosting Cal Poly Dec. 18. Two days later, CSUB will fly to Portland, Ore. to face off against another CIT team in Portland State.

After the week of Christmas, the `Runners will head to Spokane, Wash. for what could very well be CSUB's toughest test of the season. On New Year's Eve, Bakersfield will go up against Gonzaga, a team that played in the Sweet 16 a year ago.

On Jan. 3 and 5, CSUB will kick off WAC play with home games against Seattle U and Utah Valley, respectively. The next weekend, the `Runners will travel to Texas and New Mexico for matchups with UT Rio Grande Valley and defending WAC Champion NM State.

Kansas City will come to Bakersfield on Jan. 17 followed by Chicago State on Jan. 19. The next week will feature CSUB's first matchup with the newest WAC member, California Baptist. The `Runners and Lancers will meet in Riverside, Calif. on Jan. 24.

CSUB's final non-conference matchup will be with UC Santa Cruz on Jan. 29 in the Icardo Center. That meeting starts a four-game home stretch that features UCSC, Grand Canyon (Feb. 2), NM State (Feb. 7), and UTRGV (Feb. 9).

On Feb. 14, CSUB will take on Chicago State before flying to Missouri to tackle Kansas City Feb. 16. The 23rd of February will be fans' first chance to see the `Runners play California Baptist here in the Icardo Center. That day will also feature Homecoming festivities and a Senior Night ceremony as it is CSUB's last home game of the regular season.

The final two weeks of the regular season will be on the road with clashes at GCU (Mar. 2), Seattle U (Mar. 7), and UVU (Mar. 9). The WAC Tournament will once again be held at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Mar. 14-16, with an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line.

Season tickets for the 2018-19 season are currently on sale and offered in several areas. The Icardo Center features reserved and general admission options, both in bleacher and chairback seating. If interested, contact the CSUB Athletics Ticket Office at (661) 654-BLUE, tickets@csub.edu, or fill out this web form and a member of our staff will contact you directly.

~GoRunners.com~

Print Friendly Version

California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

Next Event

Barnes Announces 2018-19 Men's Basketball Schedule