BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The men's basketball team at California State University, Bakersfield is one step closer to getting back on the court after Wednesday afternoon's schedule announcement from the Big West Conference. The Roadrunners learned the league slate that stands between them and the 2023 Hercules Tires Big West Basketball Championships, a league title, and a return to March Madness.

Bakersfield's run at the crown will start on the road, Dec. 29, when the `Runners head to Riverside, Calif. to take on the Highlanders of UC Riverside. Two days later, the Icardo Center will host its first Big West game of the year when UC Irvine comes to Bakersfield for a New Year's Eve matchup.

Head Coach Rod Barnes and the `Runners eyeball nine more home games on the 2022-23 schedule. CSUB will start 2023 at home against Cal Poly (Jan. 5) and face three more Big West teams in the month: UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 11), UC San Diego (Jan. 14), and UC Davis (Jan. 26).

The Icardo Center will be busy throughout February as Bakersfield will host five home games before closing out the season on the road. UC Riverside will return to Kern County on Feb. 2 to face the `Runners before CSUN drives up the I-5 for a Feb. 9 meeting. CSUB will take on Long Beach State on Feb. 11, then return home to face Hawai'i on Feb. 20. The `Runners will round out the home schedule against defending Big West Championship winner Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 25.

After tackling a pair of road games at Long Beach State (Mar. 2) and UC Irvine (Mar. 4), CSUB will head out for its third-ever Big West Championship. The `Runners and the Top 10 eligible teams will meet up once again in Henderson, Nev., Mar. 7-11, with the conference's automatic berth bid to the NCAA Tournament on the line.

`Runner fans are encouraged to put down deposits on Season Tickets for the upcoming season. A full 2022-23 schedule, including all of CSUB's non-conference matchups, will be announced later this year.

~GoRunners.com~