The Missouri Valley Conference has finalized its 2011-12 men’s basketball schedule, the league announced Thursday (Sept. 8), completing Missouri State University’s slate for the upcoming campaign.
The defending MVC regular-season champions and first-year head coach Paul Lusk will open league play on Wednesday, Dec. 28 at Creighton before their conference home opener on New Year’s Eve against Drake.
Including a pair of October exhibition games, the Bears will host 17 opponents at JQH this winter. Season ticket information is available now by calling (417) 836-7678 or (888) 476-7849.
In league play, Missouri State will have five home dates in January and three in February before concluding the regular season at Evansville on Feb. 25.
Coach Lusk said the upcoming season will provide ample challenges for his squad, and the MVC portion of the schedule will bring the intensity fans have come to expect.
“As always, the conference schedule is very competitive,” Lusk said. “There are no easy nights in The Valley, and our guys will have to be prepared for that intensity every time they hit the floor.”
The pairings for the iBN Sports Las Vegas Classic have also been finalized since the non-conference schedule was released earlier this summer. The Bears will host Kennesaw State (Dec. 17) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (Dec. 19) before advancing to the event finals in Las Vegas against West Virginia (Dec. 22) and St. Mary’s (Dec. 23).
MSU’s home opener will be Nov. 19 against Emporia State on a night the team will raise its 2010-11 MVC Championship banner and present rings to the squad. Including the Sears BracketBusters game (Feb. 17, 18 or 19), the Bears will play six non-conference opponents at JQH Arena this season. Tulsa (Nov. 26) and Oklahoma State (Dec. 7) come to town during the early portion of the season before the two games in the preliminary round of the Las Vegas Classic.
The Bears also have non-conference road games at Nevada (Nov. 11), Arkansas State (Nov. 15), Oral Roberts (Nov. 30), New Mexico (Dec. 3) and UALR (Dec. 10).
“We are very pleased with the balance of our non-conference schedule,” Lusk said. “Our fans will get a chance to see a Big 12 opponent come to JQH Arena, we’ll see some impressive teams in Las Vegas, and we will be tested with some quality opponents on the road. From a coach’s standpoint, you want a schedule that gets your team ready for conference play, and this will certainly do that.”
National, regional and institutional television information will be finalized by early October.
Missouri State returns six lettermen from a 26-9 team that finished 15-3 in the MVC to claim the program’s first-ever Valley regular-season crown. The Bears finished as runners-up in the MVC Tournament a year ago and advanced to the second round of the National Invitation Tournament.
— MSU Sports Information —