In addition to Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opponent North Carolina A&T, the Wildcats will face New Mexico State, who has won consecutive WAC Tournament Championships and made two NCAA Tournament appearances; Colorado State, who earned an at-large berth out of the Mountain West; and Akron, the MAC Tournament champion as part of its non-conference slate.
“It’s all about getting ready for March and our conference tournament. The best way to do that is play against teams with tournament experience,” said Craig, who begins his third season as B-CU’s head coach. “It’s a challenging schedule, and it’s one that will help our team improve as the season progresses.”
The New Mexico State and Colorado State games are part of the Colorado State Classic, which will include a stop in Greeley, Colo., with games against the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s (SWAC) Prairie View A&M and host institution Northern Colorado.
That tournament is also the start of a 50-day span between B-CU home games.
After opening the season at home against Trinity Baptist, the Wildcats travel to the University of South Florida on November 12, then return home to play two of their next three (Trinity College, Nov. 19 and FIU, Nov. 21) in Historic Moore Gymnasium, but won’t play at home again until their MEAC home opener January 11, 2014 against North Carolina A&T.
Included in the 12-game road trip: stops in Ohio (Akron and Youngstown State), Virginia, (A MEAC swing with Norfolk State and Hampton), Michigan (Detroit Mercy) and Illinois (Northern Illinois), in addition to in-state games against Stetson and North Florida.
“It’s going to be a lot of travel,” Craig said. “Hopefully, it’ll help us come together as a team.”
B-CU advanced to the MEAC Tournament semifinals for the third consecutive year in 2013 after winning the MEAC regular season title in 2011, and appearing in the championship game in 2012.
SCHEDULE NOTES: The team will log approximately 17,763 air miles this season, surpassing the 2010-11 team’s total of 13,956… The Ohio swing will mark the third time in four years the Wildcats have played in the Buckeye State; Four Ohio natives are on the roster, and the Akron game will be a homecoming for junior point guard Ricky Johnson who played at the same St. Vincent-St. Mary HS that produced LeBron James … B-CU’s last game against a SWAC team was a 68-61 win over Texas Southern in 2009; this will be the first meeting with Prairie View A&M since 1981; In MEAC play, the Wildcats are 14-10 on the road the past three seasons.
B-CU Men's Basketball - 2013-14 Schedule
COURTESY BETHUNE COOKMAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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