NEW ORLEANS — Eighteen regular-season home games, the most by a Dannton Jackson-coached team, and 10 matchups against 2014 NAIA Division I National Championship qualifiers are among the highlights of the 2014-15 Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball schedule.
Jackson — in his 12th season as coach of the Gold Rush and the program's career leader in victories with 249 — announced Wednesday the schedule.
Xavier will open its 77th season at 7 p.m. on Oct. 29 against Belhaven in the Convocation Center. It will be the 21st consecutive season that the Gold Rush open at home, and the XU men will attempt to win their opener for the 19th straight season.
Belhaven, like Xavier, was an NAIA tourney qualifier last season. The Gold Rush and Blazers also will meet Nov. 3 at Belhaven.
The other XU games against NAIA tourney qualifiers will be Nov. 14 at home against Wiley, Nov. 25 at Wiley, Dec. 1 at home against William Carey, Dec. 18 at William Carey, Jan. 5 — in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opener — at Talladega, Jan. 10 at home against Philander Smith, Feb. 9 at home against Talladega and Feb. 14 at Philander Smith.
Also on the schedule — Dec. 30 at Xavier — will be Concordia (Calif.), which did not reach nationals last season but spent five polls in the NAIA's top 10. The Eagles were a national tourney qualifier every season from 2007-13.
"I thought we had one of the best schedules in the NAIA last season, and I feel the same way about this season," Jackson said. "This is a tough, competitive schedule against a lot of successful programs. It's a great schedule for us to see what we have before conference play begins."
The XU men will play nine of their first 11 games at home, including six straight home games from Nov. 6-22. NCAA Division II opponents Albany State, Miles and LeMoyne-Owen will visit Xavier in November. Xavier will play LeMoyne-Owen for homecoming at noon on Nov. 22, followed by the XU women against Warner at 2 p.m.
There are no first-time opponents. Xavier and Miles will meet for the first time since 1969.
Xavier will conclude the regular season on Feb. 28 at home in the Crosstown Classic against longtime HBCU, city and GCAC rival Dillard. XU will visit Dillard on Jan. 31.
For the second consecutive year, New Orleans will be the site of the GCAC's men's and women's basketball tournaments. Xavier, one of three GCAC members from New Orleans, played host to the final three men's rounds and the final two women's rounds last season.
It will be the third season of basketball in the Convocation Center, a $25 million facility which seats nearly 4,000. The Gold Rush are 26-6 there.
The GCAC Tournament men's champion will earn an automatic bid to the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship at Kansas City, Mo. Xavier qualified for nationals last season as an at-large selection and reached the tournament for the fourth consecutive year and the eighth time in 10 seasons. The Gold Rush were 23-9 overall in 2013-14 and 10-2 in the GCAC to win the regular-season championship for the third consecutive year. Xavier tied for 16th in the NAIA Division I postseason poll.
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Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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