North Carolina A&T Aggies To Play 14 Home Games

GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- The North Carolina A&T men’s basketball team released a schedule on Monday which includes a whopping 14 games at home in Corbett Sports Center. The last time the Aggies played 14 games at home was during the 1986-87 season when they finished the season undefeated at home.

There are a few other things on the Aggies 2015-16 schedule that have not occurred in recent years. UNC Greensboro comes to Corbett on Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. It will mark the first the Spartans have played at Corbett since Jan. 30, 1992, a 72-57 A&T win.

Grambling State will also make a return to Corbett after a long hiatus. The Aggies will host the non-conference HBCU rival on Thursday, Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. It will be the Aggies first time hosting a SWAC opponent at Corbett since the 1988-89 season when they defeated Alabama State 73-62. GSU comes to Corbett for the first time since ‘81 when they lost to A&T 65-61. The Charlotte 49ers comeback to Corbett for the first time since ‘90 when they face the Aggies on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m.

2015-16 MBB Schedule

“It’s rare to see mid to low mid-major programs have this many home games,” said head coach Cy Alexander, who is entering his fourth season at A&T. “Most of the time you’re only going to get 12 because you’re on the road throughout November and December. We must take advantage of this rare opportunity.”

The Aggies other non-conference home games include a visit by Barber-Scotia (Nov. 18), Northern Kentucky (Nov. 30) and Kent State (Dec. 30).  Northern Kentucky and Kent State are coming to Greensboro after A&T played at both of their respective home arenas last season. Both will be making their first-ever visit to Corbett.

A&T will open the season in the 2015 Tip-Off Tournament conducted by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The two programs from power conferences the Aggies are Purdue on Nov. 13 in the season opener and a road game against the University of Florida on Nov. 16. The Aggies then play in the Springfield Bracket which includes Buffalo University, Niagara and Vermont. The Aggies face another power conference team on Nov. 24 when it travels to Blacksburg, Va., to face the Hokies of Virginia Tech before flying to Fargo, N.D., to face North Dakota State on Nov. 28. Other non-conference road games are at East Carolina (Dec. 13), Toledo (Dec. 21) and USC Upstate (Jan. 5).

The conference season begins Saturday, Dec. 5 at home against Howard University at 4 p.m., before A&T plays Maryland Eastern Shore at Corbett on Monday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m.

“As I look at our schedule that is one stretch of home games I’m looking to take advantage of,” said Alexander referring to four straight games at home from Nov. 30-Dec. 7. “We bring in two tough non-conference opponents in Northern Kentucky and UNCG before having our first two conference games of the year at home.  That stretch for us is going to be crucial.”

The Aggies play on the road against their chief rival N.C. Central on Saturday, Feb. 6 before the Eagles return the game on Thursday, March 3 (7:30 p.m.) in the regular-season finale.

“You at least want to finish .500 on the road in your conference games. That would be ideal,” said Alexander. “But I think to be where we want to be, we really have to win a vast majority of the 14 games we have at home.”

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION