Auburn, UNO, Cajuns on Gold Nuggets' 2017-18 schedule

NEW ORLEANS — A first-time meeting with Auburn — one of three NCAA Division I opponents in 2017-18 — is the highlight of the Xavier University of Louisiana women's basketball schedule.
    
 Bo Browder, back for his 19th year as coach of the Gold Nuggets, announced the schedule Wednesday. This is the Nuggets' 40th season of the Title IX era.
     
XULA and Auburn will meet at 6 p.m. Dec. 28 at Auburn, Ala. It will be the Gold Nuggets' first matchup against the SEC since exhibition games at LSU in 2011 and 2012. Auburn was 17-15 last season and averaged nearly 2,300 fans per home game.
    
The Gold Nuggets, a longtime NAIA member, will visit Louisiana-Lafayette Nov. 4 and the University of New Orleans Dec. 14. XULA will play the Ragin' Cajuns for the fifth consecutive year and meet UNO for the first time since the 2004-05 season.
     
There will be seven games against 2017 NAIA national tourney qualifiers, two in the first four days of the regular season. XULA will open Oct. 26 at city rival Loyola, then play its home opener at 1 p.m. Oct. 29 in the Convocation Center against Southeastern (Fla.), which was 28-1 last season and reached the NAIA Division II quarterfinals.
     
The other NAIA tourney qualifiers on the schedule are Our Lady of the Lake Dec. 2 at home, Lindsey Wilson Dec. 18 on the second day of the Xavier Classic, at LSU-Shreveport Dec. 30 and Gulf Coast Athletic Conference meetings with Talladega Jan. 15 on the road and Feb. 28 at home.
     
Lindsey Wilson was a national quarterfinalist each of the last two seasons and finished 32-3 in 2016-17. The new LSUS coach is Matt Cross, who led Talladega's men to three consecutive No. 1 rankings and a national semifinal berth in the 2014-15 season.
     
Another intriguing matchup could be Feb. 3 at Stillman, which was 19-4 last season and whose only loss after Nov. 17 was to the Gold Nuggets.
    
XULA will play a pair of games apiece against city and GCAC rivals SUNO and Dillard, with the Lady Knights visiting Jan. 29 and the Lady Bleu Devils visiting Feb. 17.
    
Additional first-time opponents will be LSU-Alexandria Nov. 8 on the road and Nov. 29 at home, then the University of the Virgin Islands Dec. 17 on the first day of the Xavier Classic.
     
The GCAC Tournament will be March 2-4, followed by the NAIA Division I National Championship March 14-20 at Billings, Mont. XULA seeks to qualify for nationals for the 20th time in 24 seasons. The Gold Nuggets missed nationals last season after going 19-13 overall, 6-6 in the GCAC and finishing second to Talladega in the GCAC Tournament.

Xavier University of Louisiana
2017-18 Women's Basketball Schedule
Oct. 26 (Thu.):  at Loyola (N.O.), 6 p.m.
Oct. 29 (Sun.):  SOUTHEASTERN (FLA.), 1 p.m.
Nov. 4 (Sat.):  at Louisiana-Lafayette, 2 p.m.
Nov. 8 (Wed.):  at LSU-Alexandria (DH), 5 p.m.
Nov. 14 (Tue.):  at William Carey (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Nov. 22 (Wed.):  at Florida Memorial, 7 p.m. EST
Nov. 29 (Wed.):  LSU-ALEXANDRIA (DH), 5 p.m.
Dec. 1 (Fri.):  GEORGETOWN (KY.), 6 p.m.
Dec. 2 (Sat.):  OUR LADY OF THE LAKE, 5 p.m.
Dec. 14 (Thu.):  at New Orleans, 6 p.m.
Dec. 17 (Sun.):  VIRGIN ISLANDS (DH), 7 p.m. (Xavier Classic)
Dec. 18 (Mon.):  LINDSEY WILSON (DH), 5 p.m. (Xavier Classic)
Dec. 28 (Thu.):  at Auburn, 6 p.m.
Dec. 30 (Sat.):  at LSU-Shreveport, noon
Jan. 2 (Tue.):  at Paul Quinn, 2 p.m.
Jan. 8 (Mon.):  •  at Edward Waters (DH), 5:30 p.m. EST
Jan. 13 (Sat.):  •  at Tougaloo (DH), 3 p.m.
Jan. 15 (Mon.):  •  at Talladega (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 17 (Wed.):  WILLIAM CAREY (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 20 (Sat.):  •  at Dillard (DH), 3 p.m.
Jan. 22 (Mon.):  •  at Philander Smith (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 29 (Mon.):  •  SUNO (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 3 (Sat.):  at Stillman, 1 p.m.
Feb. 5 (Mon.):  •  EDWARD WATERS (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 12 (Mon.):  •  at SUNO (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 17 (Sat.):  •  DILLARD (DH), 3 p.m. (Crosstown Classic)
Feb. 19 (Mon.):  •  PHILANDER SMITH (DH), 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 24 (Sat.):  •  TOUGALOO (DH), 3 p.m.
Feb. 28 (Wed.):  •  TALLADEGA (DH), 5:30 p.m.
March 2-4 (Fri.-Sun.):  Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament, TBA
March 14-20 (Wed.-Tue.):  NAIA Division I National Championship, Billings, Mont.

Home games in BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS
•  Gulf Coast Athletic Conference game
(DH) Doubleheader with Xavier's men
All times are Central except where noted
Schedule is subject to change

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

North Carolina A&T coach says team is 'chasing excellence'

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- It's no secret: Teams from North Carolina have dominated the MEAC for some time.

North Carolina Central has won at least a share of the conference title in each of the last three years. North Carolina A&T won the inaugural Celebration Bowl two years ago and last season received an at-large bid to the FCS playoffs, becoming the first MEAC team to do so since 2013.

Florida A&M has also struggled to bring down North Carolina's MEAC titans. The Rattlers have recently played close games against N.C. Central, but has been demolished by the Aggies in each of the last three seasons.

FAMU head coach Alex Wood is hoping to change that trend Saturday, when N.C. A&T visits Bragg Memorial Stadium for the Rattlers' homecoming game.

The FCS No. 15 Aggies are off to a 6-0 start — which includes a 35-31 win over FBS opponent UNC-Charlotte — and are 3-0 in conference play. A&T head coach Rod Broadway, who has coached the Aggies to three straight 9-win seasons, said the Aggies are committed to a standard of excellence.

"It’s every play," Broadway said during the MEAC's weekly teleconference. "We want to be excellent every play. I’m not talking bout wins and losses, I’m just talking about how we play this game and how you go about trying to achieve greatness."



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HU looks to break three-game skid in Battle of the Bay

HAMPTON, Virginia -- Haampton University defensive end Steven Smith has only played in one Battle of the Bay. That was enough to teach him what’s on the line.

And that would be who gets to talk during the offseason.

“Hear about it?” said Smith, who grew up in Virginia Beach before playing two seasons for San Jose (Calif.) City College. “I don’t hear the end of it. They’re going to continue talking until something is done about it.”

Norfolk State has been able to talk a while now. The Spartans have won three consecutive games in this series for the first time since 1978-80. Current NSU coach Latrell Scott wasn’t even in the first grade yet.

The true stakes for Saturday’s game are that the winner remains tied for first place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference while the loser does not. This is the first time in series history that both Hampton (3-2, 2-0) and Norfolk State (2-3, 2-0) come in with undefeated MEAC records.

But HU coach Connell Maynor, who is 0-3 against the Spartans, knows the importance of breaking that streak.



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Breaking down Prairie View A&M vs. Alcorn State

Records: Prairie View A&M 2-3, 2-1 SWAC; Alcorn State 4-2, 2-0.

Series history: Alcorn State leads 46-22

Key players: Prairie View - QB Lavell McCullers, WR Khadarel Hodge, DE Akheem Barton; Alcorn State - QB Lenorris Footman, RB De'Lance Turner, LB Terry Whittington

Who has the edge

Offense - Alcorn State. The Braves are 18th in total offense (455.8) behind a balanced attack, averaging 226 rushing (6.6 yards per carry) and 229.8 passing yards. They're 10th in third-down conversion percentage (47.6). But the Panthers are good on third downs, too, converting at a 46-percent clip. They're averaging 201.6 passing yards, but only 176.8 on the ground.

Defense - Even. The Panthers blanked Alabama State and held Jackson State to nine points in a big win before struggling to slow Grambling State, which produced 419 yards. Alcorn is holding opponents to 4.2 yards per rush and 39 percent on third downs (36-of-92). Panthers opponents are only 20-of-58 on third down (34 percent).



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Here's a switch — Rush to open season on road

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana men's basketball will make a rare trip to start the season. The Gold Rush also will play 10 games against teams that qualified for last season's NAIA Division I National Championship.
     
Those are some of the highlights of the 2017-18 schedule that second-year head coach Alfred Williams announced Wednesday.
     
The Rush's 80th season will begin in about 2 1/2 weeks with a trip to Florida for games at St. Thomas Oct. 27 and Florida Memorial Oct. 28. It will be the first time since the 1992-93 season that the XULA men begin the regular season on the road. They had played their last 23 openers at home.
  
The 2017 NAIA tourney teams on the schedule will be:

     •  LSU-Alexandria — Nov. 8 road, Nov. 29 home.
     •  William Carey — Nov. 14 road, Jan. 17 home.
     •  Loyola — Dec. 16 road, Jan. 24 home.
     •  Talladega — Jan. 15 road, Feb. 28 home.
     •  Dillard — Jan. 20 road, Feb. 17 home.

2017-18 Schedule Page

Loyola and Dillard are longtime city rivals. Dillard and Talladega compete with XULA in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference. LSUA was 34-1 last season, a national semifinalist and No. 3 in the coaches postseason poll.
     
There will be 30 regular-season games in all, 15 at home. NCAA Division II member Miles will open the home schedule at 7 p.m. Nov. 6 in the Convocation Center. The homecoming opponent will be Huston-Tillotson at 1 p.m. Nov. 18.
     The only first-time opponent is the University of the Virgin Islands, a new NAIA member which will participate in the Xavier Classic Dec. 17-18. The Xavier Classic, a longtime women's-only Thanksgiving tournament, has added a men's bracket this season and moved to between the end of the first semester and Christmas.
     
The 12-game conference schedule is unbalanced. XULA will play its first five GCAC games on the road, then close with 6-of-7 at home, including the last four. The GCAC has seven teams for the third consecutive year: XULA, Dillard, Edward Waters (Jacksonville, Fla.), Philander Smith (Little Rock, Ark.), Talladega (Talladega, Ala.), Tougaloo (Tougaloo, Miss.) and another longtime city rival, SUNO.
     
The GCAC Tournament will be March 2-4, followed by the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship March 14-20 at Kansas City, Mo. XULA seeks to qualify for nationals for the seventh time in eight seasons. The Gold Rush missed nationals last season, finishing 10-20 overall and 6-6 — fourth place, one game out of second — in the GCAC.

Xavier University of Louisiana
2017-18 Men's Basketball Schedule

Oct. 27 (Fri.):  at St. Thomas (Fla.), 2 p.m. EDT
Oct. 28 (Sat.):  at Florida Memorial, TBA
Nov. 4 (Sat.):  at LeMoyne-Owen, 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 6 (Mon.):  MILES, 7 p.m.
Nov. 8 (Wed.):  at LSU-Alexandria (DH), 7 p.m.
Nov. 14 (Tue.):  at William Carey (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 18 (Sat.):  HUSTON-TILLOTSON, 1 p.m. (Homecoming)
Nov. 20 (Mon.):  MOBILE, 7 p.m.
Nov. 22 (Wed.):  at St. Thomas (Texas), 7 p.m.
Nov. 29 (Wed.):  LSU-ALEXANDRIA (DH), 7 p.m.
Dec. 13 (Wed.):  CARVER, 7 p.m.
Dec. 16 (Sat.):  at Loyola (N.O.), 7 p.m.
Dec. 17 (Sun.):  VIRGIN ISLANDS (DH), 5 p.m. (Xavier Classic)
Dec. 18 (Mon.):  RUST (DH), 7 p.m. (Xavier Classic)
Dec. 22 (Fri.):  at Mobile, 7 p.m.
Jan. 8 (Mon.):  •  at Edward Waters (DH), 7:30 p.m. EST
Jan. 13 (Sat.):  •  at Tougaloo (DH), 5 p.m.
Jan. 15 (Mon.):  •  at Talladega (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 17 (Wed.):  WILLIAM CAREY (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 20 (Sat.):  •  at Dillard (DH), 5 p.m.
Jan. 22 (Mon.):  •  at Philander Smith (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 24 (Wed.):  LOYOLA (N.O.), 7 p.m.
Jan. 26 (Fri.):  at Jarvis Christian, 7 p.m.
Jan. 29 (Mon.):  •  SUNO (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 5 (Mon.):  •  EDWARD WATERS (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 12 (Mon.):  •  at SUNO (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 17 (Sat.):  •  DILLARD (DH), 5 p.m. (Crosstown Classic)
Feb. 19 (Mon.):  •  PHILANDER SMITH (DH), 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 24 (Sat.):  •  TOUGALOO (DH), 5 p.m.
Feb. 28 (Wed.):  •  TALLADEGA (DH), 7:30 p.m.
March 2-4 (Fri.-Sun.):  Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament, TBA
March 14-20 (Wed.-Tue.):  Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship, Kansas City, Mo.

Home games in BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS
•  Gulf Coast Athletic Conference game
(DH) Doubleheader with Xavier's women
All times are Central except where noted
Schedule is subject to change

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold
www.facebook.com/xulagold 

Miami (Ohio) to open 2020 season vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff

OXFORD, Ohio -- The Miami University (Ohio) RedHawks will open the 2020 season against the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions, according to the official website of Miami University.

Miami (Ohio) and UAPB will square off at Yager Stadium in Oxford on Sept. 5, 2020. The game will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools on the gridiron.

The Golden Lions are a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Last season, UAPB finished 1-10 overall and 1-8 in SWAC play.

The addition of UAPB completes the 2020 non-conference schedule for Miami (Ohio). The RedHawks are also scheduled to play at Minnesota on Sept. 12, host Cincinnati on Sept. 19, and host Army on Oct. 3.

• 2020 Miami (Ohio) Football Schedule

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Texas Southern Tigers Men's Basketball Selected to Finish First in SWAC Preseason Poll

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Texas Southern has been picked to repeat as the Southwestern Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Champions in a Preseason Poll of the league's Head Coaches and Sports Information Directors.

The announcement was made by the SWAC during its annual media teleconference on Wednesday, October 11.

The Tigers finished 2016-17 with an overall record of 23-12, a record with five more victories than the previous season, to go along with a 16-2 conference mark, a record they matched from the previous year.

TSU wrapped up last season as the season's conference tournament champions for the third time in the last four seasons after defeating Alcorn State 53-50.

Texas Southern's Demontrae Jefferson and Kevin Scott were each selected to the All-SWAC Preseason First Team at guard and forward respectively.

Jefferson was sixth in the conference in scoring with 14.8 points per contest, fourth in assists (3.3 per game) and 13th in 3-pointers made (1.4 per game).

Scott averaged 10.0 points per game (23rd) to go along with 4.9 rebounds per game (11th) and was 10th in field goal percentage (.442) and 10th in steals (1.3 per game).

The second team includes TSU forward Lamont Walker who saw action for the Tigers last season in a reserve capacity.

MEN'S 2017-18 PRESEASON AWARD WINNERS
(Selected by SWAC Head Basketball Coaches and SIDs)

PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Reginal Johnson, Alcorn State

PRESEASON CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Treshawn Bolden, Jackson State
Yalen Reed, Alcorn State

FIRST TEAM
Guard – Demontrae Jefferson, Texas Southern
Guard – Paris Collins, Jackson State
Forward – Reginal Johnson, Alcorn State
Forward – Kevin Scott, Texas Southern
Center – Jared Sam, Southern

SECOND TEAM
Guard – A.J. Mosby, Alcorn State
Guard – Chris Thomas, Southern
Forward – Rodney Simeon, Alabama State
Forward – Lamont Walker, Texas Southern
Center – Treshawn Bolden, Jackson State

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
Texas Southern (171)
Southern(131)
Jackson State (124)
Alcorn State (117)
Prairie View A&M (99)
Alabama State (98)
Grambling State (75)
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (64)
Mississippi Valley State (60)
Alabama A&M (51)



TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION