Aug. 30, 2011
• 2011-12 Schedule | Season Ticket Info
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Navy head coach Ed DeChellis has announced that the 2011-12 Navy men's basketball schedule has been finalized, featuring six home games, road games at traditional powers Siena and Missouri and the always-competitive Patriot League race. The team will open its season on Friday, November 11, with a 7:00 pm tilt at Longwood in Farmville, Va.
Seven of Navy's 14 non-conference games in 2011-12 will be the first meeting between the two respective programs.
"It's a very challenging non-conference schedule for us and one that will really help prepare us for the Patriot League season," said first-year head coach Ed DeChellis. "Those experiences and trips will make us a better team later in the year."
After opening the season at Longwood on Nov. 11, Navy returns to Annapolis for its home opener against Division III member, Penn State-Altoona, on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 4:00 pm. The Midshipmen will then hit the road for a pair of difficult challenges at Siena and Quinnipiac. Siena is just two years removed from an NCAA Second Round appearance and looks to return to the NCAAs in the 2011-12 season. Navy will face the Saints for the first time in school history with the game being played Wednesday, Nov. 16, in Albany, N.Y.
Navy then travels to Hamden, Conn., for a return game on Nov. 19 against a Quinnipiac team that placed second in the Northeast Conference race last year. In the first meeting between the schools two years ago, Chris Harris hit a half-court shot as the buzzer expired to give Navy a 65-62 win over the visiting Bobcats in Alumni Hall.
Conference USA member Tulane comes to visit Annapolis for a pre-Thanksgiving showdown on Tuesday, Nov. 22, at 7:00 pm in Alumni Hall. Tulane went 13-17 a year ago, and showed well in close losses to Final Four-bound VCU (3), Memphis (5), Tulsa (4), UTEP (4), UCF (3) and Marshall (4). Seven of the Green Wave's losses were by five or fewer points.
Navy returns to Albany, N.Y., for a post-Thanksgiving contest at the University of Albany on Friday, Nov. 25. Navy will close out the holiday weekend with a Sunday, Nov. 27 contest against Mount St. Mary's in Alumni Hall, beginning at 7:00 pm.
Following a game at Maryland-Eastern Shore on Nov. 30, Navy starts December with a tilt at Elon on Dec. 3. It will be the fourth straight year the Phoenix and the Mids have met.
Navy then takes on Monmouth and new head coach King Rice on Dec. 6 in Alumni Hall. It will be the first meeting between the two squads.
The Midshipmen head west for its stiffest challenge of the season, a Dec. 10 clash at Missouri. The Tigers went 23-11 last year and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. New head coach Frank Haith returns seven-of-eight players that started games last year for a Tiger squad that figures to contend for the Big 12 title after opening the 2010-11 season with a 14-1 mark.
It will be the first meeting against the Tigers since the 1994 NCAA Tournament first-round game won by Missouri, 76-53. It also marks the second straight season Navy will face off against a Big 12 team after the Mids lost to Texas, 83-52, in the season opener a year ago.
Following a 12-day break for exams, Navy heads south to Clinton, S.C., for a return trip to Division I upstart Presbyterian College. The Blue Hose defeated the Midshipmen last year, 60-58, in the only previous meeting between the two squads.
Navy closes out its non-conference slate with a pair of home games spanning the new year. The Mids end the 2011 calendar year on Friday, Dec. 30 against Mercer in Alumni Hall. The Bears won the only previous meeting last year in a 73-68 decision in mid-December. Navy then rings in the new year with its first encounter with Norfolk State on New Year's Day at 4:00 pm in Alumni Hall.
Navy opens conference play with a home contest against Lafayette on Jan. 7. The two teams split a year ago, each winning on their home floor. Navy will travel to Easton, Pa., to face the Leopards on Feb. 4.
On Wednesday, Jan. 11, Navy heads to the Bay State to face Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., looking to snap a two-game losing streak to the Crusaders. Holy Cross comes to Navy for a Feb. 8 contest. Holy Cross swept last year's meetings by an average of 16.0 points per game.
One of America's greatest rivalries then takes center stage on Jan. 14 as Army visits Navy. Alumni Hall has been sold out for the contest for four straight years and Navy is coming off its first season sweep of the Black Knights since the 2002-03 season. Navy returns to West Point's Christl Arena on Feb. 11 for the annual Star Game.
Following the Army contest, Navy hosts local rival American on Jan. 18 at Alumni Hall, with a return game to Washington, D.C.'s Bender Arena on Feb. 15. The two teams split last year with Navy posting an impressive 72-53 win at home over the Patriot League regular-season runner-up squad. It was the largest victory over American since 1987.
The series with Colgate has been a competitive one and Navy will face the Raiders on Jan. 21 in Hamilton, N.Y., and at home on Feb. 18. Navy swept last year's season series with the Raiders for the first time since the 2000-01 season, including an 81-78 double-overtime victory on the road in late January.
Navy remains on the road for a Jan. 25 contest against Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pa., with a return game in Annapolis on Feb. 22 for senior night. The Mids lost all three games to the Mountain Hawks last year and features one of America's top players in junior guard C.J. McCollum. McCollum is the country's top returning scorer from last year.
The Mids will close out the Patriot League against Bucknell, battling the Bison at home on Jan. 28 and in Lewisburg, Pa., on Feb. 25. Bucknell won last year's Patriot League regular-season and tournament titles and are the likely preseason favorite this year. Bucknell swept last year's meetings, but Navy has won five of the last eight encounters with the Bison.
Season tickets are available by calling 1-800-US4-NAVY or online at www.NavySports.com(.) Once again this season, fans will have the option of purchasing a full season-ticket package that includes all men's and women's home games, as well as separate men's and women's packages. Fans that purchase full season-ticket packages save 50 percent ($140) off the single-game ticket price. A special deal is available for senior citizens (65 & older) to purchase one of the three season-ticket packages at the youth rate.
# GO NAVY #
