SIUE’s Harris finalizes Cougars’ schedule
After unveiling most of his team’s nonconference opponents in May, Southerrn Illinois University Edwardsville men’s basketball coach Jon Harris has finalized the Cougars’ 2015-16 schedule.
The Cougars will open the season with three straight home contests beginning with an exhibition game against Fontbonne on Nov. 9. The regular season begins Nov. 13 against Arkansas State. St. Louis University then comes to Vadalabene Center on Nov. 17.
The Cougars also will play November home games against Campbell (Nov. 24) and Green Bay (Nov. 30). SIUE travels for games at Indiana-Purdue at Fort Wayne (Nov. 21) and Butler (Nov. 28).
While four of six contests are at home in November, the Cougars will tune up for the Ohio Valley Conference season with a stretch of five of seven games on the road in December.
The month begins with three consecutive road contests: Milwaukee (Dec. 3), Northwestern (Dec. 5) and SIU Carbondale (Dec. 9). The Cougars then will play two of the next three games at home. SIUE will play host to Portland State (Dec. 12) and Grand Canyon (Dec. 28). In between is a first-ever visit to Southern California (Dec. 21).
“It will prove to be a challenging schedule, which is something that excites us,” said Harris, an Edwardsville High graduate who is entering his first season at SIUE. “I’ve always felt the programs that compete in November and December better prepare themselves for success during league play. We have a good balance of home and road games, and we’ve managed to bring quality opponents into the VC for our fans to see.”
The nonconference schedule will complement the 16-game OVC slate, which begins with a road trip to Jacksonville State (Dec. 31) and Tennessee Tech (Jan. 2). The schedule includes home dates with 2015 OVC Tournament champion Belmont, Morehead State, Eastern Kentucky, Murray State, Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois, Southeast Missouri and Tennessee Martin.
Game times will be announced at a later date.
This story was originally published August 4, 2015 at 1:26 PM with the headline "SIUE’s Harris finalizes Cougars’ schedule."