2020-21 HBU Men's Basketball Schedule
HOUSTON – James Sears Bryant Head Men's Basketball Coach
Ron Cottrell has announced the HBU men's basketball schedule for the upcoming 2020-21 season with the Huskies' set to play nine non-conference games before a 16-game Southland Conference campaign.
"One of the by-products of the times right now is how everyone's schedule was turned over with the change of start date by the NCAA. So, our schedule looks very different today than how we thought it would look going into the season, but we're just like everyone else in Division I basketball right now adjusting on the fly," said Cottrell. "We feel like we put together a schedule that looks like many of our recent schedules with a high level of competition. We've got a couple more home games than we've recently had which is really good, considering the COVID situation. Opening at TCU is going to be a tremendous challenge for us but our guys are excited about that. We'll then play one of the top programs in the country this year in Arizona State. Then we're right back to the DFW area to play SMU and a home-and-home matchup with Rice and those will all be great games for us that we think are going to be good indicators and developers for our team before conference play."
The Huskies' season-opener will be in Fort Worth, Texas on Wednesday, Nov. 25, against the TCU Horned Frogs inside Schollmeier Arena. Following that, the Huskies will make their longest trip of the season for a Nov. 29 meeting with 18
th-ranked Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz. Three days later, HBU makes that return trip to the metroplex to face the SMU Mustangs in Dallas on Dec. 2.
A two-game homestand then begins for HBU with crosstown foe Rice visiting Sharp Gym on Saturday, Dec. 5, before a matchup with Champion Christian on the Huskies' home court on Friday, Dec. 11. The following Tuesday, Dec. 15, the Huskies will play a return game across town inside Tudor Fieldhouse against the Rice Owls.
"Right before Christmas we've got a trip to North Texas and then on to Oklahoma. North Texas is expected to be one of the top teams in Conference USA this year and Oklahoma, led by Coach Kruger, is one of the best Big 12 programs year in and year out," added Cottrell.
HBU's final three non-conference road games include a two-game trip beginning on Thursday, Dec. 17, against the Mean Green in Denton, Texas at the Super Pit before continuing on to Norman, Okla. for the program's first-ever matchup with the Sooners on Saturday, Dec. 19. The Huskies will then return to Sharp Gym for a pre-New Year's game against Dallas Christian on Dec. 30.
"We think this is a terrific schedule, especially considering the situation and how late the schedule had to be developed and restructured," Cottrell stated. "Coach Key and I spent a lot of time on the schedule and it's good to have it done and ready to go two weeks before the season starts."
The Huskies will play an abbreviated 16-game SLC slate, beginning at home on Saturday, Jan. 2, against Northwestern State before welcoming Abilene Christian on Wednesday, Jan. 6. HBU then hits the road for a pair, first on Jan. 9 against Lamar in Beaumont followed by a Jan. 16 contest against Sam Houston State in Huntsville. Two home games against Louisiana schools will be up next as Nicholls visits Houston on Jan. 20 with McNeese coming to town on Jan. 23. January then wraps up with the first two games of a four-game road swing taking place in San Antonio at UIW on Jan. 27 before facing Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Jan. 30.
The February portion of the schedule opens on the road, visiting Natchitoches, La. for a rematch with NSU on Feb. 6 and the return game with ACU in Abilene on Feb. 10. Lamar and SHSU come to Sharp Gym on Feb. 13 and Feb. 20, respectively, before the Huskies' final two road games of the season on Feb. 24 at Nicholls and Feb. 27 at McNeese. The regular season will then conclude with home games against UIW and TAMUCC on Mar. 3 and Mar. 6.
"We're excited to get to January 2 and have conference play start," Cottrell continued. "I think these guys have a lot to prove. They're excited to compete for a conference championship and we feel like we're going to be right there in the race."
The Southland Conference tournament will be held from Wednesday, Mar. 10, through Saturday, Mar. 13, at the Merrell Center in Katy.
