ISU Announces Men's Basketball Schedule

AMES, Iowa ? A home-and-away Big 12 series with defending national champion Kansas, 10 matchups with teams in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, and a trip to Hawaii help make up the 2008-09 Iowa State men's basketball schedule, released today.

“Our non-conference schedule will be very competitive and extremely beneficial in helping our young team prepare for Big 12 competition,” ISU head coach Greg McDermott said. “There is a great opportunity for our team to get a taste of life on the road against four quality opponents in Hawaii, Northern Iowa, Iowa and Houston. Dates against Pac-10 member Oregon State and NCAA qualifier Drake will be two outstanding pre-conference games in Hilton Coliseum.”

ISU will open the regular season by hosting the World Vision Classic in Ames, playing host to UC-Davis, Loyola-Marymount, and UW-Milwaukee Nov, 14, 15 and 16, respectively.

After the tournament, the Cyclones will travel to Honolulu for a single game against the University of Hawaii on Nov. 24. ISU will return home to play host to Mississippi Valley State in Ames on Nov. 29. The Delta Devils won the SWAC tournament last season to advance to the NCAA Tournament, before falling to UCLA in the first round.

A road trip to Northern Iowa on Dec. 3, will tip off the in-state matchups for ISU. Before playing host to 2008 Missouri Valley Conference champion Drake on Dec. 9, the Cyclones will compete in the Big 12/Pac 10 Hardwood Series, facing Oregon State in a return trip to Hilton Coliseum for the Beavers.

The Cyclones will face Iowa in the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series at Carver Hawkeye Arena on Friday, Dec. 12. ISU will travel to Houston on Dec. 28, and will play home games against Jacksonville State, South Dakota State, Mercer, SIU-Edwardsville and Houston Baptist to wrap up the non-conference portion of the schedule.

The competitive Big 12 slate will get underway on Jan.10, when the Cyclones travel to Texas to take on the 2008 regular-season co-champion Longhorns. Games vs. Kansas (Jan. 24), Oklahoma (Jan. 31) and Baylor (Feb. 24) highlight ISU's home Big 12 schedule.

“The Big 12 Conference, as always, will be one of the nation's best,” McDermott added. “Kansas, Oklahoma and Baylor will likely be three of the best teams in the league and we will get a chance to play them in Hilton Coliseum.”

The Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship will be held in Oklahoma City in the Ford Center, March 11-14.

An updated version of the schedule will be released once more times and television contracts are finalized.