BiG Ten Releases Men’s Basketball Schedule

Credit Source: BiG Ten

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Penn State men’s basketball will open its 20-game Big Ten Conference season with three league games in December, beginning with a road trip to Ann Arbor on Sunday, Dec. 13.

Tip times and broadcast designations for league games will be released at a later date.

The Nittany Lions’ slate features home-and-home meetings with seven teams: preseason No. 7 Wisconsin, No. 8 Illinois, No. 23 Ohio State, Maryland, No. 25 Michigan, Nebraska and Purdue. Penn State will play six single games against Indiana, No. 5 Iowa, No. 13 Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern and No. 24 Rutgers.

After facing the No. 25 Wolverines on Dec. 13 and a break for finals, the Nittany Lions play host to Illinois on Wednesday, Dec. 23. The calendar year closes with Penn State at Indiana on Wednesday, Dec. 30.

The Nittany Lions open the new year at the Bryce Jordan Center against the Badgers on Sunday, Jan. 3. The schedule has the Nittany Lions playing three of their first four contests at home in 2021. After a Wednesday, Jan. 6 trip to Ohio State, PSU will have its return game with Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 9 with Rutgers also at home on Tuesday, Jan. 12.

The Nittany Lions trek to the Midwest for two-straight games at Purdue on Sunday, Jan. 17 and Illinois on Wednesday, Jan. 20. Following a Saturday home game vs. Northwestern on Jan. 23, Penn State travels to Nebraska on Saturday, Jan. 30.

February opens with a Tuesday, Feb. 2 game at Wisconsin with a home game vs. Maryland (Friday, Feb. 5 or Saturday, Feb. 6). After a Tuesday night tilt at Michigan State on Feb. 9, the Nittany Lions return to the BJC for two games, vs. Nebraska on Sunday, Feb. 14 and vs. Ohio State on Thursday, Feb. 18.

A Sunday, Feb. 21 trip to Iowa marks Penn State’s only meeting vs. the Hawkeyes in the regular season. A date will be set for Purdue’s trip to the BJC with Friday, Feb. 26 or Saturday, Feb. 27 as the options.

Minnesota and Penn State have their only matchup of 2020-21 on Wednesday, March 3 in the BJC. The final regular-season game is scheduled for Sunday, March 7 at Maryland.

Also released today were times and broadcast information Penn State’s two December nonconference home games. The Wednesday, Dec. 2 contest vs. VCU will tip at 5 p.m. and will be carried by FS1 and the Sunday, Dec. 6 game vs. Seton Hall is scheduled for 8 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.

Keep up to date with the latest information from the Nittany Lions at @PennStateMBB on Twitter and Instagram and on Facebook at @pennstatebasketball.

Big Ten Announces 2020-21 Conference Schedule

Credit Source: Purdue University Athletics

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Big Ten Conference has announced the conference schedule, finalizing Purdue’s 2020-21 slate, which will consist of 27 total games and 13 home games.

The Boilermakers will open Big Ten play Dec. 16, by hosting Ohio State in Mackey Arena.

After a tilt with Notre Dame on Dec. 19, Purdue will head to preseason favorite Iowa for a Dec. 22, tilt against the Hawkeyes.

For the first time in school history, Purdue will play on Christmas Day when Maryland visits Mackey Arena.

Purdue will hit the road for its next two games at Rutgers (Dec. 29) and Illinois (Jan. 2). Purdue returns home to host Nebraska on Jan. 5, then travels to Michigan State on Jan. 8, and Indiana on Jan. 14, wrapping up a difficult stretch of four road games in a five-game stretch.

Purdue then hosts three of its next four games at home, hosting Penn State (Jan. 17), Michigan (Jan. 22) and Minnesota (Jan. 30), which sandwiches a trip to Ohio State (Jan. 27).

The Boilermakers open February at Maryland on Feb. 2, then host Northwestern on Feb. 6. After playing at Minnesota on Feb. 11, the Boilermakers host Michigan State on Feb. 16, then travel to Nebraska on Feb. 20.

Purdue concludes at Penn State (either Feb. 26 or Feb. 27), then hosts Wisconsin (March 2) and Indiana (March 6) to close out the regular season.

Purdue opens the season Wednesday, Nov. 25, against Liberty in the Space Coast Challenge in Melbourne, Florida.

Iowa, Big Ten Release 2020-21 Basketball Schedule

Credit Source: University of Iowa Athletics

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa, in conjunction with the Big Ten Conference, announced Wednesday its 2020-21 men’s basketball Big Ten schedule. Click HERE to view the complete schedule.

Iowa, ranked fifth nationally in The Associated Press Preseason Poll, plays six of its seven nonconference games on Mediacom Court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, including the first six of the season.

The Hawkeyes begin the season a week from today, hosting North Carolina Central on Nov. 25 at 3 p.m. (CT). Two days later, Iowa will entertain Southern University on Nov. 27 at 4 p.m. (CT) as part of its multi-team event. Southern will challenge North Carolina Central on Thanksgiving. Both Iowa games will be televised nationally on the Big Ten Network.

The Hawkeyes will entertain North Carolina in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 8 and Northern Illinois on Dec. 13. The home dates for Iowa’s contest against Western Illinois and the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series game against Iowa State are being finalized and will be announced later.

Iowa closes its nonconference slate versus top-ranked Gonzaga on Dec. 19 at 11 a.m. (CT) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Iowa’s first of 20 conference games is scheduled for Dec. 22 in Iowa City against Purdue. The Hawkeyes will play the Boilermakers, Nebraska, Penn State once at home, while playing Illinois, Michigan and Maryland once on the road. Iowa will play the other seven league teams twice.

Iowa’s second conference game will be played on Christmas Day at Minnesota. It marks just the third time in program history that the Hawkeyes will play on Christmas; the previous two times were in holiday tournaments in Hawaii in 1984 and 1988.

The Hawkeyes have seven players returning with starting experience, including All-American senior center Luka Garza, and upperclassmen all-conference honorees Jordan Bohannon and Joe Wieskamp, and Connor McCaffery, who led all Division I players in assist-to-turnover ratio a year ago.

Game times and television information for each game will be announced later.

FAN INFORMATION

• Due to COVID-19 safety protocols, there will be no men’s and women’s basketball general admission single game or season ticket sales to home games at this time
• Visit hawkeyesports.com/fancutouts to purchase a fan cutout(s) for all winter sports in Carver-Hawkeye Arena; 20 percent of the revenue will benefit UI Dance Marathon, with the remainder of the profits supporting the UI student-athletes’ scholarship fund
• Programs, posters, and magnets will not be printed this season.

 

Ohio State’s 2020-21 Big Ten Basketball Schedule Announced

Ohio State will begin conference play on Dec. 16 at Purdue

 Credit Source: Ohio State University Athletics

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 2020-21 Ohio State men’s basketball season will feature a 20-game Big Ten schedule, which begins on Wednesday, Dec. 16 when the Buckeyes travel to West Lafayette, Ind. to face Purdue. The league schedule was announced this evening and coupled with the Buckeyes’ five non-conference games gives Ohio State 25 games on its 2020-21 slate.

The season officially gets underway next Wednesday, Nov. 25 when Ohio State hosts Illinois State at 2 p.m. The game will be carried by either ESPN2 or ESPNU. Four days later, on Sunday, Nov. 29, Ohio State faces UMass-Lowell at the Covelli Center at 4 p.m. in a game that will be carried on BTN. The Buckeyes host Morehead State on Dec. 2 (5 p.m., BTN) and Alabama A&M on Dec. 5 (time TBD on BTN or BTN+) before closing out non-conference play on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at Notre Dame as part of the previously-announced Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Big Ten play will run from December 16 through March 6 and included home-and-home games vs. Purdue, Rutgers, Penn State, Michigan State, Iowa and Illinois. The home portion of the Buckeyes’ conference schedule begins on Wednesday, Dec. 23 vs. Rutgers. Ohio State plays two additional games before the end of the calendar year – at Northwestern (Dec. 26) and home vs. Nebraska (Dec. 30).

On Wednesday, The Ohio State University Department of Athletics determined that family members of the players and coaching staffs of teams competing this fall will no longer be permitted into any university sporting event.

The decision by the department to not allow any fans aligns with the Columbus Department of Health’s stay at home advisory, which was issued Wednesday. The advisory starts at 6 p.m. Friday and will remain in place for the next 28 days.

2020-21 Ohio State Men’s Basketball Schedule

Nov. 25 – Illinois State (2 p.m., ESPN2 or ESPNU)

Nov. 29 – UMass-Lowell (4 p.m., BTN)

Dec. 2 – Morehead State (5 p.m., BTN)

Dec. 5 – Alabama A&M (TBD, BTN or BTN+)

Dec. 8 – at Notre Dame

Dec. 16 – at Purdue

Dec. 23 – Rutgers

Dec. 26 – at Northwestern

Dec. 30 – Nebraska

Jan. 3 – at Minnesota

Jan. 6 – Penn State

Jan. 9 – at Rutgers

Jan. 13 – Northwestern

Jan. 16 – at Illinois

Jan. 23 – at Wisconsin

Jan. 27 – Purdue

Jan. 31 – Michigan State

Feb. 4 – at Iowa

Feb. 8 or Feb. 9 – at Maryland

Feb. 13 – Indiana

Feb. 18 – at Penn State

Feb. 21 – Michigan

Feb. 25 – at Michigan State

Feb. 28 – Iowa

March 6 – Illinois

Wisconsin Basketball announces 2020-21 schedule

Badgers tip off season Nov. 25, begin Big Ten play Dec. 21

Credit Source: University of Wisconsin Athletics

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin men’s basketball program revealed its 2020-21 schedule, which includes 20 Big Ten Conference games announced by the league office on Wednesday.

The Badgers are scheduled to tip off the season next Wednesday, November 25 hosting Eastern Illinois at the Kohl Center.

Wisconsin opens up Big Ten play at home on December 21 hosting Nebraska in Madison.

“I’m happy to finally have a schedule put together and grateful to those who put a lot of time and effort into something none of us have ever navigated before,” head coach Greg Gard said. “That includes Marc VandeWettering from our staff, who has spent an immeasurable amount of energy on this puzzle.

“We have six non-conference games on the schedule right now, but we are still looking to add one additional home opponent in the month of December. Overall, with our non-conference schedule we tried to create the safest environment possible and having so many games at home allows us to have a little more control over some of the variables. As we all know, even this schedule could be fluid given the times we’re in. But today is confirmation that opening day is just a week away and I know our players will be excited to get on the floor and start playing games.”

This season has been highly anticipated for the reigning Big Ten champion Badgers, who begin the year ranked No. 7 in both the preseason AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll. The second-highest preseason ranking in program history, it marks the fifth time that the Badgers begin the season ranked top 10 in the preseason AP Top 25. Wisconsin is one of seven teams from the Big Ten Conference ranked.

Led by Big Ten Coach of the Year Greg Gard, Wisconsin returns at least 77% of its scoring (78.7%), rebounding (83.6%), assists (86.1%), steals (79.7%), blocks (88.6%) and minutes (77.5%) from its 2019-20 squad.

Already drawing preseason praise and a place on national preseason award watch lists are Micah Potter (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award), Nate Reuvers (Karl Malone Award) and D’Mitrik Trice (Bob Cousy Award).

For news, information and updates on Wisconsin Basketball, follow @BadgerMBB on social media.

Nebraska Men’s Basketball Announces Non-Conference Schedule

 

Credit Source: University of Nebraska Athletics
Lincoln – Two games in the Golden Window Classic along with matchups against Creighton and Georgia Tech highlight Nebraska’s revised non-conference men’s basketball schedule announced Thursday.

 

The seven-game slate features a number of changes from the original schedule released back in June, including the move of the annual Nebraska-Creighton game to Omaha on Friday, Dec. 11.

 

The Huskers will now open the 2020-21 season on Wednesday, Nov. 25, by hosting McNeese State at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. and will be televised on BTN. The Cowboys return a pair of preseason all-conference performers, including Scottsbluff native Dru Kuxhausen, who averaged 14.7 points per game and led the nation in 3-pointers in 2019-20 (125) while ranking in the top three nationally in 3-pointers per game (3.9, second) and 3-point percentage (.458, third). Senior A.J. Lawson is also a preseason All-Southland pick after averaging 15.2 points and 4.2 assists per game. The season opener will be the first meeting between the two programs.

 

The Huskers will play two games in the Golden Window Classic, a multi-team event at Pinnacle Bank Arena from Nov. 25-28. The Huskers will play Saint Louis on Thursday, Nov. 26 (1 p.m., BTN), and take on San Francisco on Saturday, Nov. 28 (TBA, BTN or BTN+)

 

The Huskers will open the month of December by hosting a South Dakota team that went 20-12, including a 10-6 mark in the Summit League on Dec. 1. Stanley Umude is a preseason all-conference pick after averaging 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game last season.  Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. on BTN.

 

The Huskers will host Florida A&M on Dec. 6, as the Rattlers make their first-ever appearance at Pinnacle Bank Arena. FAMU returns three starters from a team that went 12-15 last season, including a 70-68 win over Iowa State in Ames.  Florida A&M, which is picked third in the MEAC South Division, is led by junior guard MJ Randolph, who averaged 13.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in 2019-20. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. on BTN.

 

After hosting Georgia Tech in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 9, the Huskers will make the short trip to Omaha to close non-conference action with the annual matchup with Creighton on Friday, Dec. 11. The Bluejays, who are ranked 11th in the preseason AP poll released earlier this month, return four starters and six of their top eight players from a team that went 24-7 and shared the Big East regular-season title. The group is led by Marcus Zegarowski, who was named Big East Preseason Player of the Year after averaging 16.1 points and 5.9 assists per game.

 

Nebraska Athletics announced that men’s basketball season tickets would not be sold for the 2020-21 season. There will be no fans at 2020-21 men’s basketball non-conference games.  If Big Ten Conference protocol and local Directed Health Measures (DHM) allow for a limited number of fans during the 2020-21 conference season, priority would be given to 2019-20 season-ticket holders and information would be communicated directly to them at a later date.

 

2020-21 Nebraska Non-Conference Schedule
Date                          Opponent                                               Location                                   Time            Broadcast

Wed., Nov. 25        McNeese State                                     Pinnacle Bank Arena          11 a.m.       BTN
Thurs., Nov. 26      Saint Louis (Golden Window Classic)        Pinnacle Bank Arena          1 p.m.         BTN

Sat., Nov. 28           San Francisco (Golden Window Classic)  Pinnacle Bank Arena          TBA              BTN or BTN+

Tues., Dec. 1          South Dakota                                         Pinnacle Bank Arena          8 p.m.         BTN

Sun., Dec. 6            Florida A&M                                          Pinnacle Bank Arena          1 p.m.         BTN

Wed., Dec. 9          Georgia Tech (ACC/B1G)                        Pinnacle Bank Arena          TBA              TBA

Fri., Dec. 11             at Creighton                                           Omaha, Neb.                         TBA              TBA