Long Beach State head coach Dan Monson has followed the same scheduling formula the past few years, and this season apparently will fall in line with that pattern: Play an abundance of games against elite non-conference opponents in the hope that the 49ers will be battle-tested and upset-ready come March Madness.
The Men's Basketball program has released its official 2015-16 schedule, and once again the 49ers will play some of the nation’s top teams in advance of its Big West Conference slate.
Long Beach State could face as many as 11 NCAA Tournament teams from last season in the 31-game schedule, and will face four of those programs in the friendly confines of the Walter Pyramid.
After opening up the season with homecoming on November 14th against BYU-Hawaii, Long Beach State will participate in ESPN’s “24 Hours of Hoops” season kickoff, hosting BYU with a 10:30 p.m. tipoff on Monday, November 16.
The Beach will also participate in a tournament this season, traveling later that week to the Charleston Classic, facing a field that includes Virginia, Mississippi, Seton Hall, Towson, Bradley, George Mason, and Oklahoma State.
The 49ers will also play the Cowboys in a non-bracketed game following the tournament in Stillwater, the first true road contest of the season for the Beach.
Returning to the Walter Pyramid, Long Beach State will host perennial Top 25 team San Diego State on Tuesday, December 1, starting the toughest stretch of the season.
After traveling for a game against another Mountain West opponent in Colorado State, the Beach hosts New Mexico State on Saturday, December 5, and then heads up to Westwood the next day to face Steve Alford's UCLA Bruins, closing out four games in a week.
Another local trip follows with a game at Pepperdine, followed by a home game with Tampa on Saturday, December 12. The Beach then closes out non-conference play with a brutal stretch of trips to Oregon (Dec. 18), Arizona (Dec. 22), and Duke (Dec. 30).
Big West play begins the next Wednesday, January 6, as The Beach will have an influx of new talent, with Division I transfers Nick Faust, Gabe Levin, and Roschon Prince joining returning standouts in juniors Branford Jones and Travis Hammonds. The 49ers also will get 2013-14 starter A.J. Spencer back from injury after he missed last season, and mix in four talented freshman in Noah Blackwell, Lorne Currie, Mason Riggins, and LaRond Williams.
By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services
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