IUPUI Basketball Schedule: 2008-09

INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has announced its men’s basketball schedule for the upcoming 2008-09 season, featuring opponents from the Big Ten, Pac-10, BIG EAST and Atlantic-10 Conferences. In addition, the Jaguars will host two non-conference games at downtown Conseco Fieldhouse and take part in the 2008 Coaches vs. Cancer 2K Sports College Hoops Classic in Carbondale, Ill..

“This is the most difficult schedule we’ve put together since I’ve been here,” IUPUI Head Coach Ron Hunter said. “It’s in our best interest to test our guys early to get them prepared for Summit League play.

“Plus, we’re really excited to get to play two games at Conseco Fieldhouse. It’s a big step for our basketball program and allows us to showcase our program on a bigger stage.”

The Jaguars’, coming off a school record 26 wins a year ago, will open the 2008-09 season as part of the Southern Illinois regional of the 2008 Coaches vs. Cancer field on Nov. 11-12. From there, Hunter’s squad will take on Indiana (11/18) leading up to the home opener on Nov. 22 vs. IU-East.

IUPUI’s two Conseco opponents will be Eastern Illinois (11/25) and Indiana State (12/23). Other notable non-conference games include trips to Seton Hall (12/20) and UMass (12/27), which finished as the NIT runner-up last season. IUPUI has also been invited to take part in the Desert Classic in Phoenix, Ariz. on Dec. 14. That day, Hunter’s squad will play Arizona State in the opener and Gonzaga will play Arizona in the nightcap.

Summit League play begins against Western Illinois on Dec. 6 in The Jungle. The Jags host reigning conference champ Oral Roberts on Jan. 15 and will celebrate Senior Night on Feb. 21 against Oakland.

With the loss of last year’s Summit League Player of the Year George Hill to the NBA Draft, senior guard Gary Patterson (East Chicago, Ind./Bishop Noll) will be IUPUI’s top returning scorer at 12.9 points per game. The 5-foot-10 guard hit 93 threes last season at a nearly 45 percent clip.

Juniors Jon Avery (Mansfield, Ohio/Mansfield Senior/Harmony Prep) and Billy Pettiford (Marion, Ind./Marion) remain important cogs in a beefed up front line this season. Avery was among The Summit League’s top reserves last season, averaging 10.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 63.1 percent from the field. Pettiford netted 8.5 points per game and ranked second on the team in rebounding (5.6 rpg), assists (2.8 apg) and steals (1.27 spg).

Hunter also inked one of the program’s best recruiting classes in recent memory by signing a pair of Indiana All-Stars, a Kentucky All-Star and some JUCO big men. Junior Robert Glenn (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis/Wabash Valley J.C.) brings additional athleticism to the frontcourt and last year’s City Player of the Year Alex Young (Indianapolis, Ind./Northwest) could make an immediate impact with his inside/outside combo skills.

In the backcourt, rookie Larry Stone (Indianapolis, Ind./T.C. Howe) was one of the state’s top playmakers a year ago, ranking second in the IHSAA with 8.0 assists per game.

“Top to bottom, we’ve got a really, really talented team,” Hunter said. “We don’t have that George Hill player that can take over games, but I think one through twelve, we’re really deep. We can come at you a lot of different ways.”     

IUPUI’s complete 2008-09 schedule is listed below:

Date                         Opponent                                                 Site                                          Time

Nov. 6                      # Univ. of Indianapolis                             THE JUNGLE                            7:00 p.m.

Nov. 11                     Coaches vs. Cancer                                   Carbondale, Ill.                           tba

Nov. 12                     Coaches vs. Cancer                                   Carbondale, Ill.                           tba

Nov. 18                     at Indiana                                                  Bloomington, Ind.                        tba

Nov. 20                     Coaches vs. Cancer Finals                          New York, NY                            tba

Nov. 21                     Coaches vs. Cancer Finals                          New York, NY                            tba

Nov. 22                     IU East                                                     THE JUNGLE                            7:00 p.m.

Nov. 25                     Eastern Illinois                                         CONSECO FIELDHOUSE           7:30 p.m.

Nov. 29                     at Western Michigan                                   Kalamazoo, Mich.                       7:00 p.m.

Dec. 2                       IU South Bend                                          THE JUNGLE                            7:00 p.m.

Dec. 6                       *Western Illinois                                       THE JUNGLE                            7:00 p.m.

Dec. 14                     vs. Arizona State (Desert Classic)                 Phoenix, Ariz.                             tba

Dec. 20                     at Seton Hall                                              Newark, NJ                               tba

Dec. 23                     Indiana State                                            CONSECO FIELDHOUSE           1:00 p.m.

Dec. 27                     at Massachusetts                                       Amherst, Mass.                          4:00 p.m.

Dec. 31                     *UMKC                                                     THE JUNGLE                            tba

Jan. 2                       *Southern Utah                                         THE JUNGLE                            tba

Jan. 8                       *at North Dakota State                                Fargo, ND                                 tba

Jan. 10                      *at South Dakota State                                Brookings, SD                            tba

Jan. 15                     *Oral Roberts                                           THE JUNGLE                            7:00 p.m.

Jan. 17                     *Centenary                                               THE JUNGLE                            7:00 p.m.

Jan. 22                      *at Oakland                                                Rochester, Mich.                        tba

Jan. 24                      *at IPFW                                                   Fort Wayne, Ind.                        4:00 p.m.

Jan. 29                      *at Southern Utah                                       Cedar City, Utah                        7:00 p.m.

Jan. 31                      *at UMKC                                                  Kansas City, Mo.                        7:05 p.m.

Feb. 5                       *South Dakota State                                  THE JUNGLE                            7:00 p.m.

Feb. 7                       *North Dakota State                                  THE JUNGLE                            7:00 p.m.

Feb. 12                     *at Centenary                                             Shreveport, La.                           tba

Feb. 14                     *at Oral Roberts                                         Tulsa, Okla.                               7:05 p.m.

Feb. 19                     *IPFW                                                       THE JUNGLE                            7:00 p.m.

Feb. 21                     *Oakland (Senior Night)                            THE JUNGLE                            7:00 p.m.

Feb. 28                     *at Western Illinois                                      Macomb, Ill.                               tba

Mar. 7-10                   Summit League Tournament                         Sioux Falls, SD                          tbd

# - denotes exhibition game

* - denotes Summit League game

home games listed in bold