JSU’s Murderous Schedule

Editor: The following is part of a press release from jsugamecocksports.com.

(Jacksonville, AL)  – The Jacksonville State men’s basketball team released its 2018-19 schedule Friday afternoon, ushering in its third season with Ray Harper at the helm.

The third-year JSU head coach has planned a 12-game home slate that includes a November 28 home opener and a December 18 matchup with old rival North Alabama, while the road schedule sees the Gamecocks visit Penn State, Wichita State, West Virginia and Evansville before the start of conference play.

“I think it’s a great, challenging schedule,” Harper said. “We’re going to be playing in two of the toughest environments in college basketball, renew an old rivalry in North Alabama and get to play in the same arena where we hope to compete for an Ohio Valley Conference championship. It’s going to prepare us for a tough OVC schedule.”

The season tips off November 9 in Birmingham with in-state rival Samford. Following the local opener, the Gamecocks hit the road for the four-game Cancun Challenge. As previously released, JSU visits Penn State and Bradley before squaring off against Western Carolina and a team to be decided on November 20 and 21 in Cancun, Mexico at the Hard Rock Hotel.

“We are going to be tested early and often, and these first few games are great examples of that,” Harper said. “Samford is a natural rival who is always going to challenge us. Then we go to Penn State, who won the NIT last season, and Bradley, which is a team that is rumored by some publications to be the second-best team in the Missouri Valley Conference behind Loyola.”

Following Thanksgiving, Jacksonville State hosts Carver College on November 28 for the first game back at Pete Mathews Coliseum since the March 19 tornado ripped through its home court. It is scheduled to be the first sporting event hosted by The Pete since the Gamecocks’ 78-67 win over Belmont on February 22 to wrap up last season’s home schedule.

“It’s going to be great to get back in there,” Harper said. “I still remember seeing it for the first time when we got back from North Texas; the devastation to our campus and community. We will come back stronger and better for it, and it will be a great day when we’re able to step foot back on that court.”

The Gamecocks jump on an early December four-game road trip soon after, visiting North Alabama, Delaware State, Wichita State and Evansville.

“I’ve been to Wichita State,” Harper said. “It’s one of the best environments I’ve ever been in. It’s right up there with Duke. It’s really going to be a challenge for our guys.”

JSU hits the road one final time during non-conference play on December 22 to visit West Virginia. The matchup with the Mountaineers is the men’s basketball program’s first, and will serve as the first Big 12 contest since the Gamecocks took on Texas Christian on the road during the 2016-17 season.

OVC play begins January 3 in Nashville, Tennessee, with a conference-opening contest against Belmont.