A challenging and exciting non-conference basketball schedule awaits the Missouri State Bears this winter, according to head coach Dana Ford, who released the framework for the slate Thursday (June 27)
The Bears will play at least six home games at JQH Arena as part of Ford’s second season as head coach. MSU is slated to host long-time rival Cleveland State on Nov. 12, with return games from Murray State (Dec. 3) and Arkansas State (Dec. 11).
Ford noted the Bears are still finalizing the other three home games, which will be announced at a later date.
The quality of the Bears’ road foes is even more impressive. Ford’s squad starts a five-game road swing at Xavier University on Nov. 21 before playing three games in the Charleston Classic, Nov. 21-24 in South Carolina. MSU closes out the road swing at LSU on Nov. 29 in the first-ever meeting between the Bears and Tigers who advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in 2019.
Other competitors in the Charleston Classic are: Buffalo, UConn, Florida, Miami (Fla.), St. Joseph’s, Towson and Xavier. Pairings for the ESPN-produced event will be announced later this summer.
The Bears also play a pair of road games in December with a trip to 2019 NCAA Tournament qualifier VCU on Dec. 15 before taking on regional rival Oral Roberts on Dec. 21 in the non-conference finale in Tulsa.
As is customary, the Missouri Valley Conference portion of the schedule will be released this fall.