2012-13 LIU Brooklyn Men's Basketball Non-Conference Schedule
Brooklyn, NY -- A pair of games at the brand-new Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn and a trip to defending national champion Kentucky highlight the LIU Brooklyn men's basketball non-conference schedule, which was announced on Thursday by head coach Jack Perri.
The two-time defending Northeast Conference champions open the 2012-13 season on Friday, Nov. 9 against Morehead State in the Barclays Center Classic. The game will be part of the first college basketball event at the billion-dollar arena and will also include Maryland and Kentucky.
“Opening up at the new Barclays Center is a tremendous honor for our program,” Perri says. “It is great for basketball in Brooklyn and we are really looking forward to our continued relationship with Barclays as our 'home away from home' this season and into the future.”
LIU will also take on Seton Hall at Barclays Center on Saturday, Dec. 22 as part of the Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational. Manhattan and South Carolina will face off in the other game of the event.
Following the opening contest against Morehead State, the Blackbirds will travel to Lafayette for the first half of a home-and-home series with the Leopards on Nov. 12. The back-end of the series will take place at the Wellness Center on Dec. 1.
Seniors Jamal Olasewere and C.J. Garner will make a return trip to Comcast Center on Friday, Nov. 16 as LIU takes on Atlantic Coast Conference member Maryland. The duo won back-to-back state championships at the arena for Springbrook High School in 2008-09.
The Blackbirds continue on the road the day after Thanksgiving for a matchup with Kentucky at Rupp Arena on Friday, Nov. 23. The Wildcats went 38-2 last season and defeated Kansas to win the program's eighth national title this past April.
On Wed., Nov. 28, LIU Brooklyn will host Columbia in its first contest at the Wellness Center of the 2012-13 season. The Blackbirds will be looking to avenge last season's 63-53 loss to the Lions at Levien Gymnasium in Manhattan. LIU enters the season with a 27-game winning streak at the WRAC, the second-longest active streak in the nation.
Following the tilt with Lafayette on Dec. 1, LIU takes on local rival Hofstra at the Wellness Center on the following Saturday, Dec. 8, before taking the first of two trips to the Lonestar State of Texas for a matchup with Rice on Dec. 12. The Blackbirds feature six players on their roster from Texas, including reigning Northeast Conference Player of the Year Julian Boyd and All-NEC Second Team honoree Jason Brickman.
An inter-borough matchup against Manhattan at the Wellness Center dots the schedule on Sunday, Dec. 16, preceding a road contest at Saint Peter's on Dec. 19.
Rounding out the non-conference schedule is a trip to Lamar in Beaumont, Texas on Friday, Dec. 28. The Cardinals earned an appearance at the NCAA Tournament's First Four last season after winning the Southland Conference tournament title.
“I feel that our non-conference schedule is one of the toughest we've had since I have been here," Perri said. "The two trips to Texas are great for our Texas kids and playing against opponents such as Seton Hall, Maryland and defending national champion Kentucky can only help prepare us for conference play. I know our guys are excited and up for the challenge that lies ahead.”
LIU returns four starters and nine letterwinners from last season's team that went 25-9 and earned the program's second consecutive NEC regular season and tournament title.