Sam Houston State University’s men’s and women’s basketball have announced its schedules for the 2017-18 season. The men, finishing 21-13 overall in 2016, will look to continue their success. However, the women’s basketball team will look to start fresh after a 3-25 performance in 2016 where all of their victories came against Southland Conference opponents.
Men’s basketball will open up with back-to-back games at Johnson Coliseum, starting with the University of Texas Tyler on Nov. 11. They will play 13 games before facing Abilene Christian University on the road Dec. 30 to begin conference play.
“We try to play great teams, and there are always some tough ones that we have to play,” men’s head coach Jason Hooten said. “Baylor, LSU, and Ole Miss are very tough games. In all, I think it will make for a tougher schedule that it was last year.”
The Bearkat women’s basketball team will welcome LSU-Alexandria to Huntsville Nov. 5 to tip off their season. 16 of their 28 matchups in the upcoming season are slated as home games, highlighted by a streak of five straight games at Johnson Coliseum. Abilene Christian University will be the women’s first SLC opponent as well, as they travel to ACU on Dec. 30 for their first conference matchup of the year.
“I’m very excited about our schedule,” women’s head coach Brenda Nichols said. “We’re playing more at home. Any time we can keep our kids here, it’s a nice feeling.”
Men’s basketball will look to return to the Southland Conference Tournament after going 2-1 in 2016, beating Central Arkansas and Houston Baptist before losing to New Orleans in the semifinals. The women’s team missed the SLC Tournament last year, but look to build upon their 2015 success when they advanced all the way to the title game.