Men's Hoops Releases 2013-14 Non-Conference Slate

View the 2013-14 Non-Conference Schedule

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Coming off one of its most successful seasons in recent years, the University of Hartford men's basketball team will look to keep the ball rolling in 2013-14 as it goes up against what is arguably the most challenging non-conference slate in program history. Highlighting the schedule for fourth-year head coach John Gallagher and his Hawks are dates with three NCAA Sweet 16 squads, including a November 19 matchup on the home court of the Louisville Cardinals, last year's NCAA Tournament champion.

"Obviously playing three NCAA Sweet 16 teams is a great challenge for our program and we are really excited about it," said Gallagher. "It's challenging, but at the same time, I think this is very great for our group. It will have us ready for conference play and we will have the opportunity to see where we are early on in the season."

The month of November features a challenging stretch for the Hawks as six of eight games will be played away from the friendly confines of the Chase Family Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion. In addition, the opening week of the new season will be one of the busiest with Hartford playing four contests over a span of just seven days.

For the fifth straight year, the 2013-14 campaign will open with the Connecticut 6 Classic on November 9, hosted by Fairfield University at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn. The Hawks are slotted for the opening game of the annual event and will tip-off the season against the Quinnipiac Bobcats.

"We are excited about playing in the Connecticut 6, but more importantly, we are playing every Division I team from Connecticut with the exception of UConn this season," Gallagher said. He continued, "I think that is really important for our program. In-state basketball is great for both our fans and our community."

Following the season opener, the Hawks will make history on Tuesday, November 12 as they are scheduled to play their first true road game at 7 a.m. at Florida Gulf Coast, a team that advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament this past March, as part of ESPN's Tip-off Marathon. This is the sixth year for ESPN's Tip-Off Marathon, which features games from midnight to midnight on its multiple networks during the first week of the regular season in November.

When asked about the FGCU contest, Gallagher commented, "first and foremost, it's exciting for the program to have a game on national television." He continued, "Second, we are playing a great opponent in Florida Gulf Coast, a team that made a spectacular run through the NCAA Tournament last year. It's going to be a hostile environment and should be a real fun experience for our team."

Unique to the 2013-14 season, the Hawks will play their four remaining opponents from the Connecticut 6 Classic, starting with a road game at Fairfield. A 16-year hiatus between the two in-state squads will come to an end on November 13, the day after the FGCU matchup, in a contest that is part of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-off Tournament. Hartford will also travel to the home courts of fellow Nutmeg State members Central Connecticut (December 10) and Sacred Heart (December 15) and will play host to the Yale Bulldogs on November 30.

Hartford's fourth game of the season serves as its home opener as the Hawks welcome the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights to West Hartford for the first time since 2001. The Chase Family Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion proved to be a friendly environment for the Hawks in 2012-13 as they went 10-5 on their home court in front of an average crowd of 1,918 fans per game.

Following the home debut, the Hawks pack their bags yet again, this time for the Bluegrass State to take on Louisville. The second game of the Naismith Hall of Fame Tipoff Tournament, Hartford and Louisville have met just one other time in the Hawks' 29 years as an NCAA Division I program, a 104-69 Cardinals' triumph in 2007.

The Naismith Hall of Fame Tipoff Tournament continues with a pair of games at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. On Saturday, November 23, the Hawks will play Hofstra before concluding play in the tournament on Sunday, November 24th against either Belmont or Holy Cross.

"It is an honor to be invited to participate in such a prestigious tournament," exclaimed Gallagher. "As our program continues to grow, this provides us with the opportunity to go up against some of the best competition and some of the most respected programs in the country."

A meeting with Belmont would be the first time the Hawks and Bruins tangle in both teams' Division I histories. Hartford and Hofstra have hooked up 16 times, but have not met since the Pride left the America East for the Colonial Athletic Association in 2001. Holy Cross and Hartford have enjoyed a competitive series to date as the two squads have split 12 games since the 1985 campaign.

The month of November concludes with a home clash featuring Nutmeg State rival Yale on November 30 before December kicks off with a visit to Gallagher's hometown, Philadelphia, to face La Salle. Head coach Dr. John Giannini and his Explorers made a run in last season's NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Sweet 16 where they fell to ninth-seeded Wichita State.

"John Giannini has done an unbelievable job with La Salle's program," said Gallagher. "They return everybody except Ramon Galloway from a Sweet 16 team, and I have no doubt they will be a top-25 team this season. Playing an opponent that has made major strides over the last five years gives us the chance to see what level you we can get to as a team if we do things the right way, which La Salle has done."

The Hawks continue to move through the second month of the season with a Saturday evening home game against the Holy Cross Crusaders on December 7. Following two in-state road games at Central Connecticut and Sacred Heart, Hartford returns from a short break for finals with its last home game of the 2013 calendar year. That contest, held on Sunday, December 22, pits the Hawks against the Peacocks of Saint Peter's.

The final game of 2013 will take place on the west coast as the Hawks square off against the University of Washington of the Pac-12 on December 29, an NIT team that posted 18-wins last year. The first-ever meeting between the Hawks and Huskies also serves as a homecoming for junior forward Nate Sikma who hails from Bellevue, a suburb just outside of Seattle.

"Washington is bringing Nate Sikma back to his hometown, which is a great thing for us," Gallagher declared. "That program has been in the top of thePac-12 for years. They are a challenging opponent, and we are looking forward to taking the court with them."

The final non-conference game of the season will be a mid-week tilt at Dartmouth on January 7. The Hawks own an 8-6 record against the Big Green but will look to end a two-game skid with their foes from the north.

Hartford returns 10 players, including four starters, from last year's squad which finished with the most non-conference wins since 2007-08 (10) while matching the program record for regular season victories (17). In addition, as the 11th youngest team in the nation, the Hawks earned the program's first-ever postseason bid in 2012-13 as they participated in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.