SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State men’s basketball coach Dana Ford announced today (Sept. 15) his team’s full schedule for the upcoming 2022-23 season.
The Bears will play 11 non-conference games in November and December, including five home games at Great Southern Bank Arena and three games at the Baha Mar Championship in The Bahamas on the week of Thanksgiving. Ford’s squad will also play a home exhibition game against Newman University on Saturday, Nov. 5 to get things started.
“It is vital for our guys to be tested and challenged by quality opponents with different styles of play during the non-conference portion of our season,” Ford explained. “Our ultimate goal is to prepare this team for the rigors of a new and improved Missouri Valley Conference. We believe we have built the schedule to reflect that challenge.”
The regular season will officially open on Wednesday, Nov. 9 with a visit from NCAA Division II foe Missouri S&T in the first of two home games in the first month of the season. The long-standing rivalry between the Bears and Miners dates back to 1910 with 140 previous meetings between the two squads.
The Bears then travel to BYU a week later (Nov. 16) in a rematch of last year’s classic 74-68 game in Springfield. The Cougars were 22-10 last season and made the NIT.
Missouri State is back home on Saturday, Nov. 19 to square off with Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders were 26-11 last season en route to a runner-up finish in the CBI and a divisional title in the CUSA East.
Ford’s team then takes to the road for the following three weeks — first with the previously-announced Baha Mar Championship in Nassau, Bahamas (Nov. 25-27), and then on Wednesday, Dec. 7 with a return trip to St. Mary’s (Calif.) College.
The field of the Bahamas event has the Bears squaring off with UNC Wilmington in the opening round. The Seahawks were CAA co-champions a year ago and finished 27-9 en route to a CBI Postseason title. MSU will take on Vermont or Ball State the second day. Vermont won its fifth straight conference title and was 28-6 last season, while Ball State is coming off a 14-17 campaign.
Potential final-round foes in The Bahamas are: Oakland (20-12), Long Beach State (20-13), North Texas (25-7) and San Jose State (8-23). Like Missouri State, both Long Beach and North Texas were NIT qualifiers last season. MSU topped Long Beach State, 92-66, in last season’s Naples Invitational.
Upon returning from the St. Mary’s trip, three of Missouri State’s final four non-conference games will be at home, starting with a visit from IPFW on Sat., Dec. 10. The Mastodons, who are coming off a 21-12 season and 15-6 ledger in the Horizon League.
A return trip to Oral Roberts takes place on Fri., Dec. 16 in Tulsa. Including a 69-60 loss to Missouri State, the Golden Hurricane was 19-12 last season. The Bears lead the all-time series with ORU by a 10-9 count.
The Bears then close out non-conference play with visits to Great Southern Bank Arena from Central Michigan (Sun., Dec. 18) and Sam Houston (Thu., Dec. 22). Central Michigan will be making its first trip to Springfield since 2008, while Sam Houston returns for the first time since 2000. MoState was a 77-55 winner over Sam Houston last season in Texas.
All told, the Bears will play at least five non-conference teams that won 20 or more games last season, while several other potential foes made the postseason in 2021-22 — NCAA Tournament teams St. Mary’s and Vermont; NIT qualifiers BYU, Long Beach State and North Texas; and CBI finalists UNC Wilmington and Middle Tennessee.
The new, 20-game Missouri Valley Conference schedule format will give the Bears home-and-home matchups with nine teams (Belmont, Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Indiana State, Murray State, Southern Illinois, UIC and UNI) and single matchups with Illinois State (away) and Valparaiso (home).
The new format also features three games prior to January for the first time. The Bears open league play on Wednesday, Nov. 30 at Valley newcomer UIC and host Bradley later that week on Saturday, Dec. 3. Conference play then resumes on Wed., Dec. 28 at UNI.
In January, the Bears will embark on nine Valley games, including home dates with Drake (Jan. 1), Evansville (Jan. 4), Indiana State (Jan. 15), Southern Illinois (Jan. 21) and UIC (Jan. 24).
February’s agenda will include four MVC games at home and four on the road. The home opponents are: Valparaiso (Feb. 1), Belmont (Feb. 8), UNI (Feb. 18) and Murray State (Feb. 21).
The conference season concludes at Indiana State on Feb. 26, setting the stage for an expanded 12-team Arch Madness bracket in St. Louis, March 2-5.
Missouri State is coming off a 23-11 campaign in which the Bears finished as runners-up in the Missouri Valley Conference, earning a berth in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) for the first time since 2011. Ford’s fifth season in Springfield will feature a revamped roster that includes MVC All-Defensive Team standout Donovan Clay and fellow senior Dawson Carper along with a cast of 14 newcomers in the fold.
