Cowboys will play Stanford, Alabama, Gonzaga prior to Big 12 play.
The 2010-11 non-conference schedule will prepare the young Cowboys for Big 12 action.
July 13, 2010
Stillwater, Okla. — Seven home games, including a matchup with Stanford in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series, highlight Oklahoma State’s 2010-11 men’s basketball non-conference schedule, announced today by head coach Travis Ford.
“Our non-conference schedule will be very competitive this season and prepare us for the league portion of our schedule,” Ford said. “With the Big 12 considered the toughest conference in the country, we want to play teams that will prepare us for winning in the league. The teams on our non-conference schedule are also going to help us achieve a high RPI, which will be helpful when NCAA Tournament time comes around.”
The Cowboys will open the season hosting three-consecutive games inside Gallagher-Iba Arena. OSU will start with a total of five home games, including two exhibition contests which have yet to be determined.
Oklahoma State will travel to Anaheim, Calif., over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend to compete in the 76 Classic. The Pokes will open with DePaul on Thursday and will play either Virginia Tech or Cal State Northridge on Friday. Sunday’s opponent will be either Murray State or UNLV — both NCAA participants last season — or possibly Tulsa or Stanford. All three OSU games will be televised on one of the ESPN networks.
The Cowboys will visit the City of Brotherly Love on Dec. 4 as OSU travels to Philadelphia, Pa., to face the La Salle Explorers at The Palestra, one of the truly historic basketball venues in the country. Four days later, the Pokes will play the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in the BOK Center — one of the newest arenas in the nation — in Tulsa on Dec. 8.
After a matchup with Missouri State at home on Dec. 11, the Cowboys will play Alabama as part of the All-College Classic. Oklahoma will face Cincinnati in the other half of the doubleheader at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma State will host Stanford on Dec. 21 as part of the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series before taking a brief break for the holidays. OSU will return to action on New Year’s Eve as the Cowboys travel to Spokane, Wash., to face the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Pokes will conclude the non-league portion of the schedule by hosting former Cowboy and current UTSA head coach Brooks Thompson and his Roadrunners on Jan. 3.
“The 76 Classic will be a good early season test for our squad,” Ford said. ”Our players will also have an opportunity to play in the Palestra, one of the most historic arenas in the country. We have challenging games against Missouri State, Alabama, Stanford and Gonzaga. All in all, this will be a very good schedule to test the abilities of this team.”
Although the television portion of the schedule has yet to be released, it’s expected that as many as six of OSU’s non-conference games will be televised by one of the ESPN networks.
2010-11 Non-Conference Schedule Oklahoma State Men’s Basketball Sat., Nov. 13 HOUSTON BAPTIST Wed., Nov. 17 TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI Sun., Nov. 21 NICHOLLS STATE Thu., Nov. 25 vs DePaul + Fri., Nov. 26 vs Virginia Tech/Cal State Northridge + Sun., Nov. 28 vs Murray State/UNLV/Tulsa/Stanford + Wed., Dec. 1 CENTRAL ARKANSAS Sat., Dec. 4 vs La Salle * Wed., Dec. 8 vs Tulsa ^ Sat., Dec. 11 MISSOURI STATE Sat., Dec. 18 vs Alabama # Tue., Dec. 21 STANFORD Fri., Dec. 31 at Gonzaga Mon., Jan. 3 UTSA home games in BOLD + 76 Classic, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, Calif. * The Palestra, Philadelphia, Pa. ^ BOK Center, Tulsa, Okla. # All-College Classic, Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Okla.
