JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Sept. 19, 2016) – Head coach Steve Forbes and the ETSU men’s basketball team released its 2016-17 schedule on Monday, a slate highlighted by a December home game with the University of Tennessee, four opponents that won conference championships a year ago, and a trip to the three-game Sanford Pentagon Classic in Sioux Fall, S.D., in November.

Forbes said the schedule – which consists of games against teams from eight different Division I conferences including the SEC, Atlantic 10, Colonial, Horizon, Summit, Big West, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Ohio Valley – will test the Buccaneers and prepare them for their Southern Conference run and postseason play.

“Our non-conference schedule is extremely challenging and difficult, and having Tennessee here for the first time in 51 years is very exciting for our fans and everyone in this region,” Forbes said. “We have scheduled two SEC opponents and four other teams that won their conference regular season or tournament championships a year ago. We will be tested every time we step on the court and this will pay dividends in league play and down the stretch in March.”

ETSU Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Richard Sander agreed with Forbes’ assessment of the schedule and commended the staff for its work securing a quality list of opponents.

“Coach Forbes has done an incredible job of assembling a non-conference schedule that is going to prepare our team for SoCon competition,” Sander said. “Competing against two SEC schools, two Atlantic 10 squads, a NCAA tourney team like UNC Wilmington, traditionally strong mid-majors in Detroit and Morehead State, and a multi-team event against some very successful programs, should not only prepare us, but also provide us with an opportunity to build an impressive resume for post-season consideration.

“I do want to also point out that I’m proud of our staff for putting this schedule together despite getting little or no response from nearby institutions. We know how our fans enjoy matchups with these nearby schools, but none of them were willing to schedule us this year. That’s extremely unfortunate.”

Six teams on the schedule finished with RPI rankings in the Top 150 a year ago, and the average RPI ranking of the non-conference opponents on this year’s slate comes to 129, compared to an average ranking of 148 last season. In addition, the non-conference teams on the schedule averaged 20.4 wins last year and seven played in the postseason.

The season will open with back-to-back home games as the Bucs face Fordham (Nov. 11) and Detroit (Nov. 14) inside Freedom Hall. A road trip to UNC Wilmington (Nov. 20) follows along with three games at the Sanford Pentagon Classic hosted by South Dakota State in Sioux Fall, S.D., from Nov. 25-27. The Bucs return home in December to host Lees-McRae (Dec. 1), Limestone (Dec. 4), Tennessee (Dec. 22) and Savannah State (Dec. 29). Road games of note in December include trips to Atlantic 10 foe Dayton on Dec. 10 and a visit to SEC opponent Mississippi State on Dec. 14.

The Bucs will open Southern Conference play on Dec. 31 at home against VMI before hitting the road for games at The Citadel (Jan. 5) and Mercer (Jan. 7). Other SoCon matchups of note include critical home games against Wofford (Jan. 22), Chattanooga (Jan. 28) and Mercer (Feb. 11), as well as road matchups at Wofford (Feb. 6) and UTC (Feb. 18).

Forbes credited assistant coach Brooks Savage for his work in developing the schedule.

“Scheduling is time consuming and can be very frustrating,” Forbes said. “Coach Savage did a tremendous job putting together such a competitive and demanding schedule.”

For more on ETSU men’s basketball, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the men’s hoops links. Fans interested in purchasing tickets for the 2016-17 season can learn more by clicking on the tickets link or by calling 423-439-ETSU (3878).

2016-17 ETSU Men’s Basketball Schedule

Saturday, Nov. 5........................................... Mars Hill %

Friday, Nov. 11................................................ Fordham

Monday, Nov. 14.................................................. Detroit

Sunday, Nov. 20................................. at UNC Wilmington

Friday, Nov. 25............................................. Milwaukee $

Saturday, Nov. 26........................... South Dakota State $

Sunday, Nov. 27............................................. UC Irvine $

Thursday, Dec. 1.......................................... Lees-McRae

Sunday, Dec. 4............................................... Limestone

Saturday, Dec. 10............................................. at Dayton

Wednesday, Dec. 14.......................... at Mississippi State

Saturday, Dec. 17................................ at Morehead State

Thursday, Dec. 22.......................................... Tennessee

Thursday, Dec. 29............................... Savannah State

Saturday, Dec. 31................................................... VMI *

Thursday, Jan. 5....................................... at The Citadel *

Saturday, Jan. 7.............................................. at Mercer *

Thursday, Jan. 12.............................. UNC Greensboro *

Saturday, Jan. 14............................... Western Carolina *

Thursday, Jan. 19........................................... at Furman *

Sunday, Jan. 22............................................... Wofford *

Wednesday, Jan. 25..................................... at Samford *

Saturday, Jan. 28...................................... Chattanooga *

Thursday, Feb. 2................................................. at VMI *

Monday, Feb. 6............................................ at Wofford *

Thursday, Feb. 9........................................ The Citadel *

Saturday, Feb. 11.............................................. Mercer *

Wednesday, Feb. 15........................................ Samford *

Saturday, Feb. 18................................... at Chattanooga *

Wednesday, Feb. 22......................................... Furman *

Saturday, Feb. 25............................. at Western Carolina *

Monday, Feb. 27.............................. at UNC Greensboro *

March 3-6.................. SoCon Tournament (Asheville, N.C.)

Home games in bold

% -- Exhibition

$ -- indicates Sanford Pentagon Showcase event in Sioux

Falls, S.D.

* -- indicates Southern Conference game