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 Western Carolina head men's basketball coach Larry Hunter today released his team's 2007-08 schedule. |
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Aug. 13, 2007
2007-08 Western Carolina Men's Basketball Schedule
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Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina head men's basketball coach Larry Hunter today released his 2007-08 schedule which features a new, 20-game Southern Conference slate, three first-time opponents and non-conference road games against the likes of Cincinnati, Indiana, Illinois and in-state foe, North Carolina State.
The season will culminate with the annual Southern Conference basketball tournaments at the North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, S.C., with the men competing during a Friday through Monday schedule in early-March while the women's tournament will run Thursday through Monday.
"As we have done the past two years, we have lined up a very challenging non-conference schedule," said Hunter. "Our players will get a chance to play in some of college basketball's best venues and against four preseason top 25 teams. For our younger players, they will get baptized in quick fashion.
He added, "With an early conference home game (against the College of Charleston, Dec. 1) and fewer Saturday games in conference late in the season, we are going to need the support of our students and the community to fill the Ramsey Center."
Western will open Hunter's third season at the helm in tournament play in Cincinnati, Ohio on Nov. 9-11. In addition to the host Bearcats, the Belmont Bruins and Bowling Green Falcons, against who Hunter earned his first WCU victory back in 2005, will join the Catamounts in the tournament field.
WCU will make its home debut on Wednesday, Nov. 14 as it plays host to Methodist College in the Ramsey Center. The Catamounts lead the all-time series, 5-0, over Methodist. A week later, mountain-rival UNC Asheville visits Cullowhee on Nov. 20 to renew the age-old rivalry - Cats vs. Dogs.
In addition to an increased number of conference games, which results in playing each team twice - both home and away - the SoCon has entered into a new scheduling process that has moved game days to Thursday and Saturday, with Monday also tagged for a few league games. Due to the lengthened conference slate, Western's 2007-08 SoCon opener is scheduled for Nov. 27 as the Catamounts travel to Elon to face the Phoenix. Western downed the Phoenix in their last meeting, 69-65, in the opening round of last year's SoCon Tournament.
December's schedule features a trio of home dates - including a Dec. 1 date with the College of Charleston Cougars and non-conference tilts with North Carolina Central and Presbyterian - with three additional high-profile road contests. Western will face Indiana (Dec. 15) and Illinois (Dec. 17) as a part of one road trip before concluding the month with a post-holiday meeting at North Carolina State (Dec. 29) at the RBC Center in Raleigh.
Four of Western's nine games in January will be played inside the friendly confines of the Ramsey Center, with five of its final nine during February's stretch run to the conference championship slated at home. Consecutive road contests at Furman (Jan. 3) and Davidson (Jan. 5) will greet WCU in the New Year, with a return bout against the Paladins scheduled for Cullowhee less than a week later (Jan. 10). An additional conference road game at Chattanooga (Jan. 12) - Western's fourth out of five games - will be followed by home dates against defending champion, Davidson (Jan. 21) and a start back through the schedule a second time by hosting Elon on Jan. 24.
The Catamounts will open February by hosting arch-rival, Appalachian State, on Saturday, Feb. 2 in Ramsey, with Chattanooga coming to town two days later on Monday, Feb. 4. Three-straight road games at Georgia Southern (Feb. 7), The Citadel (Feb. 14) and College of Charleston (Feb. 16) precede the final three home dates of the season as Western hosts UNC Greensboro (Feb. 21), The Citadel (Feb. 23) and Wofford on Thursday, Feb. 28 in the final home game of the season.
Western ends its regular season on the road in a pair of North Division match-ups that should help decide the divisional winner. The Catamounts travel to Boone to face Appalachian State on Sat.,, March 1 before wrapping up the regular season at UNC Greensboro on March 3 before traveling to Charleston for the conference championships on March 7 through 10.
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