By The Long Beach State men’s basketball program released its schedule for the upcoming 2018-2019 season Tuesday.
The team will begin its campaign Nov. 9 at UCLA before taking on Menlo College in the annual homecoming game at the Walter Pyramid Nov. 10.
As part of a new scheduling philosophy under head coach Dan Monson’s recent 5-year extension, the team will play less power-conference teams and travel less for road games compared to previous years. Home games will include matchups against Oregon State, Pepperdine, Colorado State and more.
“I’m very excited about this year’s schedule, which reflects the new scheduling philosophy that was presented in coach Monson’s restructured contract,” athletics director Andy Fee said via LBSU Athletics. “Our fans will have more chances to see our team play this season, with the majority of our games being played in Southern California and the surrounding area.”
The team will only play five road games outside of California this season, going up against Arizona State, Mississippi State, two games at the MGM Resorts Main Event tournament in Las Vegas and the annual Big West conference matchup at Hawai’i. Other noticeable road games include USC, University of San Diego, Fresno State and Stanford.
“We are still playing a national schedule, but have focused on having more games against schools from the Pac-12, Mountain West and West Coast conferences to give our fans more opportunities to come see us play and show their support,” head coach Dan Monson said via LBSU Athletics. “We think this is a more balanced schedule that will prepare us for Big West play and put us in the best position to compete for a championship.”
Big West conference play begins for Long Beach Jan. 12 against UC Davis in the Walter Pyramid. The regular season officially ends on March 6 before the team prepares for the Big West tournament March 14.
