Exhibitions against Northwestern, Bradley and Northern Illinois dot the University of Illinois Springfield men’s basketball schedule for the upcoming season.
UIS opens the preseason on Nov. 4 at Northwestern then plays Bradley Nov. 11 in Peoria. It will play several non-conference games and two Great Lakes Valley Conference contests before taking on Northern Illinois on Dec. 31 in DeKalb.
The Prairie Stars are mere days away from starting the season. Saturday is the first official day NCAA Division II men’s and women’s basketball teams can practice full time.
Regular-season play for the 2016-17 season begins Nov. 13 against past national champion Findlay.
“We’re going to have seven freshmen and sophomores in our rotation,” Coach Bill Walker said. “So they’ll get a real baptism by fire.”
UIS women’s basketball schedule also includes games against RMU and Blackburn. Also like their male counterparts, the team plays its first exhibition against Northwestern. The Wildcats host UIS on Nov. 6. The Stars play their other exhibition Nov. 26 at Eastern Illinois University.
“It’s a competitive schedule,” Coach Mark Kost said. “I think playing teams from the GLIAC, playing a team from the MIAA and having the exhibition against Northwestern will give us a gauge of where we’re are, and help us get ready for conference play.”
This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on October 12, 2016.
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