Complete Schedule

MOBILE, Ala. – With five top 100 opponents awaiting the University of South Alabama men's basketball team, the Jaguars' 2013-14 schedule looks to be the most challenging in recent history.

Head coach Matthew Graves announced Monday the Jags will face four of those five programs—Middle Tennessee, Gonzaga, Arkansas and New Mexico State—away from home, and will take on a total of nine teams that won 19 games or more a season ago.

"We're very excited about the schedule we've been able to put together," Graves said. "We had eight games to try and find in mid-April and were able to fill a few holes and at the same time, give us a schedule will better prepare us to make a run in the conference tournament."

This year South Alabama will play a full home-and-home schedule against all Sun Belt Conference opponents—same as 2012-13—but the league will not have divisions for the first time since the 1999-00 campaign.

"I like the fact that we'll be playing a full home-and-home schedule during conference play because I think the way the tournament seeds are set up with the multiple byes you can earn, it's more of a fair way to determine that," Graves said."

Following an exhibition contest against Mobile on Nov. 5, the Jaguars open the regulars season at home for the first time since 2010-11 on Nov. 8 against 2013 NIT participant Detroit. The Titans went 20-13 last year but lose 2013 Horizon League Player of the Year and second round draft pick Ray McCallum.

"I'm very familiar with Detroit from my time in the Horizon League," Graves commented. "We had a lot of great battles when we were at Butler so I'm thankful that they took the opportunity to travel down here and it will great to open the season with a high-level opponent."

USA commences its road schedule Nov. 12 at Texas, meeting the Longhorns after a 27-year hiatus. UT is coming off a 16-18 season, snapping a streak of 13 straight years with at least 20 wins and the first losing campaign under head coach Rick Barnes.

After a clash with William Carey on Nov. 18, the Mitchell Center will play host to a branch of the 2013 CBE Classic, as a trio of yet-to-be-announced teams and the Jaguars will play a round-robin style tournament from November 22-24.

"We really like this because it gives us some extra home games and gives our fans an opportunity to watch our team play a couple of extra times," Graves noted. "We also have a chance to practice playing three games in three days which is something we hope to be doing come March."

On Nov. 30 South Alabama keeps a Sun Belt rivalry alive when the Jags travel to Murfreesboro, Tenn. to take on defending SBC champion and current Conference USA member Middle Tennessee.

After a Dec. 2 home date with city rival Spring Hill, South Alabama travels to Rice on Dec. 7 and takes on Gonzaga, ranked No. 1 in the nation last year, Dec. 14 in Seattle's Key Arena for the 2013 Battle in Seattle.

"This gives our players an up-close look at what a top-tier program looks like," Graves said. "The exposure that not only our program but the university gets from playing a nationally-ranked opponent can only enhance our program as we move forward."

South Alabama plays its final home game of 2013 against Dillard on Dec. 17 and closes out December on the road against Arkansas in Little Rock (Dec. 21) and New Mexico State (Dec. 28). The last Arkansas-USA tilt in 2009 resulted in a 74-61 Jaguar victory.

The Jaguars open the 2014 calendar year on Jan. 2 with a home contest against Western Kentucky and stay in Mobile on Jan. 4 when they host Georgia State in a Sun Belt game for the first time since Jan. 10, 1981.

"You hear about the different rivalries from school to school and a lot of fans have asked me about the Western Kentucky game and they're fired up about it. I'm excited to be a part of that for the first time and what a great way to kick off the conference season, playing the defending conference tournament champion. You get a chance to see where you stand right away and it'll give us a great measuring stick for where we need to go throughout January and February."

USA heads to Arkansas the following weekend for clashes against Arkansas-Little Rock (Jan. 9) and Arkansas State (Jan. 11) before returning home for a pair of games against Louisiana-Lafayette (Jan. 16) and Louisiana-Monroe (Jan. 18). The month of January closes with road contests at Georgia State (Jan. 25) and USA's first trip to Texas-Arlington since 1977 (Jan. 30).

Home contests with Arkansas-Little Rock (Feb. 1) and Arkansas State (Feb. 13) sandwich a road game at Troy (Feb. 6). The Jaguars make their final Sun Belt road trip to Western Kentucky on Feb. 15 before taking on Texas State Feb. 20 for the first time in school history.

South Alabama hosts Troy Feb. 22 and makes its final road trip of the year Feb. 27 and March 2 against Louisiana-Monroe and Louisiana-Lafayette, respectively.

The regular season closes with a pair of home games against Texas State (March 6) and Texas-Arlington (March 8).

"I think it's a huge advantage to close out the year at home," Graves stated. "Coming down the stretch, I'm anticipating it being a tight race for the conference championship, so to be able to finish at home gives you a little bit of an advantage. As you head into the tournament, maybe you can get an extra day of rest on Sunday where you're not traveling back from somebody else's venue. It'll be great to have the seniors play at home in their last regular season game."

The Sun Belt Tournament returns to New Orleans for the first time since 2003, taking place March 13-16 at Lakefront Arena.

"I like the fact that the conference tournament will be in New Orleans," Graves said. "We hope to have a lot of fans drive over and I think it's a great venue for the Sun Belt as we move forward. They did a tremendous job putting in a city that's geared towards events. We look forward to it growing and growing each year."

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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