INDIANAPOLIS - The IUPUI basketball program will embark on an ambitious national slate during the 2017-18 season, highlighted by 15 home events and some marquee road matchups. Head Coach
Jason Gardner's squad has a bulked up non-league slate which includes trips to Purdue (Dec. 10), Washington State (Dec. 16) and 2017 national runner-up Gonzaga (Dec. 18).
"I think with this group, we want to be road tested early in the year to best prepare us for the Horizon League," Gardner said. "Everything is going to be all new to us. We've got nine new arena and nine new opponents and nine new trips that we don't know much about in league play. The more we can challenge ourselves in the non-conference schedule will help us compete once we get to league play."
The non-league home games include visits from Anderson (Nov. 13), Morehead State (Nov. 21), SIUE (Dec. 6) and a game against IU Kokomo (Dec. 22) in the Jungle. Other non-conference road trips include games at Bradley (Nov. 11), Eastern Illinois (Nov. 17), Western Illinois (Nov. 28) and Ball State (Dec. 2). The program's first year of Horizon League play will begin at 2017 league champion Northern Kentucky (Dec. 28) and the Jaguars' first home contest will be against UIC (Jan. 4).
The home finale will come against NKU at Indiana Farmers Coliseum on Feb. 25 before the Jags head to Detroit for Motor City Madness at the newly opened Little Caesars Arena.
"I know our fans are looking forward to be able to travel more easily to the Horizon League Tournament to support our boys this March," Gardner said. "I've heard and read a lot of great things about the new arena, so it'll be cool for our guys to have that opportunity to compete in an NBA venue for a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament."
The annual Red-White Scrimmage will be held on Monday, Oct. 30 showcasing bot the men's and women's squads in The Jungle. Gardner's team will host its lone exhibition on Nov. 3 when the Jaguars face Carroll (Wisc.) University at 7:00 p.m. at Indiana Farmers Coliseum.
On the court, the Jaguars look to be led by seniors
Ron Patterson (9.3 ppg, 62 3's) and
Aaron Brennan (8.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg) and juniors
Evan Hall (7.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg),
T.J. Henderson (5.9 ppg) and
D.J. McCall (4.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg). Patterson emerged as an elite sixth man last season, tallying nearly ten points per game in 23.7 minutes per game. Brennan, a 6-foot-7 forward, was playing his best basketball of the season at year's end in 2017, which included an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double in the opening round of The Summit League Tournament.
The crop of newcomers looks to be headlined by Loyola-transfer
Maurice Kirby, Toledo-transfer
Nick Rogers and true freshman
Jaylen Minnett. Kirby, a 6-foot-9 forward, made 31 starts in two seasons at Loyola and will provide depth in the middle. Rogers, a sophomore guard, played in 31 games at Toledo in 2015-16 before sitting out last season as a transfer. Minnett, a 6-foot-1 sharpshooter from Terre Haute, was voted to the prestigious Indiana All-Star Team after averaging 25.8 points per game as a senior at Terre Haute South.
"I think we have a really good group of guys," Gardner said. "We lost a lot to graduation in Darell, Matt O. and Kellon, but we have some really good guys behind them who are ready to step up. I like some of the new guys we've added and having guys like
Camron Justice and
Ahmed Ismail in practice everyday this year will add to our toughness.
"Fans are going to enjoy watching this team compete. It's a group that wants to get after people, work hard and play smart. I think that combination will result in a lot of wins this season."
As has been the case in years' past, all home games will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Greg Rakestraw (pxp) and IUPUI Hall of Famer Bob Lovell (analyst) on the call. Tip-off times, additional media coverage and promotions will be posted to IUPUIJags.com and social media in the coming weeks. In addition, season ticket information will be available online later this week.
