Last year, the University of Rhode Island men’s basketball team was two wins away from an Atlantic 10 Championship. But they suffered a disappointing loss against the University of Dayton, preventing them from making the NCAA tournament.
The 2015-2016 schedule was released earlier this month, marking the start to a new season filled with high expectations.
This year’s schedule features a record number of 11 national television appearances that will be broadcasted on NBC Sports, CBS and ESPN.
The Rams open their season at home on Friday, Nov. 13 against American University. They will have a short rest when they play Valparaiso University the following Tuesday morning as part of ESPN’s Tip-Off Marathon.
Rhode Island then travels to Cancun in order to compete in the four-game Cancun Challenge that takes place Nov. 21-29 facing opponents Cleveland State, TCU, Maryland/Illinois State, and Rider University.
On Saturday, Dec. 5, Providence College comes to Kingston in what should be one of the most anticipated and exciting games of the season. Rhode Island will be looking for revenge after the 68-60 loss that they suffered at the hand of Providence last season.
The Rams start their conference play on Jan. 2 when they host Saint Joseph’s University. Their conference play includes matchups between both University of Dayton and UMass, which will be played on Friday, Feb. 12, and Thursday March 3, respectively.
Rhode Island will finish its regular season on the road facing off against the University of Fordham on March 5.
This team will have high expectations to live up to, considering their success last year and their recent additions. But with a schedule that features many key matchups at home, it should be an exciting season for the Rhode Island faithful to be a part of.