Courtesy of LehighSports.com
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh head men’s basketball coach Brett Reed announced the team’s 2014-15 schedule on Thursday which includes eight games against teams that won 20 or more games last season and eight that qualified for national postseason tournaments. Road games at major conference foes Villanova, DePaul and Arizona State, along with home games against 20-win teams Canisius and Columbia, highlight the nonleague slate. The Mountain Hawks open their season on Nov. 14 against Villanova before welcoming Canisius for their home opener on the 18th.
“This year’s schedule will allow a blossoming team to face a variety of opponents that provide unique challenges in their own right,” said Lehigh head coach Brett Reed. “We will see a multitude of styles that we’ll have to prepare for, whether it’s teams that will press us, teams that will rely on a great deal of cutting within their offensive structure, or any other variety of attacks. I think our schedule is designed to give us exposure to those styles and hopefully give us great flexibility heading into the league portion of our schedule.”
Several Lehigh games will air on national television beginning with the season opener against Villanova on Fox Sports 2. A Thanksgiving Eve showdown at DePaul will air on Fox Sports 1 and matchup at Arizona State is set for the Pac-12 Network. Lehigh could also see as many as five games aired live on the CBS Sports Network through the Patriot League television package. Mountain Hawk home games (and all other league games) will continue to be shown live for free on the Patriot League Network, as well.
Lehigh renews several series this season, but also faces several new teams as well. The Mountain Hawks will play six different conferences in their nonleague schedule, led by the MAAC (3), Big East (2) and NEC (2). Lehigh will face one team from the Pac-12, Ivy League and America East.
“We are excited to compete against some very prominent and successful programs,” said Reed. “It includes an exciting game within the Lehigh Valley against Villanova, a series with a Canisius team that’s coming off 21 wins, another 20-win team in Columbia and a Big East team in DePaul. We renewed a very competitive series with Quinnipiac and maintained our scheduling philosophy with both DePaul and Arizona State by taking our players home so their friends and family can engage in their collegiate basketball experiences.”
After the season opener vs. Villanova at the PPL Center in Allentown, the Mountain Hawks welcome Canisius to Stabler Arena on Monday, Nov. 18. Out of the MAAC, the Golden Griffins went 21-13 last season and advanced to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT).
Lehigh hits the road on Nov. 21 to face another MAAC team, Rider, before returning home to host Ivy League foe Columbia on Sunday the 23rd. The Lions are coming off an impressive 21-13 season which featured a trip to the CIT Quarterfinals.
The Mountain Hawks head to Chicago to face DePaul on Thanksgiving Eve (Nov. 26) in a 9 p.m. ET game aired nationally on Fox Sports 1. It will mark a homecoming for sophomore Miles Simelton, who is from Oswego, Illinois. Also, sophomore Austin Price (Indianapolis) and freshmanTyler Jenkins (Fishers) reside one state over in Indiana.
Lehigh returns home on Wednesday, Dec. 3 to face Saint Francis (Pa.) before playing its second straight NEC team in LIU Brooklyn on Dec. 6. The Blackbirds have won three of the last four NEC Championships. The Mountain Hawks stay on the road to face Quinnipiac on Thursday, Dec. 18. The Bobcats were 20-12 last season and advanced to the CIT.
Lehigh then heads to Phoenix to face Arizona State on Saturday, Dec. 20 in a homecoming for sophomore Tim Kempton. The reigning Patriot League Rookie of the Year is from Scottsdale, Arizona and his father (who played in the NBA) is currently a broadcaster for the Phoenix Suns.
The Mountain Hawks wrap up nonleague play at University of Maryland Baltimore County on Sunday, Dec. 28. After opening Patriot League play with Colgate on New Year’s Eve, the Mountain Hawks travel to Boston University and Army on Jan. 3 and 7, respectively. Lehigh then plays three of its next four games at home, beginning with Loyola (Jan. 10) and continuing with Holy Cross (Jan. 17) and Navy (Jan. 21). A road showdown at American is set for Jan. 14.
After the Navy home game, the Mountain Hawks hit the road for two straight games against rivals Lafayette (Jan. 24) and Bucknell (Jan. 28). Lehigh begins the second round of league play at home on Jan. 31, hosting Boston University at 2 p.m. The Mountain Hawks have five home games in the second round of the Patriot League schedule, also welcoming Army (Feb. 4), American (Feb. 11), Lafayette (Feb. 22) and Bucknell (Feb. 25) to Stabler Arena. Lehigh’s showdown vs. Lafayette and game at Colgate on Feb. 28 are both flex games and could be picked up by CBS Sports Network.
A slight change in the Patriot League Tournament schedule sees the opening round pushed to Tuesday, Mar. 3 (originally Monday) with the quarterfinals pushed to Thursday and semifinals Sunday. The league championship game is set for Wednesday, Mar. 11. Both semifinal games and the championship game are set for CBS Sports Network.
Check back to Lehighsports.com for all Lehigh men’s basketball ticket information as it becomes available.
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