Courtesy of FordhamSports.com
Bronx, N.Y. – Coming off one of its most successful seasons over the past 25 years, the Fordham University men’s basketball program released its non-conference schedule today, a schedule that features eight home games in the historic Rose Hill Gym as well as a game at Madison Square Garden as part of the Holiday Festival.
“We have made an effort to strengthen our non-conference schedule,” said head coach Jeff Neubauer who is entering his second year at Fordham. “All four of our road games are against potential Top 100 opponents which will be beneficial to us once we start Atlantic 10 play as the conference is again shaping up to be one of the most competitive in the country.”
The Rams open the 2016-2017 season, Fordham’s 114th varsity season, with a trip to East Tennessee State University on Friday night, November 11, for the first ever meeting between the two schools. It will also be Fordham’s first trip to the Volunteer State since the Rams competed in the 2006 preseason NIT in Nashville.
Fordham then returns to the Bronx for the first of seven straight games in the Rose Hill Gym on Monday night, November 14, as the Rams host NYIT as part of the Fordham multi-team exempt event (MTE).
The Rams continue the MTE from Friday, November 18, through Sunday, November 20, as Fordham hosts Fairleigh Dickinson University, Saint Peter’s College and Lipscomb University over the three days. The Rams will face FDU on Friday, Saint Peter’s on Saturday and Lipscomb on Sunday. It will be the second meeting between the Rams and the Knights (Fordham won last year’s meeting) and the 46th matchup with Saint Peter’s, the first since 1990. Fordham and Lipscomb will square off for the first time.
A day before Thanksgiving, November 23, the Rams will host Rider University in the Rose Hill Gym. It will be the fifth meeting between Fordham and Rider with the Rams winning the four previous games.
After Thanksgiving, Fordham will host UT Arlington on Saturday, November 26, in a rematch of last year’s opener, won by the Mavericks in Arlington.
The home stand concludes on Wednesday, November 30, as Fordham hosts Sacred Heart University in the fourth meeting between the two schools with Fordham leading the all-time series, 2-1.
December opens with a trip to Cambridge, Mass., as the Rams face Harvard University on Saturday, December 3, for the 15th time.
On Thursday, December 8, the Rams travel into Queens to take on the St. John’s University Red Storm in Carnesecca Arena. It will be 87th overall meeting between the two teams.
The annual Battle of Bronx game follows the St. John’s contest with the game being played in Manhattan College’s Draddy Gym on Saturday, December 10. It will be the 108th meeting between the Rams and the Jaspers, the most for any Fordham opponent.
After a week off for finals, the Rams will venture into Manhattan to face Rutgers University in Madison Square Garden as part of the 2016 Holiday Festival. “Every team in college basketball would love to play in the Garden, said Neubauer. “We are very fortunate to have that opportunity.”
The non-conference slate concludes with a visit from Central Connecticut State University to the Rose Hill Gym on Wednesday, December 21. It will be the third meeting between Fordham and Central Connecticut.
The Fordham men’s Atlantic 10 schedule will consist of 18 games, nine home and nine away, with the Rams facing five opponents in a home-and-home series. Neubauer’s squad will take on Davidson, Duquesne, La Salle, Richmond and Saint Joseph’s twice during the 2016-2017 season.
In addition to the home games with Davidson, Duquesne, La Salle, Richmond and Saint Joseph’s, the Rams will host Dayton, George Washington, Saint Louis and VCU.
Besides the return trips to Davidson, Duquesne, La Salle, Richmond and Saint Joseph’s, the Fordham men will also play at George Mason, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and St. Bonaventure.
The complete 2016-2017 conference schedule with dates, times and national television information will be announced at a later date. The 2017 Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Championship will be played March 8-12, 2017 at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pa.
The Rams closed out the 2015-2016 season with a 17-14 record, 8-10 in the Atlantic 10, and appeared in the 2016 CollegeInsiders.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), Fordham’s first postseason appearance since 1992. The 17 wins were the most since 2006-2007 while the eight conference wins were the most since 2006-2007. The Rams went 14-5 in the Rose Hill Gym, the most home wins ever in school history.
Leading the 2016-2017 Rams will be junior forward Christian Sengfelder, who averaged 10.3 ppg, fourth best on team, and 5.2 rpg, third best on team, sophomore Joseph Chartouny, the 2016 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, who set a school freshman record with 161 assists, and redshirt junior Antwoine Anderson, who averaged 8.3 ppg last winter. They will be joined by five newcomers.
“I believe we have a solid core group returning,” said Neubauer. “When you combine them with the newcomers I think we’ll have a very competitive team.”
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