UGA men's basketball schedule announced

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Posted: 8/6/08

At least 13 of Georgia's 31 regular-season games will come against teams that competed in the 2008 postseason, with the potential for more such games, according to the Bulldogs' basketball schedule announced Tuesday by head coach Dennis Felton.

Highlights of the non-conference slate at Stegeman Coliseum
include a Dec. 9 date against Virginia Tech and a Jan. 3 meeting against Missouri. The Bulldogs will travel to play such teams as Western Kentucky, which reached the NCAA Round of 16 last season, and Big Ten foe Illinois, as well as their biennial trip to Georgia Tech on Jan. 6.

In addition, Georgia will make its third all-time appearance in what is now called the NIT Season Tip-Off, a 16-team tournament founded and run by the National Invitation Tournament.

The Georgia basketball schedule has ranked among the nation's most difficult for much of this decade, and the 2009 slate should be no different. In addition to the lineup of SEC opponents, three other so-called "power" conferences the Atlantic Coast and Big Ten and Big Twelve are also represented.

"Last year we were proud to have the challenge of playing one of
the toughest schedules in the country," Georgia coach Dennis Felton said. "I believe this schedule certainly compares favorably to any we've put together since we¹ve been at Georgia. We will be challenged at home and at some tough places on the road. I also think it's a schedule that our fans can get excited about and start making plans for a great season. All of us are looking forward to building upon the great ending to our season last
March."

The NIT field will be divided into four "pods" for first- and second-round games, with Georgia traveling to West Lafayette, Ind., for its early rounds. The four winners advance to the semifinals in New York, while all other teams will play "consolation" games against each other. In all, each team is guaranteed to play four games under the new format.

"We are honored to be playing in the NIT Season Tip-Off," Felton said. "I think it speaks well to our program's accomplishments that we will represent the SEC in the field. It will give our young team some great experience early in the season."

Date (Day) Opponent (TV) Site Tipoff
Nov. 7 (Fri.) ALBANY STATE (Exhib.) ATHENS
7:30
Nov. 14 (Fri.) USC - UPSTATE ATHENS 7:30
Nov. 17-19 (Mon-Wed) Pre-Season NIT W. Lafayette, Ind.
TBA
Nov. 21 (Fri.) PRESBYTERIAN ATHENS 7:30
Nov. 24-25 (Mon-Tues) Pre-Season NIT Consolation TBA
TBA
Nov. 26-28 (Wed-Fri) Pre-Season NIT Semis & Finals New
York, N.Y. TBA
Dec. 2 (Tues.) at Western Kentucky Bowling Green, Ky.
TBA
Dec. 6 (Sat.) Illinois Chicago, Ill. TBA
Dec. 9 (Tues.) VIRGINIA TECH ATHENS 7:30
Dec. 20 (Sat.) WOFFORD ATHENS 4:00
Dec. 22 (Mon.) TEXAS A&M CORPUS CHRISTI ATHENS
7:30
Dec. 28 (Sun.) NORTH CAROLINA A&T ATHENS
2:30
Dec. 31 (Wed.) KENNESAW STATE ATHENS TBA
Jan. 3 (Sat.) MISSOURI ATHENS 4:00
Jan. 6 (Tues.) at Georgia Tech Atlanta, Ga.
TBA
Jan. 10 (Sat.) TENNESSEE (Raycom) ATHENS 12
Noon
Jan. 14 (Wed.) at Vanderbilt Nashville, Tenn.
8:00
Jan. 18 (Sun.) KENTUCKY (Raycom) ATHENS 12
Noon
Jan. 24 (Sat.) MISSISSIPPI STATE (ESPN2) ATHENS
6:00
Jan. 28 (Wed.) at Florida (Raycom) Gainesville, Fla.
8:00
Jan. 31 (Sat.) at Alabama Tuscaloosa, Ala.
TBA
Feb. 4 (Wed.) LSU ATHENS 7:30
Feb. 7 (Sat.) at South Carolina Columbia, S.C.
TBA
Feb. 11 (Wed.) at Tennessee (Raycom) Knoxville, Tenn.
8:00
Feb. 14 (Sat.) FLORIDA (ABC) ATHENS 3:30
Feb. 18 (Wed.) AUBURN ATHENS 7:30
Feb. 21 (Sat.) at Ole Miss Oxford, Miss.
TBA
Feb. 25 (Wed.) VANDERBILT ATHENS 7:30
Mar. 1 (Sat.) at Arkansas (Raycom) Fayetteville, Ark.
4:00
Mar. 4 (Wed.) at Kentucky (Raycom) Lexington, Ky.
8:00
Mar. 7 (Sat.) SOUTH CAROLINA ATHENS 4:00
Mar. 12-15 (Thu-Sun.) SEC Tournament Tampa, Fla.
TBA
All Times Eastern
Other TV Dates to be added

- Georgia Sports Communications