9.14.2011

SCHEDULE (PDF)

FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood University ninth-year men's basketball head coach Mike Gillian has announced his program's 31-game schedule for the upcoming 2011-12 Campaign.  Among the highlights, the Lancers will host Big East Conference school Seton Hall, play at in-state opponent and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) member Virginia, as well as at Southeastern Conference (SEC) school Vanderbilt and West Coast Conference (WCC) member Gonzaga.  Longwood will also participate in the Chicago Invitational Challenge that includes games at WCC member BYU and Western Athletic Conference (WAC) school Nevada.  The Lancers finished 12-19 overall last season, including 10-4 at home in Willett Hall where the program is 32-9 over the last three years; Longwood has 12 home games this season, including in-state opponent Virginia Military Institute, and the Lancers open the year welcoming Navy on Friday night, November 11, at 7 p.m.
   
“When you look at our schedule, you'll see that it is as challenging as ever,” said Gillian.  “The goals we have in putting a schedule together haven't changed, and this year's slate continues to support that.  There are certainly games that will jump off the page to anyone who follows college basketball.”
   
Longwood will host its first-ever Big East opponent when Seton Hall (13-18) visits Willett Hall on Friday, December 23, at 7 p.m. in Farmville.  The Lancers played at Seton Hall last Dec. 13 and fell 78-51, but were within 56-47 before the Pirates used a 22-4 run over the final 9:31.
   
“Even though the game is not while school is in session, we are thrilled to have Seton Hall coming into Willett Hall this year,” explained Gillian.  “We had a great game with them a year ago in New Jersey and will certainly be ready to go when they get to town on December 23rd.”
   
Longwood plays at Virginia (16-15) for the sixth time in seven years on Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. in John Paul Jones Arena, and at Vanderbilt (23-11) for the first time ever on Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. in Nashville.  The Commodores advanced to the NCAA Tournament 2nd round last season.  Another first time opponent will include the game at Gonzaga (25-10) on February 27 at 9 p.m. in Spokane, Washington, just two days before the Zags play in the WCC Tournament.
   
“The high profile opponents we are playing against this year are proven to be among the nation's elite programs and will provide the opportunity for us to test ourselves against teams with a shot to play very deep into the NCAA Tournament,” said Gillian.  “The games are also in incredible venues that provide our players with experiences that will last a lifetime.”
   
Longwood is involved in an exempt tournament for the eighth consecutive season, this year being the Chicago Invitational Challenge Nov. 18-26.  The Lancers will play road games at BYU (32-5) on Nov. 18 at 9 p.m. in Provo, Utah, and at Nevada (13-19) on Nov. 22 at 10 p.m. in Reno, Nevada.  The Cougars advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 last season.  The four-game event concludes at the Sears Centre Arena in Chicago with games against Prairie View A&M (10-22) on Nov. 25 at 11:30 a.m., and either UMKC (16-14) or Wofford (21-13) on Nov. 26 at either 10:30 a.m. or 1 p.m.  It will be the first-ever game against Prairie View A&M, and Wofford advanced to the NCAA Tournament 2nd round last season.
   
Longwood will participate in a second tournament this season as well, competing at the Dr. Pepper Classic hosted by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.  The Lancers will play Chattanooga (16-16) for the second time in three seasons on Dec. 29 at 8 p.m., and either Hampton (24-9) or Utah Valley (19-11) on Dec. 30 at either 6 p.m. or 8 p.m.  Longwood lost to Chattanooga 74-70 at the South Padre Island Invitational during 2009-10, while the in-state Pirates advanced to the NCAA Tournament 2nd round last season.
   
Longwood will begin its campaign hosting Patriot League member Navy (11-20) in Willett Hall on Nov. 11 at 7 p.m., its eighth game against the Midshipmen over the past seven seasons.  The Lancers host Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) school Canisius (15-15) in Farmville on Tuesday night, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m., their first-ever meeting against the Golden Griffins.  Longwood welcomes Big South Conference opponent VMI (18-13) to Willett Hall on Monday night, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m., its second-straight season playing the Keydets who won last year in Lexington by a score of 114-82.
   
“Speaking of incredible venues, how about our own Willett Hall,” stated Gillian.  “We have built a tremendous home court advantage over the last six years as evidenced by our home record, and we're excited to have this year's schedule be tipped off with a three-game homestand, beginning with Navy on November 11th.  A big reason for our homecourt success is the involvement of the Lancer fans, especially the Longwood Student Body and the Lancer Lunatics, who turn out in very large numbers every time we take the court.”
   
Longwood has enjoyed lots of success at home in Willett Hall over the past six seasons, compiling a record of 53-24, including 39-14 since becoming Division I-eligible for 2007-08.  The other home games on the schedule in Willett Hall include Virginia Intermont (10-20) (Nov. 13, 4:30 p.m.), South Carolina State (10-22) (Dec. 2, 7 p.m.), New Jersey Institute of Technology (15-15) (January 7, 2 p.m.), Southern Virginia (22-8) (Feb. 2, 7 p.m.), Seattle (11-20) (Feb. 11, 2 p.m.), Washington Adventist (10-18) (Feb. 15, 7 p.m.), North Dakota (19-15) (Feb. 18, 2 p.m.), and Virginia-Wise (11-18) (Feb. 22, 7 p.m.).  North Dakota is the defending Great West Conference champion and advanced to the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament a year ago.  Longwood and NJIT have played nine games over the past five seasons with the Lancers leading the series at 6-3, though the Highlanders did win the most-recent game last year in New Jersey by a score of 65-64.  Longwood and Seattle will play for the first time this year.
   
Additional road games will be played at in-state opponent Norfolk State (12-20) (Feb. 20, 7 p.m.), along with Army (11-19) (Jan. 3, 7 p.m.), Brown (Jan. 11, 7 p.m.), Dartmouth (5-23) (Jan. 14, 2 p.m.), Fairleigh Dickinson (5-24) (Jan. 16, 2 p.m.), Eastern Kentucky (15-16) (Jan. 22, 2 p.m.), Florida Gulf Coast (10-20) (Jan. 24, 7:05 p.m.), South Carolina State (Feb. 6, 7:30 p.m.), NJIT (Feb. 25, 2 p.m.), and Seattle (Feb. 29, 10:10 p.m.).  Longwood is playing Army, Brown, Dartmouth, and Eastern Kentucky for the first time each, and the Lancers will make their first trip to southwest Florida to play FGCU since Coach Gillian's first year.  Ironically, that trip was to Fort Myers too when Longwood participated in a season-ending tournament hosted by the Eagles to close 2003-04.
   
“It's also extremely important for us to continue playing as many in-state opponents as possible,” added Gillian.  “Virginia is a great basketball state and while we keep working to put Longwood on the Division I basketball map around the country, it is vital to keep climbing the ladder of success right here at home.”
   
Longwood returns four starters among 10 lettermen to the 2011-12 roster, including seniors Antwan Carter|St. Petersburg, Fla. (St. Petersburg), Jeremiah Bowman|Washington, D.C. (Harcum College), Durann Neil|Pleasantville, N.J. (Leap Academy), and Jan van der Kooij|Tiendeveen, The Netherlands (Roelof van Echten).  Carter (6-6) nearly averaged a double-double with his team-leading 18.2 points and 9.5 rebounds last season while earning Independent Player of the Year honors.  Bowman (6-2) averaged 12.2 points and 4.3 assists a year ago, Neil averaged 8.7 points and 2.9 assists, and van der Kooij averaged 7.3 points and 4.9 rebounds.  The program also returns senior Martiz Washington|Hopewell (Christchurch) (6-0) who averaged 10.4 points while leading the Lancers with 85 three-point field goals, and joining the team this season is sophomore transfer Tristan Carey|Colonial Beach (LaSalle).  Carey (6-4) sat out last year per NCAA transfer rules after a season at LaSalle University of the Atlantic 10 Conference.  He was the 2009 Virginia Group A and Virginia High School Coaches Association (VHSCA) Division I Player of the Year as a senior at Colonial Beach, averaging 29.5 points; the 884 points tied for the third-highest season total in Virginia High School League history behind Moses Malone and Allen Iverson.  Carey scored a school-record 2,481 career points at Colonial Beach.