Men’s basketball to tackle daunting nonconference schedule

Every college athlete wants an opportunity to play against the best talent that their respective sport has to offer. This season the Long Beach State men’s basketball team will get that chance.

The 49ers’ 2009-10 schedule was released last Thursday (Aug. 6), and the nonconference portion is arguably the toughest in recent school history. LBSU will play at least four NCAA Tournament teams — excluding Cal State Northridge — from last season, but that number could easily reach six before the early part of the schedule is complete.

“I think the preseason is meant to improve your basketball team and to challenge them,” head coach Dan Monson said in a press release. “Having so many returning players, we had a challenging preseason last year that I thought paid dividends.”

LBSU’s Walter Pyramid will be a lonely place this winter as the ‘Niners will host just three true home games through the first 15 contests of the season.

Two nonconference opponents that LBSU will host come from the Division II ranks, Alaska Anchorage and Cal State Monterey Bay. The ‘Niners open the season against UAA on Nov. 14, while CSUMB won’t visit the Pyramid until Dec.12.

On the forefront of the 49ers’ nonconference road slate are two of college basketball’s most storied programs, Duke and Kentucky.

Duke, coached by Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski, has the fourth most wins for a program in college basketball history with 1,877.

Yet, the Blue Devils — who play at Cameron Indoor Stadium — might be just as well-known for their student section, the Cameron Crazies, than they are for basketball. The 1,200-person group is known throughout the sports world to be unrelenting and creative in chants aimed at visiting teams.

“I think it’s going to be intense,” junior guard Greg Plater said about facing Duke. “It’s more about keeping your composure there. …I’m excited though, because this is what basketball is all about. You can’t be scared because they put their shorts on one leg at a time like we do.”

Kentucky is widely regarded as one of the best programs in college basketball history, and it has the numbers to back up that praise. The Wildcats have more wins than any other team in Division I college basketball history and will look to be the first to 2,000 wins this season.

The Wildcats are coached by John Calipari — in his first season with the team — who has managed to bring the No.1 recruiting class with him from the University of Memphis. Kentucky plays in the famed 23,000-seat Rupp Arena, which is the largest venue the 49ers will play in during the regular season.

Since Rupp Arena’s debut in 1976, the Wildcats have an astounding 415-54 record at home.

“We gotta work hard,” senior guard Brandon Nevens said. “If we have the competitive spirit to go out there and beat them, then we can win any given night. Everybody wants to get a chance to play those guys. Those are legendary teams.”

The Beach will also travel to Notre Dame (Nov. 19) and Texas (Dec. 7) to keep with the theme of tough road games.

The Fighting Irish received a boost when 2008-09 leading scorer Luke Harangody (23.3 ppg, 11.8 rpg) pulled out of the NBA Draft to return for his senior season. The Longhorns return four starters including 6-foot-10, 300-pound center Dexter Pittman and leading rebounder Damion James, who averaged 9.2 rebounds.

“We started the league (Big West Conference) 5-0 and I thought our guys had a grasp of what it took to play at a higher level,” Monson said. “I think this will definitely accomplish that with these guys.”

LBSU will take part in ESPN’s BracketBusters (Feb. 20), but the 49ers will be on the road this season after hosting Green Bay last year. The site for the contest will be released at a later date.

In addition to the BracketBuster, the 49ers will travel to Green Bay (Nov. 21) to repay the Phoenix for their contest last season.

LBSU will also be one of eight teams playing in the Big West-hosted 76 Classic, which is set to take place Thanksgiving weekend at the Anaheim Convention Center.

The three-game tournament will happen over three days (Nov. 26, 27, 29), and boasts the best field of teams in its three years of existence. Six of the eight teams — UCLA, Clemson, Minnesota, Texas A&M, West Virginia, and Butler — earned NCAA tournament bids last season, while the University of Portland made a postseason appearance in the CollegeInsider.com tournament.

LBSU head coach Dan Monson was the head coach at Minnesota for slightly over seven seasons prior to taking his current position with the 49ers.

The 76 Classic will also give the ‘Niners national exposure as the entire tournament will be broadcast on various ESPN networks. LBSU hosts West Virginia in the first round with a scheduled tipoff time of 11 a.m.

It may be tough for the 49ers to earn victories early in the season, but the experience that the team gains may help to produce wins once conference play begins.

“We know we are going to be challenged, now the job I have is to make sure we improve through that challenge,” Monson said. “It’s a fine line between challenging your team and hurting your confidence.”

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