CINCINNATI -- Xavier University announced its complete 2013-14 men's basketball schedule today, including the majority of the television schedule. Xavier’s regular season schedule includes a minimum of 18 games against teams that made one of the top two major postseason tournaments, including 11 against 2013 NCAA teams and seven against 2013 NIT teams. That number could easily go to 20 games depending on the second and third game opponents in the Battle 4 Atlantis in The Bahamas.
The Musketeers already have the potential for at least 29 regular season games on national television networks this season out of 31 regular season games. Xavier will have 19 regular games broadcast on FOX Sports 1 this season in addition to any games it will play in the BIG EAST Championship. In addition, XU will play one game on FOX Sports 2, two on FOX Sports Net, four on CBS Sports Network and a potential for three on the NBC Sports Network at the Battle 4 Atlantis. The potential for television or live stream for the Quincy exhibition game, the Gardner-Webb game and the game at Alabama will be announced at a later date. “We are very excited about our first season in the BIG EAST Conference,” said fifth-year head coach Chris Mack. “We have a lot of work to do between now and the start of the season. We have put together a challenging non-conference schedule that should help prepare us for a tough road in the league.” Xavier’s BIG EAST slate shows 14 of its 18 conference games against 2013 NCAA or NIT teams, including home-and-away games against Georgetown (NCAA), Marquette (NCAA), Villanova (NCAA), Creighton (NCAA), Butler (NCAA), Providence (NIT) and St. John’s (NIT). Xavier also plays home-and-away against Providence and DePaul. Xavier opens its first season in the BIG EAST Conference on Dec. 31 against St. John’s at noon at Cintas Center. The game will be broadcast nationally on FOX Sports 1, the first of a day-long marathon of five games to open the BIG EAST slate on the home of BIG EAST basketball. Xavier’s first three BIG EAST Conference games and four of its first five will be played at Cintas Center. In addition to St. John’s, Xavier hosts Butler on Jan. 4 and Marquette on Jan. 9 as well as Georgetown on Jan. 15. XU plays its first BIG EAST road game on Jan. 12 at Creighton. XU plays eight of its final 14 BIG EAST games on the road, including a stretch of four out of five road games to end the month of February. Xavier's 18-game home schedule includes non-conference games against Tennessee (NIT) on Nov. 12, Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 20 (date change from earlier release) and the Dec. 28 Skip Prosser Classic game against Wake Forest in addition to Bowling Green, Evansville, Morehead State and Gardner-Webb. The final home game that was added, Nov. 25 against Abilene Christian, is part of the Battle 4 Atlantis but is not included in the bracket. The lone public exhibition game is slated for Nov. 2 against Quincy (Ill.). Xavier's non-conference slate away from Cintas Center includes the Dec. 14 Skyline Chili Crosstown Classic vs. Cincinnati (NCAA) at U.S. Bank Arena and a Dec. 21 date at Alabama (NIT). The matchup with Alabama is a part of a two-year series with Crimson Tide returning to the Cintas Center in the 2014-15 season. In addition, Xavier will play three games in The Bahamas in the prestigious Battle 4 Atlantis tournament against an impressive field that includes Kansas (NCAA), Iowa (NIT), Tennessee (NIT), Villanova (NIT), Southern California, Wake Forest and UTEP. Season tickets are now on sale, starting as low as $300 for all 18 home games. For premium seating options, please contact the Xavier Athletics Ticket Office at (513) 745-3411 x7. Season tickets can be purchased online at GoXavier.com, over the phone, or in person at the box office. Mini pack options will be available shortly, and single game tickets will be on sale to the public on October 21.
