STOCKTON, Calif. – Highlighted by nine home contests against quality opponents, the Pacific men's basketball team and Head Coach Leonard Perry have officially announced the non-conference schedule for the upcoming 2023-24 season.
"We look forward to this year's non-conference schedule," Perry said. "We have a challenging slate, opening with Sam Houston at home while facing off against many competitive teams on the road. We expect to compete every night."
The Tigers, coming off a successful 2022-23 campaign where the team finished the season with the most conference wins since 2019-20, begin the new season facing off against three-straight high-end opponents.
Pacific opens at home, hosting Sam Houston on November 6 at the Alex G. Spanos Center. A 26-win team from a season ago, the Bearkats were a force in the Western Athletic Conference, finishing in second place in the conference standings and making a second-round appearance in the National Invitational Tournament. The 2023-24 season opener will be the first time the Tigers will face off against the Bearkats, now a member of Conference-USA, in program history.
Following its home opener, the team competes in two-straight road games, starting with a matchup at California on November 10. The two programs have faced off 32 times since the 1910-11 season, with the last coming on December 22, 2021, at Haas Pavilion.
The Tigers finish the season's first road trip against a familiar opponent, traveling to take on Nevada on November 15. Competing at Lawlor Events Center for the first time since the 2020-21 season, the Tigers hold a 53-49 record over the Wolf Pack, with 18 wins coming on the road.
Nevada ended last season with a 22-11 record, finishing the regular season in fourth place in the Mountain West Conference. After falling in the first round of the conference tournament, the Wolf Pack earned a postseason berth and dropped a First Four matchup against Arizona State in the NCAA Tournament.
A five-game homestand follows the road trip to end the month of November when Pacific takes on Lamar for just the fourth time in program history on November 18. Defeating the Cardinals in the previous two meetings, the Tigers kept their undefeated record intact after earning a 74-65 road win last season.
For the first time since 1977, Pacific welcomes North Dakota to Stockton on November 20. The Tigers have totaled three wins in four all-time meetings, outscoring the Fighting Hawks 186-139 in the last two matchups. The Tigers defeated the Fighting Hawks by 30 last season, 93-63, at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, with Cam Denson pouring in a season-high 16 points off the bench.
The team faces off against back-to-back first-time opponents starting on November 24 when it hosts Le Moyne at the Alex G. Spanos Center. The Dolphins, a recently promoted Division I institution, began their reclassification process from Division II on July 1 and will compete in the Northeast Conference.
On November 26, Pacific hosts Mississippi Valley State for the first time in program history. The Delta Devils, a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, concluded the 2022-23 season with a 5-27 record and finished 12th in the conference standings.
Pacific concludes the homestand against CSUN, a former Big West opponent, on November 29. Since the first-ever meeting on December 18, 1971, the Tigers hold a commanding 22-6 record over the Matadors and haven't dropped a game since 2011. The last meeting between the two programs came on December 16, 2020, when the Tigers defeated the Matadors, 79-73, at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
Pacific begins a three-game road trip to start the month of December, traveling to Northern Arizona on December 2, Idaho on December 5, and Fresno State on December 9. Competing against all three opponents last season, the Tigers start with a trip to Flagstaff, Ariz., to take on the Lumberjacks on the road for the first time since 1982.
The Tigers will fly north shortly after to Moscow, Idaho, to face off against the Vandals at the newly renovated ICCU Arena before concluding the road trip in California with a matchup against the Bulldogs.
Pacific competes against Big West opponents in two of the following three games, starting with a matchup against UC Davis at home on December 16. After a home contest against Stanislaus State on December 18, the team competes in its final non-conference road game on December 20, traveling to take on Cal State Fullerton at Titan Gymnasium.
Pacific closes out the non-conference slate at home when it faces off against Cal Maritime, an NAIA institution, at home on December 30.
For more information on the upcoming 2023-24 season, follow Pacific men's basketball on social media and download the Pacific Athletics mobile app.
