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Post by catscratchfever4 on Jul 3, 2018 14:08:05 GMT -6
UNA basketball team to play Gonzaga
By Bernie Delinski Staff Writer 2 hrs ago 0
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The University of North Alabama basketball team will play powerhouse program Gonzaga next season, the university announced.
A tweet today from UNA's official athletics site states the Lions will travel to Gonzaga for the Dec. 28 contest.
Gonzaga finished last season ranked No. 10 in the USA Today/Coaches poll and reached the Final Four in 2017, the tweet states.
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Post by catscratchfever4 on Jul 4, 2018 1:31:09 GMT -6
From Channel 31...
UNA men's basketball to face Gonzaga in 2018
The North Alabama men's basketball team will travel to Spokane, Wash. in 2018 to face Gonzaga.
Tony Pujol is not wasting any time giving his newly minted NCAA Division I North Alabama squad a big test.
The first year head coach will lead his men's basketball team up to Spokane, Wash. on December 28, 2018 to face pre-season Top 10 Gonzaga at the McCarthey Athletic Center.
The Zags went 32-5 last season, including a run to the Sweet 16 for the program's fourth straight year. Furthermore, Gonzaga has played in the NCAA Tournamanet every season since 1999 and has been ranked in every Associated Press final poll since the 2008-09 season.
Need another reason why this will be the ultimate test for UNA as they test the waters of NCAA Division I competition? How about the fact that Gonzaga has one of the best home court advantages in the game, boasting a 192-15 record at the McCarthey Athletic Center since it opened in 2004.
Clearly Pujol, who came to UNA after stops as an assistant coach at the likes of Wyoming and Alabama, wants to set the tone for his program early as they build the foundation for their growth at the next level.
From the "late to the party" TD..... UNA athletics: Lions building momentum toward 1st D-1 season
By Gregg Dewalt Senior Sports Editor
FLORENCE — It started July 1 with a tweet about North Alabama’s football team playing at Memphis in 2022.
On Tuesday, the university that is the latest addition to NCAA Division I announced it will play a men’s basketball game at nationally ranked Gonzaga on Dec. 28.
It’s all part of the school’s effort to build momentum leading into its first season as an official member of Division I. The Lions are official members of the Atlantic Sun Conference in all sports except football. The Lions will join the Big South for football in 2019. Right now, it’s about this season, and the late-December trip to Gonzaga will provide North Alabama with immediate national exposure, among other benefits. For first-year head coach Tony Pujol, it’s an opportunity to showcase his team against a national power.
“I’m excited about going to Spokane and playing against a great program like Gonzaga,” Pujol said late Tuesday afternoon. “Coach (Mark) Few is one of the best in the business. The way we are approaching this is to challenge our players and play against premier, quality teams. This is a game that will prepare us for the level we have to play at in our conference (ASUN).”
Something we didn't already know: UNA will receive a game guarantee of $95,000 for the trip west, according to UNA athletic director Mark Linder. Gonzaga is coming off a 32-5 season and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament for the fourth consecutive season. The Zags are projected to be a preseason Top 10 selection. The game is scheduled for the McCarthey Athletic Center.
Pujol said the game will help UNA from a recruiting standpoint as well.
“It shows our recruits that for us to compete at the highest level, the only way is to put them against quality programs, and Gonzaga is one of the premier programs in the country,” he said.
Football coach Chris Willis also is excited about the 2022 game at Memphis, but said it is difficult to get a handle on that given it is still four years away.
“I’m happy about it,” Willis said. “We’ll take games like that. It’s tough to think that far down the road because we’re coming up on a new season and that’s all I can think about right now. But that’s the type of game we have to schedule to be able to build new facilities. We have to play some FBS-level teams.”
Willis said scheduling is a combined decision between Linder and himself. When there is an opportunity to play an opponent such as Memphis, they get together and discuss whether it is prudent.
In the case of playing at Memphis, it was a no-brainer.
“We’ll discuss it and look at the scenario,” Willis said of scheduling. “In this case, it’s a couple hours up the road and it’s a game you can’t say no to.” Linder said the release of some marquee events for Lions athletics is a way to get the fan base excited about the move into Division I.
“It’s good for us to have a message that we are going Division I and to thank people for their support,” he said. “Tony has done a nice job of retooling our schedule. By the end of July we hope to have really top-notch schedule in place for the basketball programs. I think it will be one that has our fans excited.”
Linder said Pujol approached him about adding Gonzaga to the schedule.
“He said it would be good for our players and our fans. Gonzaga has been one of those programs that has been really, good,” Linder said. “The money and the date worked out. Dec. 28 – our campus is closed and our students are gone. It’s going to be a great trip for us and a wonderful experience for our fans.”
UNA last played a regular-season game against a Division I basketball opponent in 2011 vs. Missouri, although the Lions have played exhibition games against notable opponents such as Indiana and Ole Miss.
Linder expects to release more schedule updates as they are confirmed, hoping to continue building the excitement as the school’s inaugural Division I season approaches.
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