UTRGV basketball announces season schedule

New game day protocols announced

Ivan Palacios | THE RIDER

The UTRGV Department of Intercollegiate Athletics revealed the nonconference schedules for both men’s and women’s basketball programs in a news release Thursday afternoon.

The announcement comes two weeks after UTRGV Athletics released the conference schedule for both programs. In an effort to reduce travel and exposure during nonconference play, UTRGV made the decision to schedule teams primarily in Texas.

On the men’s side, the nonconference schedule is made up entirely of Texas based teams, highlighted by a season-opening matchup in Austin against the University of Texas on Nov. 25.

The men’s team, which is coming off a two-week isolation period following positive COVID-19 cases, are ready to move forward and start the season despite having less time to practice.

“It hurts, but it’s not the be-all, end-all,” UTRGV Men’s Basketball Head Coach Lew Hill said. “Other teams are doing the same thing across the country. That just goes with the times we are in right now.”

Hill said the team is fine in regard to going into the start of the season following isolation.

“I think our staff is doing a fantastic job,” he said. “It’s not about doing things to prevent it. You’re doing the best that you can. You have our medical school; they’ve been awesome. Our administration staff has been awesome. And Steven [Kraus, associate athletic director for sports medicine,] and his staff have been awesome. Everybody is doing what they’re supposed to do.”

The men’s team will play 27 games in the season, of which 13 will take place in the Rio Grande Valley. Among those 13 games, three will take place at the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg, including a Dec. 2 matchup against Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

“It’s a tough, challenging schedule, which is something we put together every year,” Hill said in the news release. “We want to challenge our guys by playing some of the best high and mid-majors in the country. We’re excited by the opportunity to go win some of these games and compete against some of the best players in the country.”

The women’s nonconference schedule also consists mostly of Texas teams as eight of their nine opponents reside in Texas. A Dec. 14 game against the University of Kansas Jayhawks will be the only time the women’s team travels out of the state during nonconference play.

In total, the women’s team will play 25 games. Twelve will take place in the Valley. Just like the men’s squad, the women’s team will welcome Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi to the Bert Ogden Arena on Dec. 2.

The women’s team will also travel to the coast as the host of the first ever UTRGV South Padre Island Classic Dec. 18 through 19.

“I have said it since day one, we always want to play a super schedule in the non-conference,” UTRGV Head Coach Lane Lord said in the news release. “As the years go by and our program continues to evolve, these are the games that we really want to play. I think it helps attract student-athletes to come and play a super schedule and it’s only going to make us better for conference play.”

Game days will look different at the UTRGV Fieldhouse, as the first two home games of the season will be played without fans. According to the news release, this is being done to allow the fall semester to conclude before allowing fans into the stands.

Following those first two games, fans will be allowed back in the stands in a limited capacity. UTRGV Athletics made the decision to cap attendance at 255 fans, which will be made up of current students, season ticket holders, corporate partners and family members of the student athletes and coaching staff.

In only allowing 255 attendees, UTRGV hopes to allow fans and athletes to better social distance and create a safer environment.

“It’s kind of one of those deals where you’re going to have to bring your own energy,” Lord said. “If I’m not mistaken, we won’t have our band, which our band is, I think, the best in the [Western Athletic Conference.] Also, our cheerleaders. So we’ve got to create our own energy this year.”

Coach Hill agrees that playing with limited fans will be a different experience for his team who feed off the energy of the fans.

“Last year, for our first year, the home crowd was really, really great actually,” Hill said. “ The band was phenomenal with our cheerleaders and dancers. The students, everyone in the community. But now we have to create our energy, just like in practice. In order to have a good practice you gotta create your own energy.

“So when game time comes we have to be our own cheerleaders. We gotta be our own dancers. We just gotta go out there and tell the guys to just have fun. It’s still playing basketball. It’s like playing pickup basketball. No people out there so you gotta cheer for each other. You gotta push each other. It’s a great challenge for us, but it’s a great challenge for everyone throughout the country. But the ones who can conjure up a lot of energy and play with a mental toughness are gonna be the teams that are going to win.”

Games played off campus will allow fans in limited capacity based on the size of the arena. Games played at the Bert Ogden Arena will allow up to 1,200 fans with tickets to the Dec. 2 doubleheader featuring both men’s and women’s teams.

Other protocols on game day include the requirement of facial coverings, temperature checks prior to entrance, addition of hand sanitizing stations, limitations on the number of people allowed in the restroom and more. For full game day protocols, visit GoUTRGV.com/game-day.

For fans unable to attend games due to the limited capacity, the WAC Digital Network will give them the opportunity to watch every home game online free at WACDigitalNetwork.com. For away games, fans can visit GoUTRGV.com and check the team schedule to see where they can watch the game.

The road to the return of basketball has been a long one amid the pandemic. UTRGV Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque realizes how much of a blessing it is to even have an opportunity to play when teams across the nation have canceled their seasons.

“We’re still in the middle of this pandemic and we still have a long way to go but to be able to have this bright spot, it’s truly a privilege to play athletics right now,” Conque said. “It’s truly a privilege to be able to train and compete. So now to be able to have a competitive season and play a very, very attractive nonconference schedule, it’s an exciting day for us.”

For full schedule and game times, visit www.GoUTRGV.com.