Best 2008-09 schedule goes to Idaho State
Idaho State's 2008-09 complete men's basketball schedule has been released by head coach Joe O'Brien, and it features 16 home games, including non-conference home games with Utah, Utah State, and Brigham Young, with the Cougars making only their second trip to Pocatello in the last 56 years. The other non-conference home games are a pair of exhibitions at Reed Gym against Montana Tech and Rocky Mountain (that game a doubleheader with the women's team), and regular season games against Long Beach State and Idaho, along with the regular season opener, a November 14th game at Reed Gym against Eastern Oregon. Idaho State will once again have a challenging road schedule, with games at Hawai'i, Boise State, Washington State, Wisconsin, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Arizona State, Nevada, and Kansas State. In all, the Bengals will take on six NCAA Tournament teams from last season (Portland State, Boise State, Wisconsin, Brigham Young, Washington State, and Kansas State) two NIT teams (Arizona State and Utah State), and two CBI teams (Utah and Nevada), giving the Bengals 11 postseason teams (counting Eastern Oregon's NAIA Sweet 16 appearance), and 10 out of their 14 regular season non-conference opponents. ISU's 14 non-conference opponent have a combined record of 280-180, a .609 mark. "I think our fans know my philosophy on scheduling," said head coach Joe O'Brien, who guided ISU to a fourth place finish in the Big Sky last year and a berth in the semifinals of the conference tournament. "What is exciting about this year's schedule, particularly non-conference, is that we have six home games, and the two exhibitions, so we won't have to constantly battle these teams on the road, and having four postseason teams in Holt Arena is pretty good for us."
Idaho State's 2008-09 complete men's basketball schedule has been released by head coach Joe O'Brien, and it features 16 home games, including non-conference home games with Utah, Utah State, and Brigham Young, with the Cougars making only their second trip to Pocatello in the last 56 years. The other non-conference home games are a pair of exhibitions at Reed Gym against Montana Tech and Rocky Mountain (that game a doubleheader with the women's team), and regular season games against Long Beach State and Idaho, along with the regular season opener, a November 14th game at Reed Gym against Eastern Oregon. Idaho State will once again have a challenging road schedule, with games at Hawai'i, Boise State, Washington State, Wisconsin, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Arizona State, Nevada, and Kansas State. In all, the Bengals will take on six NCAA Tournament teams from last season (Portland State, Boise State, Wisconsin, Brigham Young, Washington State, and Kansas State) two NIT teams (Arizona State and Utah State), and two CBI teams (Utah and Nevada), giving the Bengals 11 postseason teams (counting Eastern Oregon's NAIA Sweet 16 appearance), and 10 out of their 14 regular season non-conference opponents. ISU's 14 non-conference opponent have a combined record of 280-180, a .609 mark. "I think our fans know my philosophy on scheduling," said head coach Joe O'Brien, who guided ISU to a fourth place finish in the Big Sky last year and a berth in the semifinals of the conference tournament. "What is exciting about this year's schedule, particularly non-conference, is that we have six home games, and the two exhibitions, so we won't have to constantly battle these teams on the road, and having four postseason teams in Holt Arena is pretty good for us."