Seattle University head men’s basketball coach Cameron Dollar, now in his seventh season with the Redhawks, has finalized the team’s schedule for the 2015-16 season, which features non-conference games against schools from several leagues, including the Pac-12, Mountain West, Conference USA, Big West, and Big Sky.
Seattle U will play 17 home games this season, including 15 at KeyArena, starting with the season opener Friday, Nov. 13, against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Two days later, the Redhawks host Sacramento State, coming off a 20-win season and a first-round victory in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
The Redhawks will play a home-and-home set with Eastern Washington, who represented the Big Sky Conference in last year’s NCAA Tournament, with Seattle U visiting Cheney, Wash., on Nov. 17, and the Eagles making the trip to KeyArena Nov. 23. Seattle U plays its annual game at the ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash., on Nov. 25, hosting the University of Great Falls.
December begins with the Redhawks traveling to Berkeley, Calif., to face the California Golden Bears Dec. 1. Seattle U hosts Cal State Fullerton Friday, Dec. 4, and Mississippi Valley State Sunday, Dec. 6, before taking a week off from competition for fall quarter finals.
Seattle U makes its longest trip of the season in visiting Alabama-Birmingham Sunday, Dec. 13, the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The Redhawks play their next five games in Seattle, starting with a game on campus at the Connolly Center against Northwest Indian College Dec. 17. Seattle U hosts San Jose State Dec. 20, heads across town to face the Washington Huskies Dec. 22, and finishes the month with home contests against Big West schools UC Davis (Dec. 28) and UC Santa Barbara (Dec. 30).
The conference schedule begins with the Midwest road trip, as Seattle U faces Missouri-Kansas City Jan. 7 and Chicago State Jan. 9. The Redhawks open a three-game homestand with CSU Bakersfield Jan. 16, followed by games at KeyArena against defending conference champion New Mexico State Jan. 21 and University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Jan. 23.
Seattle U closes the first half of the conference season by playing at Utah Valley Jan. 28 and at Grand Canyon Jan. 30. Another three-game homestand begins with the Redhawks hosting Chicago State Feb. 4, followed by KeyArena contests against Missouri-Kansas City Feb. 6 and against Grand Canyon Feb. 12.
The Redhawks hit the road again the next weekend, facing University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Feb. 18 and New Mexico State Feb. 20. The final home game of the regular season takes place Feb. 27 against Utah Valley, followed by the regular season finale at CSU Bakersfield March 5.
Once again, the Western Athletic Conference Basketball Tournament will take place at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., March 10-12. The seven eligible teams will compete for the tournament title and the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
The Seattle University men’s basketball team posted an 18-16 record during the 2014-15 season, advancing to the finals of the WAC Tournament and the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational after victories over Pepperdine and Colorado.