GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Year three in the Big Sky men's basketball conference will look a little different than North Dakota's first two. With the addition of Idaho, the league now has 12 members and will switch from a 20-game league schedule to an 18-game format where each team faces seven teams twice and the remaining four teams just once.

The teams UND will play in home-and-home matchups include Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Portland State, Sacramento State and Southern Utah.
UND will play Eastern Washington and Idaho in road affairs, while playing host to Idaho State and defending Big Sky champion Weber State at The Betty.

“This schedule speaks for itself from a competition and quality of programs standpoint,” UND head coach Brian Jones said. “The non-conference games will allow us to learn a lot about ourselves before the rigors of the Big Sky.”

But before the Green and White can focus on its conference trek, the squad will be faced with a non-conference slate that is road heavy in November and December. UND will open its campaign at a familiar foe in Northern Iowa on Nov. 15 as Jones and former UND standout Ben Jacobson lead their respective squads up against their alma maters once again. The Panthers, who did not play in a postseason tournament last season for the first time in five seasons, have won the last five meetings against UND.

“One thing this schedule will do is test our club from start to finish and with the depth of the Big Sky this year, we will need a consistent blue collar approach to navigate our way from January
to March,” Jones added.

UND's home opener will be against regional foe Mayville State on Nov. 18. South Dakota State is the first of five non-conference opponents for UND that played in a postseason event last season. The Jacks will play host to UND on Friday, Nov. 21.

UND will play in a three-game tournament over Thanksgiving that features host Utah, Alabama State and former Great West foe Texas-Pan American. The four-day event is a round-robin format and begins on Wed., Nov. 26., with UND playing Alabama State.

December begins with three consecutive road games. The squad will open the month on Dec. 6 at Drake before renewing a rivalry with defending NIT champion Minnesota on Dec. 8. This will be the team's first game against the Gophers since a 78-73 loss on Dec. 22, 1983.

UND wraps up the three-game road swing at rival North Dakota State on Dec. 13. The Bison are the lone non-conference opponent to advance to the NCAA Tournament a season ago. The teams have split the last four meetings since renewing its courtship. UND won last season in Grand Forks 95-77.

A home tilt vs. Dickinson State is scheduled for Dec. 19 before UND takes to the road one last time before Christmas and Big Sky play commences. That excursion will take the squad to Marquette for a Dec. 22 matchup. This will be the first meeting between these two teams since the 1963-64 season and the second straight season to play a school from the Big East (Butler; 2013-14).

New Year's Day is also the opening day of the Big Sky Conference schedule as UND begins its quest for a regular season title at Montana State. A quick trip over to Missoula to face Montana wraps up the opening weekend on Saturday, Jan. 3.

UND's first extended home stand will feature a three-game slate against conference foes beginning with Sacramento State on Jan. 8. Portland State visits on Jan. 10 and Northern Colorado comes to town a week later to play at The Betty on Jan. 17.

The Green and White will conclude the regular season with a non-conference matchup with Omaha on March 3. A road contest at Northern Colorado will wrap up Big Sky play and regular season, giving the team nearly a week to prepare for the Big Sky Tournament. That event will start March 13 with the top eight teams advancing to play on the home court of the regular-season champion and No. 1 seed. The league bumped up its participants from seven to eight with the Vandals rejoining the league.

Single-game tickets for UND men's and women's basketball will go on sale to the general public on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. Champions Club members will be able to participate in a pre-sale for single-game tickets on Friday, Oct. 31. UND students receive free tickets when they present a valid student ID to the student ticket office in Memorial Union starting 2 weeks prior to each home game, or at the BESC box office on game day (subject to availability).

Season tickets for UND men's basketball are on-sale now, starting at only $90. Purchase online at UNDsports.com/Tickets or stop by the UND ticket office at Ralph Engelstad Arena. Fans can also choose a combined season ticket package with women's basketball for as low as $150. Group ticket options (10 or more) are also available – learn more by calling 701.777.4582. Details on teams and prices for this year's BIG GAME ticket mini-plan will be released in the future. For more ticket information, email tickets@theralph.com.

SCHEDULE BY THE NUMBERS
* 51 seasons since UND last played Marquette (Dec., 3, 1963)
* 31 seasons since UND last played Minnesota (Dec. 22, 1983)
* 30 total games
* 18 Big Sky Conference games (down from 20 the previous two seasons)
* 12 total home games
* 10 games against eight postseason teams from 2013-14, including NIT champion Minnesota
* 2 NCAA Tournament teams from 2013-14 (North Dakota State and Weber State)

2014-15 UND Men's Basketball Schedule