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Huskies ready to begin 2007-08 season Dogs tip-off against two NCAA Division I schools
Saskatoon, SK - The University of Saskatchewan Huskies and head coach Greg Jockims released their 2007-08 schedule today. The Huskies will play a 38-game regular season slate, including 13 home games, before the Canada West postseason begins. In addition to playing every Canada West school, highlights include a visit to the Physical Activity Complex from last season's national finalist, three games against NCAA Division I opponents and a trip to South Florida.
The Huskies will begin preparations for the season with fitness testing and practice beginning on Sunday, August 26. The team will have eight practices before opening the season on Labour Day weekend.
The 2007-08 season will be the earliest tip-off in the program's history, one day earlier than last season's first game. The Huskies will open up the season in Calgary against two NCAA Division I opponents, both of which played in the 2007 NCAA Tournament. On September 1st and 2nd, the Huskies will face Creighton University at the University of Calgary's Jack Simpson Gymnasium. The following day the Huskies will take on Weber State University.
Saskatoon fans will get their first look at the squad when the Huskies take on Lakeland College on Thursday, October 4th.
The Dogs will then travel to Brandon, where they ended last year's season, for the Super 8 Tournament. The Huskies then host the Ninth Annual Huskie Shootout from Oct. 18-20 at the Physical Activity Complex. This year's tournament field features Memorial (Newfoundland), Lakehead and Regina. The last weekend of October the Huskies will travel to Lethbridge for a three-game tournament.
Saskatchewan will hit the road to open up the 22-game conference schedule on November 2nd at Fraser Valley, before travelling to Thompson Rivers the next night. A week later the Huskies will be in Edmonton to take on rival Alberta in a rematch of last year's Central Division Final. The first conference game at home will see Brandon, last year's national finalist, come to town on November 16th.
In addition to playing their Central Division foes Calgary and Lethbridge four times, the Huskies will be on the road to play Winnipeg, Manitoba, Victoria and UBC. They will also play Brandon, Regina, Trinity Western and Simon Fraser in conference action at the PAC.
Saskatchewan has one more non-conference trip before the second semester begins. The Huskies will travel to South Florida after Christmas for two games. The Huskies will play at the BCC Holiday Classic hosted by Broward Community College.
The Huskies went 23-20 overall last year, finishing third at the Canada West Final Four for the second straight season. The Huskies finished second in the Central Division standings before winning the Central Division Championship on the road against Alberta.
Saskatchewan can return eleven players from last year's team, including all five starters, in 2007-08. Guard Sam Lamontagne was the only fifth-year senior on the squad.
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The Creighton Bluejays are led by head coach Dana Altman. Altman is entering his 14th year at the helm at the Omaha, Nebraska school. Last season the Bluejays (22-11, 13-5 Missouri Valley Conference) made the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time over the past nine seasons. The Bluejays, who were ranked No. 19 in the preseason Associated Press rankings last year, captured the MVC Tournament title before losing in overtime to seventh-seeded Nevada 77-71 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Weber State Wildcats, from Ogden, Utah, are entering their second season under head coach Randy Rahe. Last season the Wildcats (20-12, 11-5 Big Sky Conference) shared the Big Sky regular season title before winning the conference tournament and earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Rahe helped the Wildcats to a 10-win improvement over the previous season, and was named the Big Sky Coach of the Year. The Wildcats fell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament 70-42 to powerhouse UCLA, who went all the way to the Final Four before falling to eventual national champion Florida.