DENTON, Texas (7/21/10) - On the heels of its second NCAA Tournament trip and Sun Belt Conference title in four years, Johnny Jones and the North Texas men's basketball team will welcome Texas Tech to the Super Pit, and face off against Kansas and LSU in the 2010-11 season.
The Mean Green schedule features five postseason participants and nine squads that won 19 or more games. Aside from hosting the Red Raiders, NT will welcome Rice and regional rivals UT Arlington and Texas State to Denton, as well as SWAC regular-season champion Jackson State.
"Once again we are playing a very exciting schedule that our fans will enjoy," Jones said. "It will be another great challenge for our program, but one our players will embrace. The non-conference portion of this schedule will prepare us for the always-tough Sun Belt."
SEE THE 2010-11 MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
The Mean Green will welcome Texas Tech to the Super Pit on Nov. 16. The Red Raiders advanced to the NIT quarterfinals last season, and finished the year ranked No. 66 in the RPI. Tip off against North Texas' first Big 12 opponent of 2010-11 is slated for 7 p.m.
North Texas last hosted to a Big 12 squad in 2007, topping Oklahoma State 82-73 in front of nearly 7,000 fans.
Kansas, the last remaining Big 12 opponent to have never faced NT, will play host to the Mean Green on Nov. 19 at Allen Fieldhouse in a showdown of 2010 NCAA Tournament participants. The Jayhawks spent 14 weeks ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll last year, and have won the Big 12 Regular Season title in each of the last six years.
Jones gets a chance to return to his alma mater when the Mean Green takes on LSU at the "Pistol" Pete Maravich Center on Dec. 22 at 7 p.m. Jones, known then as "The Bullet", led the Tigers to the 1981 Final Four as a point guard, and the 1986 Final Four as an assistant coach. Jones spent 13 seasons as an assistant coach and associate head coach at LSU.
The meeting will be the first ever between North Texas and LSU, which will come to the Super Pit for a return game in 2011-12.
The Mean Green will raise its Sun Belt Championship and NCAA Tournament banners in the season opener against Henderson State on Nov. 12. Tip off from the Super Pit is slated for 5 p.m.
In other non-conference action, North Texas will host Rice (Nov. 23), UT Arlington (Nov. 30), Grambling State (Dec. 2), Jackson State (Dec. 11), Texas State (Dec. 19) and Oklahoma Panhandle State (Dec. 28).
The 16-game Sun Belt slate kicks off with UALR at the Super Pit on Dec. 30. Louisiana-Lafayette comes to Denton two days later for a New Year's Day special, which tips off at 7 p.m.
NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas and FIU return to the Super Pit on Jan. 13, followed by Arkansas State (Jan. 22), Florida Atlantic (Feb. 3), South Alabama (Feb. 17) and ULM (Feb. 19).
For the first time since 2005 and for just the second time since joining the Sun Belt in 2000, North Texas has the opportunity to close the regular season at home. Denver and its Princeton offense travels to Denton for Senior Night on Feb. 26.
The Sun Belt Conference Championship will be held at the Summit Arena in Hot Springs, Ark. for the third straight year. This year's Hot Hoops in Hot Springs will run from March 5-8.
