North Carolina Central University

BASKETBALL

DURHAM, N.C. – North Carolina Central University has announced its inaugural NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball schedules, which include several first-time meetings and a handful of ACC regular-season opponents. Both teams will also be spending a significant amount of time on the road, since NCCU is competing as an independent during the 2007-08 campaign.

The NCCU men, which finished with a 13-15 overall record in their final Division II season, will face 23 opponents for the first time, including three regular-season contests against ACC teams. The Eagles will also test their wings by traveling 22,240 miles (the equivalent of 1,249,226 basketball courts) in 22 road games. 

Led by four-year NCCU head men’s basketball coach Henry Dickerson, the Eagles will tip-off the season with their first-ever regular-season meeting with neighbor Duke University on Nov. 9. The two Durham universities have met on the hardwood in exhibition games in each of the past three seasons (2004-06).

NCCU also has first-time regular-season ACC match-ups with Wake Forest University (Nov. 19) and North Carolina State University (Jan. 9). 

As part of the 2007 Blue Ribbon Challenge, NCCU will travel to Rutgers University (Nov. 12), two-time defending national champions Florida University (Nov. 14) and North Dakota State University (Nov. 17), before hosting its first home game against Tennessee Tech University (Nov. 21).

Of NCCU’s 29 total contests, seven will be played at home inside McLendon-McDougald Gym, including the RTP Hilton Classic on Dec. 29-30 with teams from Elizabeth City State University, Concord University and Houston Baptist University. Other home games will be against Coppin State University (Jan. 16), Chowan University (Feb. 16), Utah Valley State College (Feb. 19) and Lenoir-Rhyne College (Feb. 20).

The Eagles will travel outside the Eastern time zone for six contests. NCCU will play five games in the Central time zone (Nov. 17 at North Dakota State; Nov. 30-Dec. 1 at Drake University Tournament; Dec. 20 at Creighton University; Dec. 22 at University of Nebraska) and one in the Mountain time zone (Jan. 22 at Utah Valley State).

Lady Eagles Open Season at North Carolina

The NCCU women are coming off arguably the best season in school history, as the Lady Eagles won their first CIAA Tournament Championship in 23 years and set school records in wins (26) and consecutive victories (19).

In the program’s first campaign as a Division I competitor under the direction of 12-year NCCU head women’s basketball coach Joli Robinson, the Lady Eagles will face 12 new opponents and play two regular-season games against ACC teams. NCCU opens its regular season at North Carolina on Nov. 9, and tips off the new year at nearby Duke (Jan. 3).

NCCU will play six home games, starting with the annual Lady Eagle Classic on Dec. 7-8. On Dec. 7, NCCU will host Elizabeth City State in a rematch of the 2007 CIAA championship game. On Dec. 8, NCCU will play Fayetteville State University. The other home contests will be against Mercy College (Dec. 30), Norfolk State University (Jan. 9), West Virginia Tech (Jan. 19) and Livingstone College (Feb. 16).

Last season, NCCU finished tied with Coppin State University atop the final Black College Sports Page (BCSP) rankings, sharing the title as 2007 BCSP Women's Basketball Black College National Champions. The two teams will meet on the hardwood for the first time in a feature match-up on Nov. 20 in Baltimore, Md.

NCCU will travel 10,446 miles to 20 road games during the 2007-08 season, covering the east coast from Lincoln, Pa. to Daytona Beach, Fla.

The Lady Eagles will play two exhibition contests, including a home game against Virginia State University on Nov. 3 and a road game at Wake Forest University on Nov. 7. 

The Women's Schedule: http://web.nccu.edu/campus/athletics/wbbsched.html