Pikeville, Ky. – UPIKE men's basketball has announced the release of their 2022-23 schedule, complete with 28 regular season contests.
Under Head Coach Tigh Compton in his third season, the Bears will play 13 games in Pikeville, 12 games away, and four neutral site matchups. The upcoming season is the first year under the NAIA's mandated reduced schedule, cutting the total number of games to 28 instead of 30.
Previous Season
2021-22 saw the Bears catapult to a great start out of the gate, winning nine of their first ten headed into the first weeks of December. A highlight wins in that span came in an overtime thriller with Campbellsville, where the Bears shot 50% from the field to take the 92-87 win. The Bears cooled down in December, going 3-4 on the month before opening the new year with an 83-76 win over Cumberlands.
The Bears picked up a few solid conference wins in January and February, heading into the MSC Championship Opening round with seven wins in their last ten contests. The Bears trumped Campbellsville in an exciting matchup at home led by returner Korbin Spencer. The Bears fell to Thomas More in Bowling Green, who would eventually make a semifinal run in the NAIA National Championships.
What's Ahead
The schedule's challenging nature jumps off the page, including 15 games against teams in the top 50 of last season's RPI rankings. The first game against a team ranked in last season's final top 25 poll comes against the aforementioned Saints on December 8th. Thomas More finished the 2021-22 campaign ranked fifth.
In the mix of opponents are 14 games against 2022 NAIA National Tournament qualifiers, including non-MSC foes Olivet Nazarene and Washington Adventist. The Bears will test their mettle in Kingsport, Tenn. for the storied "The Show" tournament, held the weekend after Thanksgiving.
As is tradition, the Bears will be on display for the first time in the UPIKE Gym at the 2022 Basketball Blast-Off on October 19th. Fans, students, faculty, staff, and community members are invited to join in an evening of celebration.
The Bears play at home just once in October and November, facing Virginia University of Lynchburg on October 30th at Appalachian Wireless Arena. In the same stretch, the Bears play two sets of neutral site games, starting with the MVNU Classic on November 11th and 12th, followed by "The Show" two weeks later.
December's schedule features seven total matchups, six against MSC opponents. The Bears open the month against University Cumberlands at home, returning to Appalachian Wireless on the 10th for a matchup with MSC newcomer Wilberforce before returning to Pikeville on the 15th against Campbellsville. The Bears cap off 2022 with a matchup against Toccoa Falls where former Bears graduate assistant Dwayne Felder is serving in his first season as head coach.
2023 begins with three consecutive home matches against Tennessee-Southern, Cumberland, and Georgetown. January will be an exciting month for UPIKE fans, as the Bears play five of eight matches at home.
A showdown with Thomas More on February 18th wraps up the regular season schedule at Appalachian Wireless before the Bears move on to postseason play.
