VMI releases 2015-2016 basketball schedule

Virginia Military Institute head basketball coach Dan Earl will make his college head coaching debut against Penn State, the university where he starred as a point guard in the mid-’90s before spending six years (2006-11) on the Penn State staff as assistant coach.

The Keydets will open the 2015-16 season against the Nittany Lions on Saturday, November 14 at University Park, Pennsylvania.

Earl, who came to VMI from Navy where he served the past four seasons as associate head coach, will lead the Keydets against his former team when the Midshipmen visit Cameron Hall Saturday, December 12 at Cameron Hall in Lexington. It will be Navy’s first trip to Lexington since the 1996-97 season.

Other non-conference match-ups on the 15-16 Keydet slate include road trips to Virginia Tech (Nov. 21), Ohio State (Dec. 5), and Butler (Dec. 7) in the first game ever game between the Keydets and Bulldogs on the court.

VMI will also face three members of the Big South Conference where the Keydets competed from 2004 through 2014. VMI will host Presbyterian College November 24 in Lexington, travel to Campbell University November 30, and later play at Gardner-Webb on December 21.

VMI opens up its 14-game home schedule November 17 against Tusculum College. The Keydets begin Southern Conference play at Furman January 2 in Greenville, South Carolina and closes out both the conference and regular season with home games against Mercer (Feb. 25) and The Citadel (Feb. 27).

Tickets will go on sale later in the fall and will be available at www.vmitickets.com .

Saturday, Nov. 14   at Penn State TBD
Tuesday, Nov. 17   Tusculum College 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 21   at Virginia Tech TBD
Tuesday, Nov. 24   Presbyterian College 7 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 30   at Campbell 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 2   Central Penn 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 5   at Ohio State TBD
Monday, Dec. 7   at Butler TBD
Saturday, Dec. 12   Navy 1 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 21   at Gardner-Webb TBD
Wednesday, Dec. 30   Bridgewater College 7 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 2   at Furman 4 p.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 5   Wofford 7 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 9   at Western Carolina TBD
Monday, Jan. 11   at ETSU TBD
Saturday, Jan. 16   at UNCG TBD
Thursday, Jan. 21   Samford 7 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 23   Chattanooga 1 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 25   Furman 7 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 28   at Mercer 7 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 30   at The Citadel 1 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 4   ETSU 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 6   Western Carolina 1 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 8   at Wofford TBD
Thursday, Feb. 11   UNCG 7 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 18   at Chattanooga TBD
Saturday, Feb. 20   at Samford TBD
Thursday, Feb. 25   Mercer 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 27   Citadel 1 p.m.

Thursday – March 3 thru Monday – March 7
SoCon Basketball Championships @ Asheville, N.C.