UAlbany Announces Men's & Women's Basketball Schedules; Big Purple Growl on Feb. 5th

Albany, N.Y. - University at Albany Vice President and Director of Athletics Lee McElroy announced on Wednesday, Oct. 13 the school's men's and women's basketball schedules for the 2010-11 season. The America East Conference has released the entire league schedule for all nine member institutions. The conference's men's and women's championship tournaments will be held in the same venue at the University of Hartford for the second year in a row on March 3-6.

UAlbany will host the 14th annual Big Purple Growl at SEFCU Arena on Saturday, Feb. 5th. The school's Winter Homecoming featured a crowd of 4,000-plus for the sixth consecutive year in 2010. Big Purple Growl will feature a men's and women's doubleheader against America East opponent Hartford. UAlbany's basketball programs will conduct four additional doubleheaders, including the season opener on Friday, Nov. 12.

The men's program opens its schedule at home for the first time since 2006-07 and the third time in the program's Division I history when UAlbany takes on defending Ivy League champion Cornell. The Great Danes tangle with Georgia Tech on Wednesday, Nov. 17 as part of the fourth annual Legends Classic. The Yellow Jackets reached the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship final and the NCAA Midwest Regional's second round last season. In the Legends Classic's Detroit Subregional, UAlbany meets Detroit, a 20-game winner in the Horizon League last season, in the second half of a doubleheader on Friday, Nov. 26 at the school's 8,295-seat Calihan Hall. The Great Danes also battle Niagara on Nov. 27 and Bowling Green on Nov. 28.

In the first-ever meeting between the programs, UAlbany heads to Xavier and Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio on Dec. 28. The Musketeers, who earned a share of their fourth consecutive Atlantic 10 Conference regular-season title last year, went 26-9 overall and played in the NCAA West Regional semifinal.

UAlbany begins America East regular-season play against New Hampshire on Sunday, Jan. 2 at SEFCU Arena. The Great Danes will make their first-ever appearance at New York City's Madison Square Garden on Thursday, Feb. 10 against Boston University. The America East TV package and the Time Warner Cable broadcast schedule will be announced at a later date.

The women's basketball program begins a 16-game America East schedule on Tuesday, Jan. 4 at home against New Hampshire. The Great Danes host defending conference champion Vermont on Jan. 30 and NCAA Tournament participant Hartford on Feb. 5 in the first half of the Big Purple Growl event.

UAlbany visits Big East Conference opponent Syracuse on Monday, Dec. 6 and then travels to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Dec. 9 for a match-up with nationally-ranked Duke. The Great Danes have not faced Syracuse since 2005-06. The Orange posted a 25-11 record a year ago and advanced to the WNIT quarterfinals. At Duke, Abrahamson-Henderson will reunite with Blue Devil head coach Joanne McCallie. Abrahamson-Henderson served as the associate head coach under McCallie at Michigan State from 2000-02. Duke went 30-6 overall last season, winning the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament title before reaching the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight.

Abrahamson-Henderson, who took over the program's reins last spring, and UAlbany will kick off the season with a home game for the first time in four years, hosting Brown on Nov. 12. The Great Danes also entertain St. Peter's, Canisius, Hofstra and Fordham at SEFCU Arena prior to beginning conference play.

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2010-11 Men's Basketball Schedule
Nov. 12 (Fri.) Cornell 7:30
Nov. 15 (Mon.) American 7:00
Nov. 17 (Wed.) at Georgia Tech 7:30
Nov. 20 (Sat.) at Fairleigh Dickinson 7:00
Nov. 23 (Tue.) Iona 7:30
Nov. 26 (Fri.) at Detroit+ 7:30
Nov. 27 (Sat.) Niagara+ 5:00
Nov. 28 (Sun.) Bowling Green+ 3:00
Dec. 4 (Sat.) at Siena 7:30
Dec. 6 (Mon.) at Yale 7:30
Dec. 11 (Sat.) Central Connecticut State 7:00
Dec. 18 (Sat.) Mount St. Mary's 7:00
Dec. 22 (Wed.) at Colgate 7:00
Dec. 28 (Tue.) at Xavier TBA
Dec. 30 (Thu.) at Wagner 7:00
Jan. 2 (Sun.) New Hampshire* TBA
Jan. 6 (Thu.) at Vermont* TBA
Jan. 9 (Sun.) at Hartford* TBA
Jan. 11 (Tue.) Maine* 7:00
Jan. 15 (Sat.) Boston U.* TBA
Jan. 17 (Mon.) at Stony Brook* TBA
Jan. 20 (Thu.) Binghamton* 7:00
Jan. 26 (Wed.) at UMBC* TBA
Jan. 29 (Sat.) Vermont* TBA
Feb. 2 (Wed.) at New Hampshire* TBA
Feb. 5 (Sat.) Hartford* (BPG) 7:00
Feb. 10 (Thu.) Boston U.* (MSG) 9:35
Feb. 14 (Mon.) Stony Brook* 7:00
Feb. 20 (Sun.) at Binghamton* TBA
Feb. 23 (Wed.) UMBC* 7:00
Feb. 27 (Sun.) at Maine* TBA
*America East Conference Opponent
+Legends Classic Subregional (Detroit, Mich.)
BPG - Big Purple Growl
MSG - Madison Square Garden (New York, N.Y.)

2010-11 Women's Basketball Schedule
Nov. 12 (Fri.) Brown 5:00
Nov. 16 (Tue.) at St. Francis, N.Y. 7:00
Nov. 19 (Fri.) at Manhattan 7:00
Nov. 23 (Tue.) St. Peter's 5:00
Nov. 27 (Sat.) at Wagner 4:00
Dec. 1 (Wed.) at Sacred Heart 7:00
Dec. 4 (Sat.) at Siena 5:00
Dec. 6 (Mon.) at Syracuse 7:00
Dec. 9 (Thu.) at Duke 7:00
Dec. 12 (Sun.) Canisius 2:00
Dec. 18 (Sat.) at Niagara 2:00
Dec. 20 (Mon.) Hofstra 7:00
Dec. 22 (Wed.) at Fairfield 7:00
Jan. 2 (Sun.) Fordham 1:00
Jan. 4 (Tue.) New Hampshire* 7:00
Jan. 8 (Sat.) at Hartford* TBA
Jan. 12 (Wed.) at Maine* TBA
Jan. 15 (Sat.) Boston U.* TBA
Jan. 18 (Tue.) at Stony Brook* TBA
Jan. 20 (Thu.) at Binghamton* TBA
Jan. 26 (Wed.) UMBC* 7:00
Jan. 30 (Sun.) Vermont* 2:00
Feb. 3 (Thu.) at New Hampshire* TBA
Feb. 5 (Sat.) Hartford* (BPG) 4:30
Feb. 9 (Wed.) at Boston U.* TBA
Feb. 14 (Mon.) at Vermont* TBA
Feb. 17 (Thu.) Stony Brook* 7:00
Feb. 20 (Sun.) Binghamton* 2:00
Feb. 23 (Wed.) at UMBC* TBA
Feb. 26 (Sat.) Maine* 2:00

*America East Conference Opponent
BPG - Big Purple Growl


Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information