Cal Poly Men’s Basketball Releases 2021-22 Schedule
9/27/2021 1:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Featuring three games against 2021 NCAA Tournament qualifiers – including a Wednesday, Dec. 22 matchup at Final Four participant UCLA – three contests versus defending conference champions and participation in the inaugural SoCal Challenge, the Cal Poly men's basketball program released its 2021-22 schedule Monday afternoon.
Including a three-game home stand to open the season and 13 total home matchups inside Mott Athletics Center, Cal Poly's 32-game regular season schedule also features just three contests outside of California.
VIEW COMPLETE 2021-22 SCHEDULE
NON-CONFERENCE (NOVEMBER-DECEMBER)
After hosting Division II Cal State Los Angeles for a Wednesday, Nov. 3 exhibition, Cal Poly opens the regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 9 when welcoming first-time opponent and NAIA program Westcliff University. The season-opening home stand continues Friday, Nov. 12 versus North Dakota State (15-12, 11-5 last season) – which dropped last year's Summit League Tournament title game to Oral Roberts – before concluding against Sacramento State (8-12, 5-9 Big Sky) on Monday, Nov. 15.
Cal Poly, which returns seven letterwinners from last year's squad that won the program's first Big West Tournament game in seven years, opens its lengthiest road trip in 51 years – a 10-game stretch – and the inaugural SoCal Challenge at Santa Clara (12-8, 4-5 WCC) on Friday, Nov. 19.
Action for the SoCal Challenge then shifts to the 2,000-seat JSerra Pavilion in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., as Cal Poly begins Sand bracket play on Monday, Nov. 22 against first-time opponent Nicholls State (18-7, 14-2). Last year's Southland regular season champion, the Colonels lost the conference tournament title game to Oral Roberts. Cal Poly completes SoCal Challenge action on Wednesday, Nov. 24 in either the Sand bracket championship or third-place game against 2021 Western Athletic Conference runner-up Utah Valley (11-11, 9-4) or Idaho (1-21, 1-17 Big Sky).
After facing California Baptist (13-10, 6-6 WAC) for the first time in 21 years on Thursday, Dec. 2, Cal Poly visits San Diego (3-11, 2-7 WCC) on Sunday, Dec. 5, Portland State (9-13, 6-8 Big Sky) on Saturday, Dec. 11 and Portland (6-15, 0-11 WCC) on Monday, Dec. 13 before renewing the program's series with Fresno State (12-12, 9-11 Mountain West) on Friday, Dec. 17.
Cal Poly completes Big West preparations and the 10-game road trip on Wednesday, Dec. 22 when visiting UCLA (22-10, 13-6 Pac-12) for just the fourth time since 1955. An at-large selection for the 2021 NCAA Tournament, 11th-seeded UCLA became just the second program to advance from the First Four to the Final Four by eliminating No. 11 Michigan State (86-80, overtime), No. 6 BYU (73-62), No. 14 Abilene Christian (67-47), No. 2 Alabama (88-78) and No. 1 Michigan (51-49). In last year's national semifinal, eventual runner-up Gonzaga needed a last-second, buzzer-beater to eliminate UCLA.
BIG WEST CONFERENCE (DECEMBER-MARCH)
The Mustangs begin their 26th season of Big West action when hosting Long Beach State (6-12, 4-8) on Thursday, Dec. 30. Cal Poly then plays just the program's second New Year's Day game and first since visiting Nevada on Jan. 1, 1966 when hosting Cal State Fullerton (6-10, 5-7). Cal Poly claimed the program's first Big West Tournament win in seven years last March when topping Cal State Fullerton in the opening round, 87-82.
A Thursday, Jan. 6 visit to defending Big West regular season and tournament champion UC Santa Barbara (22-5, 13-3) opens a stretch where Cal Poly plays seven of 10 conference games on the road.
However, five of Cal Poly's final eight Big West games occur inside Mott Athletics Center, highlighted by visits from UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Feb. 12 and 2021 conference runner-up UC Irvine (18-9, 10-4) on Thursday, March 3. UC San Diego (7-10, 4-8) makes its first visit to Cal Poly as a Big West opponent on Saturday, March 5 to close the regular season.
BIG WEST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT (MARCH 8-12)
For the first time since 2000, the Big West Tournament will be held outside of California with the 47th edition to decide the conference's automatic NCAA Tournament qualifier debuting at the Dollar Loan Center (Henderson, Nev.) March 8-12. Seeds Nos. 7-10 will square off in opening-round games on Tuesday, March 8. The four quarterfinal matchups will take place on Thursday, March 10, the two semifinal pairings on Friday, March 11 with the championship game set for Saturday, March 12 at 8:30 p.m.
Including a three-game home stand to open the season and 13 total home matchups inside Mott Athletics Center, Cal Poly's 32-game regular season schedule also features just three contests outside of California.
VIEW COMPLETE 2021-22 SCHEDULE
NON-CONFERENCE (NOVEMBER-DECEMBER)
After hosting Division II Cal State Los Angeles for a Wednesday, Nov. 3 exhibition, Cal Poly opens the regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 9 when welcoming first-time opponent and NAIA program Westcliff University. The season-opening home stand continues Friday, Nov. 12 versus North Dakota State (15-12, 11-5 last season) – which dropped last year's Summit League Tournament title game to Oral Roberts – before concluding against Sacramento State (8-12, 5-9 Big Sky) on Monday, Nov. 15.
Cal Poly, which returns seven letterwinners from last year's squad that won the program's first Big West Tournament game in seven years, opens its lengthiest road trip in 51 years – a 10-game stretch – and the inaugural SoCal Challenge at Santa Clara (12-8, 4-5 WCC) on Friday, Nov. 19.
Action for the SoCal Challenge then shifts to the 2,000-seat JSerra Pavilion in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., as Cal Poly begins Sand bracket play on Monday, Nov. 22 against first-time opponent Nicholls State (18-7, 14-2). Last year's Southland regular season champion, the Colonels lost the conference tournament title game to Oral Roberts. Cal Poly completes SoCal Challenge action on Wednesday, Nov. 24 in either the Sand bracket championship or third-place game against 2021 Western Athletic Conference runner-up Utah Valley (11-11, 9-4) or Idaho (1-21, 1-17 Big Sky).
After facing California Baptist (13-10, 6-6 WAC) for the first time in 21 years on Thursday, Dec. 2, Cal Poly visits San Diego (3-11, 2-7 WCC) on Sunday, Dec. 5, Portland State (9-13, 6-8 Big Sky) on Saturday, Dec. 11 and Portland (6-15, 0-11 WCC) on Monday, Dec. 13 before renewing the program's series with Fresno State (12-12, 9-11 Mountain West) on Friday, Dec. 17.
Cal Poly completes Big West preparations and the 10-game road trip on Wednesday, Dec. 22 when visiting UCLA (22-10, 13-6 Pac-12) for just the fourth time since 1955. An at-large selection for the 2021 NCAA Tournament, 11th-seeded UCLA became just the second program to advance from the First Four to the Final Four by eliminating No. 11 Michigan State (86-80, overtime), No. 6 BYU (73-62), No. 14 Abilene Christian (67-47), No. 2 Alabama (88-78) and No. 1 Michigan (51-49). In last year's national semifinal, eventual runner-up Gonzaga needed a last-second, buzzer-beater to eliminate UCLA.
BIG WEST CONFERENCE (DECEMBER-MARCH)
The Mustangs begin their 26th season of Big West action when hosting Long Beach State (6-12, 4-8) on Thursday, Dec. 30. Cal Poly then plays just the program's second New Year's Day game and first since visiting Nevada on Jan. 1, 1966 when hosting Cal State Fullerton (6-10, 5-7). Cal Poly claimed the program's first Big West Tournament win in seven years last March when topping Cal State Fullerton in the opening round, 87-82.
A Thursday, Jan. 6 visit to defending Big West regular season and tournament champion UC Santa Barbara (22-5, 13-3) opens a stretch where Cal Poly plays seven of 10 conference games on the road.
However, five of Cal Poly's final eight Big West games occur inside Mott Athletics Center, highlighted by visits from UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, Feb. 12 and 2021 conference runner-up UC Irvine (18-9, 10-4) on Thursday, March 3. UC San Diego (7-10, 4-8) makes its first visit to Cal Poly as a Big West opponent on Saturday, March 5 to close the regular season.
BIG WEST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT (MARCH 8-12)
For the first time since 2000, the Big West Tournament will be held outside of California with the 47th edition to decide the conference's automatic NCAA Tournament qualifier debuting at the Dollar Loan Center (Henderson, Nev.) March 8-12. Seeds Nos. 7-10 will square off in opening-round games on Tuesday, March 8. The four quarterfinal matchups will take place on Thursday, March 10, the two semifinal pairings on Friday, March 11 with the championship game set for Saturday, March 12 at 8:30 p.m.
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