KINGSVILLE, Texas – Coming off an impressive 2021-22 season, that saw a run to the Lone Star Conference Tournament championship game and an appearance in the South Central Regional, the Texas A&M-Kingsville men's basketball team has set their schedule for the upcoming 2022-23 season.
"I definitely know that I have exceeded my expectation and standard when it comes to a challenging schedule," said head coach Johnny Estelle. "What I do like about our schedule is that we have 15 homes games which provides an opportunity for our student-athletes to develop a home crowd and following throughout the year. We scheduled 28 NCAA DII games which is the maximum number of games that you can play at this level. This could prove very beneficial when it comes to NCAA post-season tournament selection and/or seeding in March."
There is certainly not shortage of excitement around the team as they will be hosting their annual Javelina Madness this coming Monday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. inside the Steinke Physical Education Center.
Following this the Javelinas will have a scrimmage against Coastal Bend College at home on October 26th before making a trip to College Station to face Texas A&M in an exhibition game on November 4th at 7 p.m.
"The last two opportunities to play Texas A&M in College Station have been phenomenal experiences," said Estelle. "Not only for our student-athletes, but their families, our students, and our alumni, as well. It provides a chance for our student-athletes to compete against a power five Division I team that is well coached and very talented. The environment in Reed Arena is first class and the level of support that the Texas A&M students and alumni demonstrate for their team is remarkable."
The Javelinas' season officially tips off on Nov. 11th as they play host to South Dakota Mines at 7 p.m. then Chadron State the following day at 4 p.m. inside the SPEC as part of the LSC/RMAC crossover.
The following week, the Javs will welcome Colorado Mesa on Nov. 18th and Western Colorado on the 19th.
Following this opening homestand the team will head to South Dakota for the Northern State Classic in Aberdeen, South Dakota where they will face Nothern State and Minnesota Crookston on Nov. 25th and 26th.
Lone Star Conference play starts on the road this year with Estelle's squad taking on Angelo State on Dec. 1st before continuing west to Odessa to take on UT Permian Basin on Dec. 3rd.
The Hogs will then have their LSC home opener on Dec. 8th as they take on Angelo State and then Lubbock Christian on Dec. 10th.
December also brings a unique trip for the team as the Javelinas will head to the Caribbean, flying to Puerto Rico to take on Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras on Dec. 14th and Puerto Rico-Bayamon on Dec. 15th.
"I have always wanted to take our student-athletes somewhere different and provide an experience that most of them have never experienced before," said Estelle. "Our student-athletes have worked tremendously hard both on the court and in the classroom, so to be able to reward them with this opportunity to compete and represent the JAVELINA BRAND in Puerto Rico is absolutely amazing."
The Javelinas will then close out 2022 on the road facing St. Mary's on Dec. 30th.
January is a busy month inside the SPEC as six of the nine games in the month will be played at home. The new year begins with a road matchup against St. Edward's on New Year's Day before a stretch of four straight home games. The homestand will feature contests against Arkansas-Fort Smith on Jan. 5th, Oklahoma Christian on Jan. 7th, Dallas Baptist on Jan. 12th, and finally UT Tyler on Jan. 14th.
The team will go back on the road then for games against Western New Mexico on Jan. 19th and Eastern New Mexico on Jan. 21st. The Javs finish the month at home against St. Edward's on Jan. 26th for Pack the House night and then Jan. 28th against St. Mary's for Texas A&I Heritage Appreciation Night.
The last month of the season begins with back-to-back weeks on the road as the Javelinas will take on Oklahoma Christian on Feb. 2nd, Arkansas-Fort Smith on Feb. 4th, UT Tyler on Feb. 9th, and Dallas Baptist on Feb. 11th.
The team returns to the SPEC then for three straight home games as they welcome Midwestern State on Feb. 16th, Cameron on Feb. 18th for Senior Day, and finish the home schedule on Feb. 22nd against Texas A&M-International.
TAMUK will then finish the regular season on the road against TAMIU on Feb. 25th.
The 2023 postseason will commence with the Lone Star Conference Tournament on March 3rd, followed by the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament beginning on March 12 and the NCAA Elite Eight, which will start on the 23rd.
Fans can keep up with everything related to Javelina men's basketball in 2022-23 by following @JavelinaMBB and @JavelinaSports on Twitter and Instagram, checking out Texas A&M University-Kingsville Men's Basketball on Facebook, subscribing to the Javelina Athletics YouTube Channel and visiting Javelinaathletics.com.
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