10 dates for SHSU basketball fans to watch this season

Here are 10 dates for Sam Houston State basketball fans to keep an eye on this season:

Nov. 25 - SHSU men at SMU, Bearkat women vs. Midwestern State

The Sam Houston State men open their 2020-21 slate with a road trip to SMU, which brings back the bulk of its contributors — including five of its top six scorers. The Mustangs, who were picked to finish third in the American Athletic Conference preseason poll, posted a 15-2 record at Moody Coliseum last season.

The Bearkat women will also open their season on Nov. 25, with a home game against Midwestern State scheduled to tip off at 6:30 p.m.

Nov. 27 - SHSU men at Texas Tech

The Bearkats are set to travel to Lubbock for their first of three games against teams in the preseason AP Top 25. Texas Tech enters the season at No. 14, and will be looking to continue the most successful stretch in school history. The Red Raiders made the Elite Eight for the first time in 2018, and followed that up with a Big 12 championship and national title game appearance the next season. 

ESPNU is scheduled to broadcast the game.

Dec. 9 - SHSU men at Houston

Coming off back-to-back American Athletic Conference championships, the No. 17 Houston Cougars were recently picked to win the league for a third straight year. Sophomore guard Caleb Mills, who was voted the AAC Preseason Player of the Year after being only the second freshman in school history to lead UH in scoring, will provide an early challenge for the Bearkat backcourt.

Dec. 15 - SHSU women at Texas A&M

It’s been over a decade since the Sam Houston State and Texas A&M women’s basketball programs met, something that is set to change next month. The No. 13 Aggies posted a 22-8 record — including a 14-2 mark at Reed Arena — before last season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and should be the Bearkats’ highest-ranked opponent in recent memory.

Dec. 16 - SHSU men at Texas

A day after the Sam Houston State women play at Texas A&M, the Bearkat men will head to Austin to face the other half of the Lone Star Showdown rivalry. Texas is No. 19 in the AP poll following a strong finish to last season — after stumbling out to a 4-8 start to Big 12 play, the Longhorns rallied to win five of their final six games, tying for third place.

Dec. 18 - SHSU women vs. UTSA

The Bearkat women are set to reunite with former Southland Conference foe UTSA in one of the marquee home games of the season. The two teams met last year for the first time since UTSA joined Conference USA, with Sam Houston State winning 81-77 in San Antonio. The Bearkats will be seeking their fourth consecutive win in the series.

Dec. 19 - SHSU men vs. Rice

Sam Houston State fans took over Tudor Fieldhouse for last year’s road win against Rice. Now, the Owls — who are coming off their winningest season in eight years — are set to visit Johnson Coliseum for the Bearkats’ lone home game of nonconference play.

Dec. 21 - SHSU men at UTRGV

With conference realignment being a possibility for several Southland schools in the near future, could the Bearkats’ Dec. 21 trip to UTRGV signal a showdown between future WAC opponents? Sam Houston State lost last year’s meeting in Edinburg 90-86 in double-overtime.

Feb. 24 - Doubleheader at Abilene Christian

Stephen F. Austin secured the top spot in both Southland preseason polls, with Sam Houston State and Abilene Christian picked to be their top competition on both the men’s and women’s side. This late-season doubleheader at Abilene, 10 days before the regular-season finale, has the potential to be one of the most consequential days of the Southland basketball schedule.

March 6 - Doubleheader vs. Stephen F. Austin

With Stephen F. Austin receiving a combined 31 first-place preseason votes between its two teams, there is no hiding who the Southland favorite is entering the season. The Bearkats cannot be slept on, however, and it’s quite possible that this doubleheader to close out the regular-season could determine a champion — or two.