Golden Eagles Release Summit League Basketball Schedule

The 2014-15 men’s basketball Summit League schedule was released by the league office on Wednesday. The 16-game conference schedule will be a double round-robin format, with ORU hosting each of the other eight league teams at the Mabee Center.

Including the two schools (Omaha and Denver), who joined the league since ORU last played in it in 2011-12, ORU has a winning record in the all-time series against all eight teams.

After a two year hiatus, ORU’s return to Summit League play will begin on the road at North Dakota State on January 2, 2015. The Bison, who won the Summit League Tournament Championship last year, come to the Mabee Center on February 26, the final weekend of the regular season. ORU is 9-5 all-time against NDSU and has won seven of the last eight meetings, including each of the last four contests.

IUPUI will be the conference home opener for the Golden Eagles as ORU hosts the Jaguars on January 7. ORU returns the trip to Indianapolis on February 5. The Golden Eagles leads the series with IUPUI 22-12 and has won each of the last five contests.

ORU faces a quick trip to Western Illinois on January 10 before two more home games against Omaha (January 14) and IPFW (January 17). Having been provisional members for the past two seasons, the Omaha Mavericks will be eligible for the postseason as full members of the league in 2014-15.

The Golden Eagles will travel to Denver on January 21, facing the Pioneers for the first time since 1999 when ORU won 119-62 on the back end of a home-and-home series. ORU leads the all-time series 2-1, including an 89-67 win in the first ever meeting in 1979. Denver returns to the game for senior night on February 28, the final game of the regular season.

ORU gets one more home game against South Dakota State on January 24, before facing a three game road swing that includes trips to South Dakota (January 31), IUPUI (February 5) and IPFW (February 7).

The Leathernecks of Western Illinois come to the Mabee Center on February 12 and ORU will host South Dakota February 14. Although ORU holds a 27-6 advantage in the all-time series with the Leathernecks, it was Western Illinois who got the best of the most recent meeting, knocking ORU out of the 2012 Summit League tournament.

The final road trip of the year will include trips to Omaha (February 19) and South Dakota State (February 21). ORU is 2-0 against Omaha, but the two teams have not played since the 1975-76 season.

After playing at home for the final weekend of the regular season, ORU will travel to the new Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, S.D., for the 2015 Summit League Tournament, March 7-10.

2015 Summit League Men’s Basketball Schedule

Fri. Jan. 2 at North Dakota State * Fargo, N.D.

Wed. Jan. 7 IUPUI * Mabee Center

Sat. Jan. 10 at Western Illinois * Macomb, Ill.

Wed. Jan. 14 Omaha * Mabee Center

Sat. Jan. 17 IPFW * Mabee Center

Wed. Jan. 21 at Denver * Denver, Colo.

Sat. Jan. 24 South Dakota State * Mabee Center

Sat. Jan. 31 at South Dakota * Vermillion, S.D.

Thur. Feb. 5 at IUPUI * Indianapolis, Ind.

Sat. Feb. 7 at IPFW * Fort Wayne, Ind.

Thur. Feb. 12 Western Illinois * Mabee Center

Sat. Feb. 14 South Dakota * Mabee Center

Thur. Feb. 19 at Omaha * Omaha, Neb.

Sat. Feb. 21 at South Dakota State * Brookings, S.D.

Thur. Feb. 26 North Dakota State * Mabee Center

Sat. Feb. 28 Denver * Mabee Center

March 7-10 Summit League Tournament Sioux Falls, S.D.