ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Coming off a 27-5 season, CCIW regular season and tournament championships and the program's fifth NCAA Division III final four and third national title game appearance, Augustana men's basketball has released its schedule for the 2015-16 season. The Vikings' slate includes an 11-day span in which they face three programs that own eight of the last 12 national championships.
Coach
Grey Giovanine's squad, which returns all five starters and 11 letter winners from a year ago, will welcome defending national champion Wisconsin-Stevens Point (27-5 in 2014-15)—which defeated Augustana in the 2015 title game—to Carver Center on December 5 for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff. The Pointers were also champions in 2004, 2005 and 2010.
The non-conference slate also includes a trip to 2014 national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater on December 2. The Vikings defeated the then-defending national champion Warhawks 96-94 in a two-overtime classic at Carver this past December. Whitewater shared the 2015 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship with Stevens Point and finished 24-4 overall with an NCAA appearance. The Warhawks also won the national title in 2012, in addition to previous championships in 1984 and 1989.
On December 12, Augustana travels to Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri—national champions in 2008 and 2009 and a 20-6 NCAA Tournament team in 2015. The Vikings and Bears will tip at 4:00 p.m.
The regular season opens with a home date against Wisconsin-La Crosse on November 13 at 7:00 p.m. On November 24, Augustana travels to Fontbonne. After running the 11-day gauntlet of recent national champions, the Vikings host MacMurray at 7:00 p.m. on December 15. The non-conference portion of the slate wraps up with five games on the road. A trip to the Pacific Northwest consists of games at Puget Sound on December 18, Lewis & Clark on December 20 and George Fox on the 22nd. On December 29-30, Augustana returns to the Wisconsin Dells for the third year in a row, where it will take on Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Edgewood, respectively.
The always-tough College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin schedule will feature home-and-home dates with 2015 NCAA Tournament teams Illinois Wesleyan (20-9, 10-4 in the CCIW) and Elmhurst (20-8, 9-5). Every player from the Bluejays' squad is eligible to return for 2015-16.
2015-16 AUGUSTANA MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE - Link| DATE | OPPONENT | SITE | TIME |
| November 13 | Wisconsin-La Crosse | HOME | 7:00 p.m. |
| November 24 | Fontbonne | St. Louis, Mo. | 7:00 p.m. |
| December 2 | Wisconsin-Whitewater | Whitewater, Wis. | 8:00 p.m. |
| December 5 | Wisconsin-Stevens Point | HOME | 7:00 p.m. |
| December 12 | Washington | St. Louis, Mo. | 8:00 p.m. |
| December 15 | MacMurray | HOME | 7:00 p.m. |
| December 18 | Puget Sound | Tacoma, Wash. | 6:00 p.m. (PST) |
| December 20 | Lewis & Clark | Portland, Ore. | 5:30 p.m. (PST) |
| December 22 | George Fox | Newberg, Ore. | 7:00 p.m. (PST) |
| December 29 | Wisconsin-Oshkosh | Wisconsin Dells, Wis. | 6:00 p.m. |
| December 30 | Edgewood | Wisconsin Dells, Wis. | 5:00 p.m. |
| January 2 | Wheaton | HOME | 7:00 p.m. |
| January 6 | Elmhurst | Elmhurst, Ill. | 7:00 p.m. |
| January 9 | North Park | Chicago, Ill. | 7:00 p.m. |
| January 13 | North Central | HOME | 7:00 p.m. |
| January 16 | Carthage | Kenosha, Wis | 7:00 p.m. |
| January 20 | Illinois Wesleyan | Bloomington, Ill. | 7:00 p.m. |
| January 23 | Millikin | HOME | 7:00 p.m. |
| January 27 | Elmhurst | HOME | 7:00 p.m. |
| January 30 | North Park | HOME | 7:00 p.m. |
| February 3 | North Central | Naperville, Ill. | 7:00 p.m. |
| February 6 | Carthage | HOME | 7:00 p.m. |
| February 10 | Illinois Wesleyan | HOME | 7:00 p.m. |
| February 13 | Millikin | Decatur, Ill. | 7:00 p.m. |
| February 20 | Wheaton | Wheaton, Ill. | 7:00 p.m. |
| February 26 | CCIW Semifinal | TBA | TBA |
| February 27 | CCIW Championship | TBA | TBA |
