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PROVO -- BYU basketball announced it's nonconference schedule Tuesday for the 2011-12 season featuring the Chicago Invitational Challenge, four games against in-state opponents and matchups with Oregon, Baylor and Virginia Tech.
BYU's nonconference schedule features programs from 12 different conferences and includes nine teams that played in the postseason in 2011, including three that played in the NCAA Tournament.
The regular season begins at Utah State of the Western Athletic Conference on Nov. 11. BYU won last season's matchup in Provo, 78-72. The Cougars then play a three-game homestand in the Marriott Center, beginning with BYU-Hawaii on Nov. 15. After the matchup with the Seasiders, BYU will host Longwood (Independent) and Prairie View A&M (SWAC), on Nov. 18 and Nov. 22, respectively, as part of the Chicago Invitational Challenge.
The Chicago Invitational Challenge will continue on Nov. 25 when the Cougars play Nevada (WAC) at the Sears Centre Arena in Chicago. The winner of BYU vs. Nevada will play the winner of Bradley (Missouri Valley) vs. Wisconsin (Big 10) on Nov. 26, with the losing teams playing in the consolation round the same day.
After the Chicago Invitational, BYU will travel to Prescott Valley, Ariz., to play Northern Arizona (Big Sky) in the Tim's Toyota Center on Nov. 30.
NAU posted a 19-13 record in 2010-11, making their sixth national postseason appearance in school history and first in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament before losing to eventual champion Santa Clara.
The Cougars then play seven-straight games in Utah, beginning with Oregon of the Pac 12 at EnergySolutions Arena on Dec. 3. BYU will then take on Weber State (Big Sky) on Dec. 7 at home.
On Dec. 10, BYU and Utah face each other as members of different conferences for the first time since the 1916-17 season. The Cougars meet the Utes at the Huntsman Center. BYU then plays four-straight at home, beginning with Baylor (Big 12) on Dec. 17 and followed by Buffalo (Mid-American) on Dec. 20, UC Santa Barbara (Big West) on Dec. 22 and Cal-State San Marcos on Dec. 27.
The Cougars' final nonconference game will be on Jan. 25 at Virginia Tech of the Atlantic Coast Conference. BYU's matchup with the Hokies will be a break from conference play, which begins on Dec. 29. The Cougars are entering their first season as members of the West Coast Conference. The WCC Tournament at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas will open Feb. 29, 2012, with the championship game on Monday, March 5, 2012. The WCC Tournament will be televised on ESPNU, ESPN2 and ESPN. The conference regular season will be announced at a later date.
The preseason starts on Oct. 26 with the Cougar Tipoff and includes home exhibitions with Midwestern State (Wichita Falls, Texas) and Dixie State on Oct. 28 and Nov. 4, respectively. The Midwestern State game will feature the return of Mike Loyd, Jr., to the Marriott Center. Loyd, Jr., played for BYU from 2007-10 before transferring to Midwestern State.
