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June 18, 2020KANSAS CITY, Mo.

Bearcats unveil MIAA-only basketball schedule

(File photo, courtesy Northwest Athletics)

The reigning MIAA champs, and with no tournament last year, the still standing national champion Northwest Missouri State men's basketball team released its 2020-21 regular season slate of games Thursday.

The Bearcat men and women will play identical regular season schedules during the upcoming year.

Northwest basketball played 19 conference games a season ago, but the MIAA upped it to 22 this year to fill the regular season. The 'Cats will play 11 at home and 11 on the road.

Men's head coach Ben McCollum says he wishes they had the ability to play the full schedule, but his team will be ready.

"It's disappointing that at our level we chose to eliminate games," McCollum said Thursday afternoon. "I was probably on the other side of it, didn't want to eliminate games regardless. I just think that the student-athlete experience is important. Obviously, some of that has been taken away. We're not, as a group, going to cry over spilled milk. We're going to be ready. We're going to be even more ready for the 22-game schedule."

The list of games that features only MIAA opponents will begin with a road swing through Oklahoma. Northwest faces Northeastern State and Rogers State November 19th and 21st, respectively. They follow that with a home matchup with Central Missouri December 3rd.

The regular season concludes on February 27th against Fort Hays State.

Both teams also have the possibility of adding three exhibition contests.

The Northwest men went 18-and-1 in league play last year.

The Bearcat women picked up six MIAA wins a season ago, and another in the first round of the MIAA Tournament.

The full 2020-21 schedule is below:

Date                Opponent
Nov. 19            at Northeastern State
Nov. 21            at Rogers State
Dec. 3              Central Missouri
Dec. 5              Lincoln
Dec. 12            at Missouri Western
Dec. 17            at Missouri Southern
Dec. 19            at Pittsburg State
Jan. 7               Washburn
Jan. 9               Emporia State
Jan. 14             at Fort Hays State
Jan. 16             at Nebraska-Kearney
Jan. 21             Central Oklahoma
Jan. 23             Newman
Jan. 28             at Lincoln
Jan. 30             at Central Missouri
Feb. 6              Missouri Western
Feb. 11             Pittsburg State
Feb. 13            Missouri Southern
Feb. 18            at Emporia State
Feb. 20            at Washburn
Feb. 25            Nebraska-Kearney
Feb. 27            Fort Hays State
March 4-7       MIAA Tournament