Sports

OXFORD — The Miami University men's basketball team won't be facing the Cincinnati Bearcats during the 2008-09 season, but they will face former Bearcats coach Bob Huggins.

West Virginia is among the non-conference opponents the RedHawks will play, according to the schedule that was announced Tuesday, Sept. 9.

Miami will face at least four non-conference teams which played in the NCAA Tournament last season. In addition to their game Dec. 20 at West Virginia (which is coached by Huggins), the RedHawks also will play at Pittsburgh (Nov. 17), at Xavier (Nov. 29) and at Temple (Dec. 3). Miami also could face UCLA in the second round of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in Los Angeles (Nov. 13).

"A very challenging schedule, the toughest one yet," Miami coach Charlie Coles said. "We've got a lot of road games to start out with, so we've got to be a pretty good team in order to be successful."

Coles joked that he isn't necessarily looking forward to facing Huggins.

"Probably not, because I've never been on the winning end against coach Huggins," he said. "I've never been on a team that's played there, so that should be different, and we'll be playing against a coaching legend."

Miami will play an exhibition game Nov. 8 at Millett Hall against Saginaw Valley State, and then open the regular season Nov. 12 in the first round of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic against Weber State in Los Angeles.

Among Miami's other non-conference games are home games against Northwestern State, Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Valparaiso, and road games at Wright State, Northwestern State (in a home-and-home series) and Dayton.

Miami also will play in the ESPNU Bracketbuster against a team to be determined in February.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.

Miami 2008-09 Men?s Basketball Schedule

(times to be announced)

x-Nov. 12 Weber State

x-Nov. 13 UCLA or Prairie View A&M

Nov. 17 at Pittsburgh

y-Nov. 20 Coaches vs. Cancer

z-Nov. 21 Coaches vs. Cancer

Nov. 24 at Wright State

Nov. 29 at Xavier

Dec. 3 at Temple

Dec. 6 Northwestern State

Dec. 11 Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Dec. 13 Valparaiso

Dec. 20 at West Virginia

Dec. 30 at Northwestern State

Jan. 6 at Dayton

Jan. 10 Akron

Jan. 14 Ohio

Jan. 17 at Kent State

Jan. 20 at Bowling Green

Jan. 24 Buffalo

Jan. 28 Northern Illinois

Jan. 31 at Eastern Michigan

Feb. 4 Ball State

Feb. 7 at Toledo

Feb. 10 at Central Michigan

Feb. 14 Western Michigan

Feb. 18 at Akron

Feb. 20 at ESPNU Bracketbuster

Feb. 21 at ESPNU Bracketbuster

Feb. 26 at Ohio

March 1 Kent State

March 5 Bowling Green

March 8 at Buffalo

x-Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, first two rounds, Los Angeles

y-Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, semifinal, New York

z-Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, final, New York