LEWISTON, Idaho – Warrior Men’s Basketball will open the 2023-24 season with big-time matchups against big-time NCAA Division I programs to highlight the team’s non-schedule. LC State will travel to top-10 ranked schools Gonzaga and Arizona to kick off the year.
“We are excited about this year’s schedule from both a competition and experience perspective,’ Head Coach Austin Johnson said. “Our non-conference schedule will once again be very challenging. We welcome ACU to the LC Valley early on. ACU has been a perennial top 5-10 team the last few seasons and looks to be in contention to do the same this year. Playing at Montanan Tech and a neutral site game against Hope International will also put us against teams that competed at the national tournament last season. Both of these teams return just about their entire roster and will be poised to compete for a championship in their respective leagues and make a deep run in March.”
The Warriors head to Tucson, Ariz., to face the Wildcats on Oct. 20 and will head to Spokane, Wash., on Nov. 3 to take on Gonzaga. The regular season opens on Nov. 8 when LC State hosts Northwest Indian College in the P1FCU Activity Center.
“We are extremely grateful to Coach Few at Gonzaga and Coach Lloyd at Arizona along with their staffs/administration for scheduling us. As much as what we do here at LC is about trying to compete for championships, we’re also in the memory making business for our student-athletes,” Johnson said. “These two opportunities will no doubt have a lasting impact on our guys as they represent LC in two of the toughest environments in all of college basketball and further the big-time experience our players receive while a part of our program. We’re thankful for the opportunity to compete.”
A top team in the NAIA last season, Arizona Christian will travel to Lewiston on Nov. 11 before the Warriors compete in back-to-back tournaments at Montana Tech and College of Idaho. While on the road, LC will face a revamped Montana Western team, an experience Providence (Mont.) program, and national tournament teams in Montana Tech and Hope International (Calif.).
Cascade Conference play begins on Nov. 30 when LC State hosts Northwest. The CCC had four teams in the national tournament last season, including the last team standing. The Warriors will take on the defending NAIA National Champion College of Idaho in Caldwell on Jan. 6 and will host the in-state rivals on Feb. 2. Senior Night will be held on Feb. 17 when LC hosts Warner Pacific.
“The CCC is a great league that keeps getting better from a depth and talent standpoint,” Johnson added. “Every team went out and signed elite high school players and big-time transfers. Having a grueling and unbalanced league schedule will mean we have to be tough and stay healthy to have a chance.”
Single-game tickets and season passes will go on sale in October at lcwarriors.com/tickets.