Florida Tech Releases Basketball Schedule
By Florida Tech // October 6, 2013
Florida Tech Vs. University of Miami Set for Oct.30
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Florida Tech’s men’s basketball team released its 2013-14 schedule earlier this week and head coach Billy Mims and the Panthers begin their quest for a second Sunshine State Conference Championship in three seasons on Wednesday, Oct. 30 against the University of Miami, the defending Atlantic Coast Conference Champions.
The Hurricanes host FIT in Coral Gables with a 7 p.m. exhibition. The regular season begins on Friday, Nov. 8 at Florida Tech hosts its first of three tournaments.
“Playing against a team like the Hurricanes will be a great challenge for us to open our season,” Mims said. “Our guys are thrilled to go to Coral Gables and play against the defending ACC Champions.”
“I’ve been asked several times about my reasoning for playing a game like this and I can tell you this. It will be just as tough to play at Coral Gables as it is to go win against an SSC team on the road.”
“We feel like we have the rowdiest fans and want to play here as much as we can. We want to win as much as possible in front of our home crowd.”
A home heavy schedule, FIT plays 19 of its 28 regular season games in Melbourne. In the last six seasons, the Panthers have registered an 83-23 record at the Clemente Center.
“We went 17-1 at home two seasons ago and 11-4 last year and we love playing in front of our fans,” Mims said. “We feel like we have the rowdiest fans and want to play here as much as we can. We want to win as much as possible in front of our home crowd.”
The SSC vs. SIAC Tip-Off Challenge features SSC foe Nova Southeastern and SIAC’s Paine College and Claflin College. FIT hosts Claflin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Paine and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
“We have one of the toughest schedules we’ve’ve had in my nine years as head coach here,” said Mims. “We’re hosting three different tournaments: SSC vs. SIAC Tip-Off Challenge, the Florida Tech Thanksgiving Tournament and our Christmas Classic.”
NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE
Florida Tech welcomes Assumption on Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. The Greyhounds, a school in Worcester, Mass., finished the season 21-8 and earned a NCAA Tournament appearance.
“We start off with a great regional challenge, followed by a game against a great program that competed in the NCAA in Assumption,” Mims said.
A nine-game home stand begins with non-conference contests against Puerto Rico-Bayamon (Nov. 21) and Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (Nov. 25), followed by the Florida Tech Thanksgiving Tournament on Nov. 29-30.
The two day tournament features Union University (Tenn.), Erksine College (S.C.) and Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras. Union and Erksine begin action at 4:30 p.m. and the Panthers take on Rio Piedras at 7 p.m.
The consolation game is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday with the championship tipping off at 4:30 p.m.
SSC ACTION BEGINS
SSC action begins at the Clemente Center as Lynn University enters Melbourne on Dec. 7 at 4:30 p.m. After a 10-day break, FIT takes on Fischer College at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 17.
“Many of the teams we play this year have had a rich tradition of success in their history and have quality student-athletes and great coaches, Mims said. “We are excited to begin our season and our quest for the SSC Championship.”
Before the calendar year is over, Florida Tech hosts its Christmas Classic on Dec. 20-21, welcoming LeMoyne Owen (Tenn.), Francis Marion (S.C.) and North Greenville (S.C.) to Florida. North Greenville takes on FIT on Friday, Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m., followed by a 7:30 p.m. tip-off versus LeMoyne Owen.
The 2014 slate begins on the road as the Lions of Saint Leo University battle the Panthers on Jan. 4 at 4 p.m.
Florida Tech returns home to host Rollins College (Jan. 8) at 7:30 p.m. and the University of Tampa (Jan. 11) at 4 p.m. before heading to Lakeland, Fla. to face Florida Southern College on Jan. 18.
A Jan. 22 contest against Nova Southeastern is set for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off, followed by Eckerd College on Jan. 25 at a venue to be announced.
FLORIDA TECH RETURNS
Barry University hosts FIT on Jan. 29 for their first matchup of the season and the Panthers and the Fighting Knights conclude their regular season series on Feb. 1 at 4 p.m.
“Playing against a team like the Hurricanes will be a great challenge for us to open our season,” Mims said. “Our guys are thrilled to go to Coral Gables and play against the defending ACC Champions.”
Florida Tech returns to the Clemente Center on Feb. 5 against Saint Leo at 7:30 p.m. before FIT hits the road for battles at Tampa (Feb. 8) and Rollins (Feb. 12).
The Crimson and Gray welcome Florida Southern on Feb. 15 and Palm Beach Atlantic on Feb. 19 at 7 p.m.
The regular season concludes with away contests at Eckerd College and Nova Southeastern on Feb. 22 and 26, respectively, before Senior Night against Barry University on March 1 at 4 p.m.
The SSC Tournament begins on March 5 and concludes on March 9 with all contests taking place at the Silver Spurs Arena in Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Fla.
NCAA DIVISION II SOUTH REGIONALS
The NCAA Division II South Regionals are set for March 15-18 with the Elite Eight scheduled for March 27-29 in Louisville, Ky. The NCAA Division II National Championship Game is slated for April 6 and will take place in Dallas, Texas.
“Many of the teams we play this year have had a rich tradition of success in their history and have quality student-athletes and great coaches, Mims said. “We are excited to begin our season and our quest for the SSC Championship.”
For a complete schedule, please visit FloridaTechSports.com, the official home of FIT athletics.
Joining coach Mims will be Edgar Egiltis and DeMario Robinson for their second seasons as assistant coaches and Julius Reid, a player who capped off a sensational four-year career as the starting guard for the Panthers last season. FIT returns 12 players and welcomes six newcomers.
To view the upcoming Florida Tech Schedule visit FloridaTechSports.com
