UTEP Men’s Basketball releases schedule
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The 2023-24 UTEP men’s basketball schedule has been finalized, with the non-conference slate being revealed by head coach Joe Golding Wednesday. The Orange and Blue could face up to eight opponents during non-league play that racked up at least 19 wins last year, with five of those matchups coming at home.
“I’m excited about the schedule,” head coach Joe Golding said. “We worked really hard on it. Scheduling has become very difficult unfortunately across the country for lots of different reasons. I’m glad to have it completed, and I’m glad that we’re getting it out to our fans. I’m excited about it. We’re going to have some really good home games, and then we’ve got some tough road games as well. I’m extremely excited about the schedule.”
The Miners open the season with four straight home contests, facing non-Division I foes McMurry University (11/6) and University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma (11/9) before battling UCSB (11/13) and Austin Peay (11/17). The Gauchos won 27 games last year and played in the NCAA Tournament. The match-up with the Governors, who added 12 transfers, is part of the 2023 SoCal Challenge (MTE).
UTEP will continue the SoCal Challenge with neutral-site games against Pacific-12 member Cal (11/20) and either Tulane or Bradley on Nov. 22. The Green Wave won 20 tilts a year ago while the Braves piled up 25 victories and advanced to the NIT.
The Miners’ first true road contest will be at LMU (11/25), which finished 19-12 last year (13-3 at home). UTEP will also face perennial Pac-12 power Oregon (12/9) and Abilene Christian (12/17) on the road. The Ducks are one of four DI programs with 20-plus victories in 13 straight seasons, qualifying for postseason play every year it was possible (no postseason in play 2019-20 due to COVID-19). The tilt against ACU will afford Golding the opportunity to return to the program he led to two NCAA tournament bids in three years during his successful 10-season run.
The Orange and Blue have a mini two-game homestand with tilts against Texas A&M Corpus-Christi (11/29) and Western New Mexico (12/4) before heading to Oregon. The Islanders have posted consecutive 20-plus win seasons, reaching the NCAA Tournament in each of them.
The 2023 WestStar Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational will be held from Dec. 20-21, with the Miners opening play against Norfolk State. UTEP will then face either South Dakota State or Wyoming in its second contest of the event. The Spartans will be seeking their third straight season with at least 20 wins while the Jackrabbits haven’t experienced a losing campaign since 2009-10. SDSU has eight postseason berths in that timeframe and was 19-13 last year.
The final two nonconference matchups come against Seattle U (12/30) and Chicago State (1/7). Both are slated for the Sun City. The Redhawks have reached 20 triumphs in back-to-back years.
The entire 2023-24 schedule follows below.
Season tickets are now on sale and may be purchased through the Eisenberg Family Ticket Office by calling (915) 747-UTEP, emailing tickets@utep.edu, visiting www.UTEPMiners.com/Tickets, or in person at 201 Glory Road (Brumbelow Building, UTEP Campus), Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
2023-24 UTEP Men’s Basketball Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Opponent | Location |
| Nov. 6 | Monday | 7 p.m. | McMurry | Don Haskins Center |
| Nov. 9 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma | Don Haskins Center |
| Nov. 13 | Monday | TBD | UCSB | Don Haskins Center |
| Nov. 17 | Friday | 7 p.m. | Austin Peay$ | Don Haskins Center |
| Nov. 20 | Monday | TBD | vs. Cal$ | San Juan Capistrano, Calif. |
| Nov. 22 | Wednesday | TBD | vs. Tulane/Bradley$ | San Juan Capistrano, Calif. |
| Nov. 25 | Saturday | 5 p.m. | at LMU | Los Angeles, Calif. |
| Nov. 29 | Wednesday | 7 p.m. | Texas A&M-Corpus Christi | Don Haskins Center |
| Dec. 4 | Monday | 7 p.m. | Western New Mexico | Don Haskins Center |
| Dec. 9 | Saturday | TBD | at Oregon | Eugene, Ore. |
| Dec. 17 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | at Abilene Christian% | Abilene, Texas |
| Dec. 20 | Wednesday | TBD | Norfolk State& | Don Haskins Center |
| Dec. 21 | Thursday | TBD | Wyoming/South Dakota State& | Don Haskins Center |
| Dec. 30 | Saturday | 7 p.m. | Seattle U% | Don Haskins Center |
| Jan. 4 | Thursday | TBD | at NM State* | Las Cruces, N.M. |
| Jan. 7 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | Chicago State | Don Haskins Center |
| Jan. 13 | Saturday | TBD | at FIU* | Miami, Fla. |
| Jan. 18 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | Middle Tennessee* | Don Haskins Center |
| Jan. 20 | Saturday | 7 p.m. | WKU* | Don Haskins Center |
| Jan. 25 | Thursday | 5 p.m. | at LA Tech* | Ruston, La. |
| Jan. 27 | Saturday | TBD | at Sam Houston* | Huntsville, Texas |
| Feb. 1 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | Jax State* | Don Haskins Center |
| Feb. 3 | Saturday | 7 p.m. | Liberty* | Don Haskins Center |
| Feb. 10 | Saturday | 7 p.m. | NM State* | Don Haskins Center |
| Feb. 15 | Thursday | TBD | at WKU* | Bowling Green, Ky. |
| Feb. 17 | Saturday | TBD | at Middle Tennessee* | Murfreesboro, Tenn. |
| Feb. 22 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | LA Tech* | Don Haskins Center |
| Feb. 24 | Saturday | 7 p.m. | Sam Houston* | Don Haskins Center |
| Feb. 29 | Thursday | 5 p.m. | at Jax State* | Jacksonville, Ala. |
| March 2 | Saturday | 5 p.m. | at Liberty* | Lynchburg, Va. |
| March 7 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | FIU* | Don Haskins Center |
Home Games in Bold
$ denotes SoCal Challenge
% denotes CUSA/WAC Scheduling Initiative
& denotes WestStar Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational
* denotes Conference USA game
All Times Mountain
