North Carolina, Rainbow Classic Highlight 2000-01 Hoops Schedule
Jul 27, 2000 | Men's Basketball
July 27, 2000
The Texas A&M men's basketball team will play at least 11 games against teams that advanced to the 2000 NCAA Tournament in 2000-01, including Final Four participant North Carolina, coach Melvin Watkins said Thursday.
The Aggies will play the Tarheels on Dec. 9 at the Compaq Center in Houston as part of a doubleheader that also features Rice vs. Brigham Young. The only previous meeting between the schools came in the second round of the 1980 NCAA Tournament in Denton, where the Aggies posted a memorable 78-61 double overtime victory.
North Carolina highlights a formidable non-conference schedule for the Aggies, which also includes a trip to the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic Dec. 27-30 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Aggies will play St. Louis in the first round and will meet the Hawaii vs. Manhattan winner in the second round. The tournament also includes George Washington, Tennessee, Detroit Mercy and Iowa.. Tennessee finished 21-9 and advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in March.
Other non-conference road games are Nov. 18 at George Washington in Washington, D.C., Dec. 2 at Virginia Commonwealth in Richmond, Va., and Dec. 23 at Long Beach State in Long Beach Calif. Long Beach State finished 24-6 last season and advanced to the NIT.
The non-conference home schedule will consist of exhibition games on Nov. 7 and Nov. 15, North Texas on Nov. 20, Birmingham-Southern on Nov. 26, Morris Brown on Nov. 29, Lamar on Dec. 5, Centenary on Jan. 4 and Texas-Pan American on Feb. 14. Lamar also played in the 2000 NCAA Tournament.
In Big 12 play, the Aggies will play South Division teams Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas Tech on a home-and-home basis. The six games against the North Division will include home games against Iowa State, Kansas State and Missouri and road games at Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska.
Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Iowa State, Missouri and Kansas all advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season, with Iowa State and Oklahoma State making it to the Elite Eight. Colorado played in the NIT.
"This schedule will be very challenging for us," Watkins said. "The Big 12 proved last season that it is one of the toughest leagues in the country and it will be just as tough this season. Our non-conference schedule includes North Carolina and the Hawaii tournament, along with a number of other quality opponents that will hopefully prepare us for the conference schedule. It seemed like last season we were playing a ranked team every week and this year will be no different."
