By Staff
MOUNT PLEASANT -- The Central Michigan University men's basketball team will follow up one of the most successful seasons in school history with one of its toughest non-conference schedules ever.
After winning a school-record 25 games last year, the Chippewas face a 2003-04 non-conference schedule highlighted with participation in the EA SPORTS Maui Invitational, an exempt, three-game tournament in Lahaina, Hawaii.
Also on the docket are road games at Michigan and Notre Dame, and a neutral site game against Purdue at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the home of the NBA's Indiana Pacers.
The Chippewas will also face some of the Midwest's most renown teams in Michigan, Notre Dame, and Purdue.
CMU opens the season in the Aloha State with the 20th Annual EA SPORTS Maui Invitational, November 24-26. CMU will play three games in the tournament with at least one nationally televised contest. Also participating in the tournament are host Chaminade, Dayton, Hawaii, Ohio State, San Diego State, Santa Clara and Villanova. The Maui bracket is expected to be announced in mid-August.
The Chippewas open the home schedule on November 30 against Marist and they follow that with another home contest against Bradley on December 3. CMU won road contests at both schools last season.
The most challenging portion of the schedule may be the three-game stint against Notre Dame, Purdue and Michigan with final exams also during the stretch.
CMU travels to Notre Dame on December 6 and then faces Purdue on December 13 as part of the Boilermaker BlockBuster in Conseco Fieldhouse.
The Wolverines will get a rematch from last year's 85-78 CMU victory in Crisler Arena when the Chippewas head to Ann Arbor again on December 20.
Non-conference action wraps up with a December 23 road date at Loyola-Chicago and a December 30 home game against Tri-State.