2019-20 Men's Basketball Schedule Announced
9/1/2019 12:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Ticketing
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – With an air of excitement under first-year head coach Billy Donlon, season and single-game tickets for the Kansas City Men's Basketball Team are now available! Playing on the best court in Kansas City, the Roos will host 13 contests at Swinney Center, including three non-conference opponents in November. Their remaining 18 regular-season games will be held away from campus.
Men's Basketball season tickets and individual tickets are on sale now, season tickets start as low as $119. Fans can purchase tickets by visiting KCRoos.com or by calling 816-235-2752. Click here to purchase tickets now.
The competition court in Swinney underwent a new design completed in early July. The court includes the new Roo mascot and the Kansas City skyline. The goal was to showcase the new logo in front of thousands of fans and serve as a source of pride for the University.
"The majority of our schedule was previously completed (before my hire)," said coach Donlon. "We are excited to have added Kansas, playing them in the Sprint Center is a special opportunity for our fans and all of Kansas City.
"The WAC is beginning to peak, last year it was ranked the 14th-best conference in all of college basketball. We will need our dedicated and basketball savvy fans to help us compete and make Swinney a very tough place to play. Dr. Martin and his staff have worked tirelessly to improve the game atmosphere for our fans and all of Roo Nation will benefit from their work."
The Roos tangle with three schools from Power 5 conferences in the first five weeks of the season, including a showdown with the University of Kansas on Dec. 14th at the Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City at 4 p.m. The Jayhawks completed a 26-10 year and advanced to their NCAA-record streak of 30-straight tournament appearances. Tickets against Kansas will go on sale by the KU ticket office in mid-October.
For the third year in-a-row, Kansas City will take on local school Avila University, opening their season at home against the Eagles on Nov. 5 at 7:30 pm. The Roos handled the Eagles 94-58 last season, after taking care of them 89-58 in 2017-18. This year's game will come immediately after the anticipated women's regular-season opener against Denver University, which is set to tip at 4:30 pm.
The Roos will take a trip to the islands towards the end of November, travelling to Nassau for The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase. They will take on George Washington University on Nov. 22. Depending on their result against the Colonials, the Roos will play either Evansville or East Carolina on the 23rd, and will finish tournament play on the 24th.
Prior to entering Western Athletic Conference (WAC) play, the Roos will take on three Big XII opponents, traveling to Oklahoma State University on November 9 and Iowa State University on December 4, before taking on the Jayhawks on December 14.
In the final non-conference contest, Kansas City heads to Vermillion, S.D., for a match-up with future conference foe the University of South Dakota. The Roos join the same league – the Summit League – as the Coyotes beginning in 2020-21. The game this year is Dec. 22.
WAC play will begin on Jan. 2 when the Roos take on Seattle U at home.
After the beginning of conference play, Kansas City will split time at home and on the road, alternating every two games. The Roos will close the regular season against Seattle U as well, this time at the Redhawk Center in Washington on March 7.
The WAC Tournament will be held again in Las Vegas at the Orleans Arena from March 12 – 14. The top eight teams in the nine-member league will qualify.
Season Notables:
- Head Coach Billy Donlon enters his first year at the helm of the Roos, his first head coaching job since garnering a 109-94 record at Wright State from 2010-16. He most recently spent the last two years an assistant coach at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.
- For the first time in the NCAA Division I era (since 1986-87), the Roos will be playing all home games (non-conference and conference) at their on-campus facility Swinney Center. Last season, the Roos moved all of their conference games to Swinney, and hosted non-conference contests at the downtown Municipal Auditorium.
- During the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons, Kansas City hosted one game each year at Municipal Auditorium with the remainder at Swinney Center.
- The 2019-20 season marks the 33rd season of NCAA Division I men's basketball at Kansas City.
- The all-time record stands at 393-553 (.415).
- The Roos went 11-21 during the 2018-19 season and finished seventh in the Western Athletic Conference standings.
- Coach Donlon is building a program seeking a winning season for the first time since the 2016-17 season (18-17). The Roos have had a .500-or-better record just twice in the last 14 seasons.
