STEVENS POINT, Wis. – The UW-Stevens Point men's basketball schedule for 2018-19 has been finalized head coach Bob Semling announced today (Sept. 24).  Fresh off a trip to the Sweet 16, his team will again face one of the toughest schedules in the country complete with eight matchups against fellow 2018 NCAA Tournament opponents.
 
Printable Schedule | Full Schedule
 
UWSP will tip off the season against one of those NCAA Tournament foes with a trip to St. Olaf on Nov. 13.  The Pointers and Oles have played the season opener each of the last two seasons.
 
The Pointers then return to Quandt Fieldhouse for back-to-back home contests.  UWSP's home opener is Nov. 17 at 3:00 p.m. versus Buena Vista.  Last season, UWSP set a program record with 22-made three-pointers in a win at BVU.  The two-game homestand wraps up on Nov. 24 with a 7:00 p.m. tipoff against Edgewood.
 
November ends with another tough road test at Augustana on Nov. 28.  Last season, the Vikings reached the NCAA Quarterfinals.  The Pointers host UW-Superior on Dec. 1 before another road quest against Hope College on Dec. 8, the third-straight away game against a team from last year's NCAA Tournament field.
 
The final home non-conference game of the season is against Ripon on Dec. 12 with a 7:00 p.m. start.  The Pointers then travel to St. Thomas on Dec. 15 before heading to California to close out the calendar year.  UWSP will play host Cal Lutheran on Dec. 28 before concluding non-conference play against Illinois Wesleyan the following day.
 
Conference play begins at home against UW-Whitewater on Jan. 2.  A road game at UW-River Falls follows before a showdown with NCAA Tournament runner-up UW-Oshkosh at Quandt on Jan. 9.
 
Another road game at UW-Eau Claire precedes consecutive home tilts against UW-La Crosse (Jan. 16) and UW-Platteville (Jan. 19).  The first half of league play ends with a trip to UW-Stout on Jan. 23.
 
The Pointers open the second half of the conference schedule with a home contest against UWEC on Jan. 26 at 7:00 p.m.  A road game at La Crosse follows before returning home against UWRF on Feb. 2.
 
The final stretch of the regular season features a trip to Whitewater (Feb. 6) and Oshkosh (Feb. 9) before the final home regular season game against UW-Stout on Feb. 13 at 7:00 p.m.  UWSP closes the regular season at UW-Platteville, a contest between last season's regular season champion and the WIAC Tournament champion.
 
UWSP went 21-9 in 2017-18 with an 11-3 record in the conference, good for second.  The Pointers won the WIAC Tournament and reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Pointers will be senior-heavy on this year's roster with All-WIAC picks Canon O'Heron (Bangor, Wis./Bangor), Nate Dodge (East Troy, Wis./East Troy) and Mark Nelson (Madison, Wis./Monona Grove) joining WIAC All-Defensive Team selection Brett Tauber (Madison, Wis./Memorial) on a experience-rich squad.  Ethan Bublitz (Jackson, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran), a 2017 All-WIAC and All-Defensive Team, will return to the mix again after an injury sidelined him a season ago.

UWSP led the conference in scoring defense last season allowing just 62.9 points per game.