Trending
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Youngstown State men's basketball team will begin its 2023-24 men's basketball campaign at Louisiana, associate head coach Ethan Faulkner told the Tribune Chronicle and Vindicator on Friday.
That was one of a handful of contracts finalized recently.
Youngstown State and Louisiana met once before, a 73-61 victory for the Ragin' Cajuns on Nov. 15, 2019, per YSU's record book.
Louisiana is the reigning Sun Belt Conference champion, and posted a 26-8 record overall. The Ragin' Cajuns fell to Tennessee in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
After Louisiana, the Penguins stay on the road to visit Michigan on Nov. 10.
YSU will host Western Illinois on Nov. 13 as part of a home-and-home series that began last year. The Penguins traveled to Macomb, Ill., on Nov. 26, 2022, and took an 88-64 victory over the Leathernecks. The teams have met 33 times, with WIU owning a 21-12 advantage in the series. Western Illinois finished the 2022-23 season at 16-14.
After Western visits the Beeghly Center, YSU will host its weekend MTE with Utah Tech and Niagara, set for Nov. 17-19.
On Dec. 9, the Penguins travel to Kalamazoo, Mich., to visit Western Michigan. WMU narrowly topped YSU in 2019, a 66-64 victory for the Broncos. Western Michigan owns a 5-1 series lead over Youngstown State. YSU's lone win came in 2000.
The Broncos were 8-23 last season.
In December, a pair of Division III teams will visit Beeghly Center. YSU will host Bethany College (W.Va.) on Dec. 14 -- the first meeting between the two programs -- and continue its annual matchup with Westminster on Dec. 18.
YSU trails the series with Westminster 29-24, but the Penguins have won seven straight against the Titans since 2013 and haven't lost to Westminster since Nov. 28, 1981, a 68-66 decision. Youngstown State won last year's contest 117-65.