Trojan basketball releases men's 2005-06 schedule

Published in Sports on August 26, 2005 1:54 PM

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MOUNT OLIVE -- Two exhibition games against Division I teams, playing host to the conference tournament, the renaming of its home arena and the 40th year of a school tradition highlight the 2005-06 Mount Olive College men's basketball season.

The Trojans seek a third consecutive berth in the NCAA II Men's Basketball Championship and a return trip to the Elite Eight.

Mount Olive tips off its season Nov. 5 with an exhibition game at UNC-Wilmington, marking the third consecutive year the Trojans have visited the Seahawks.

For the second consecutive year, Mount Olive faces an Atlantic Coast Conference team as the Trojans head to Raleigh on Nov. 11 for an exhibition game against North Carolina State.

Last year, Mount Olive played an exhibition game at the Dean Dome against eventual national champion North Carolina.

Mount Olive begins its regular season Nov. 18-19 as the Trojans play host to the 40th Annual Pickle Classic. This year's Pickle Classic features an all North Carolina field for the first time since Mount Olive became a four-year college in 1985.

Mount Olive faces Lees-McRae in one first-round game, while Chowan takes on UNC Pembroke in the other first-round contest. The championship and consolation games take place the next day, along with the crowning of the Pickle Classic King and Queen.

The Trojans have won each of the last five Pickle Classic championships.

Mount Olive gets an early start on Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference play with a Nov. 29 contest at Queens. The Trojans play three CVAC games prior to Christmas Break.

Mount Olive heads up to West Virginia after the first of the year to face Charleston and West Virginia State in the West Virginia State Classic. Other non-conference games include home contests in December against Chowan, Concord and Francis Marion.

The Trojans resume their CVAC schedule Jan. 7 at home against Anderson and conclude regular season play Feb. 25 at Lees-McRae. Mount Olive plays host to two-time defending CVAC champion Pfeiffer Feb. 20 in the Trojans' regular season home finale.

Home takes on a new name for the Trojans as the former College Hall becomes George and Annie Dail Kornegay Arena.

The renaming of the facility is a result of a $1 million contribution to Mount Olive College by George Kornegay, Jr., and his family to honor the memory of his parents, George and Annie Dail Kornegay.

A formal dedication ceremony takes place Aug. 30.

The CVAC Men's Basketball Tournament opens Feb. 27 with first-round games and continues March 1 with quarterfinal match-ups. The higher-seeded team hosts first-round and quarterfinal-round games.

Mount Olive plays host to the CVAC Tournament semifinals and championship March 3-4.

The Trojans have reached the championship game in each of the last two years.

The CVAC Tournament champion earns an automatic bid to the East Regional of the 2006 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship, which takes place March 11-14.

The East Region champion advances to the Elite Eight, which will be held in Springfield, Mass., home of the Basketball Hall of Fame. The Elite Eight takes place March 22-25.

Mount Olive won last year's East Regional and made its first-ever trip to the Elite Eight.

Practice officially begins Oct. 15.