Charleston, S.C. The Citadel Basketball program and third-year head coach Ed Conroy released their 2008-2009 schedule on Thursday. With match-ups against schools from the Big Ten and the SEC, the schedule also includes a trip to Cancun, Mexico, where they will participate in the Cancun Challenge. The Bulldogs will host another school from a power conference, for the third straight year, when they face Iowa in November.

“This schedule will do a great job of preparing us for our conference season,” said Head Coach Ed Conroy. “We are fortunate to have another opponent from a power conference coming into McAlister in the Iowa Hawkeyes. This is a great opportunity for our fans and the Corps of Cadets to support our team early in the season.”

The Bulldogs will tip-off their season when they face Georgia Southwestern in an exhibition game on Nov. 9, followed by their season-opener against Grace Bible College on Nov. 14. The Bulldogs will then travel to Richmond, Va. on Nov. 16 to face off against the Rams of Virginia Commonwealth as part of the Cancun Challenge, a four-game series.

After the trip to Richmond, the Bulldogs return home for two games at McAlister Field House. The Citadel will host the Hawkeyes of Iowa on Nov. 20. The Bulldogs will then host a regional game of the Cancun Challenge against Cincinnati Christian on Nov. 22 at McAlister Field House before traveling a couple of miles up the road to the North Charleston Coliseum to take on Charleston Southern on Nov. 25.

“The part of the schedule I know our guys are most excited about is the Cancun Challenge,” said Conroy. “I think those games in a tournament style setting will really help prepare us for the back-to-back games you face in the Southern Conference Tournament.”

The Bulldogs will spend Thanksgiving in Cancun, where they will finish the tournament with two games in Mexico. The Cancun Challenge will take place Nov. 29-30. Morehead State, Vanderbilt, New Mexico, Drake, Central Florida, VCU, Grambling, Central Arkansas and South Dakota State are also participating in the tournament. All games will be played at the Moon Palace, an all-inclusive resort.

When the Bulldogs return from Mexico, it will be time to face off against their SoCon opponents. The Citadel will travel to Greensboro, N.C. to face UNC Greensboro on Dec. 4, followed by a match-up against Elon on Dec. 6. The Bulldogs will then return home to host the University of California-Davis on Dec. 15, before hitting the road for the last two games of the year.

“Our schedule will also help our young basketball team grow and mature as they face the challenge of playing on the road in environments like Michigan State, VCU, and South Carolina before Christmas,” said Conroy.

The Citadel will travel to East Lansing, Mich. to take on the Spartans of Michigan State on Dec. 17 before heading to Columbia, S.C. to take on the University of South Carolina on Dec. 20. When the Bulldogs return from the holidays, the New Year will bring them Bethune-Cookman on Jan. 3 in McAlister Field House.

Bethune-Cookman marks the beginning of a stretch of home games for the Bulldogs and the heart of conference play. After Bethune-Cookman, the Bulldogs will host Georgia Southern on Jan. 8, Davidson on Jan. 10 and Chattanooga on Jan.12. The Bulldogs will then travel to the Greenville-Spartanburg area to take on SoCon members Furman and Wofford on Jan. 15 and Jan. 17.

Western Carolina will visit McAlister Field House on Jan. 22, followed by the College of Charleston on Jan. 24. SoCon newcomer Samford will host the Bulldogs in Birmingham, Ala. on Jan. 26. The Citadel will then host Elon on Jan. 29 and UNC Greensboro on Jan. 31.

The Bulldogs will travel to Boone, N.C. on Feb. 5 to take on Appalachian State, followed by a trip down the mountain to Cullowhee, N.C. to face Western Carolina on Feb. 7. Appalachian State will turn around and take on the Bulldogs in the confines of McAlister Field House on Feb. 12. On Feb. 14, the Bulldogs will travel around the corner to take on the College of Charleston, followed by a trip to Davidson on Feb. 18.

The Citadel will close out the season with two homes games and a road game. Furman will enter McAlister Field House on Feb. 26, followed by the Bulldogs' last home game against Wofford on Feb. 28. The Bulldogs will conclude their regular season in Statesboro, Ga., where they will face Georgia Southern.

“This will be the most Division I games any team from The Citadel has ever played,” said Conroy.  “Our team will again be extremely young.  We will have two seniors and the remaining players will be freshmen and sophomores. They will be maturing and developing against a schedule that doesn't offer any breaks.

“The increasing strength of our league combined with the nine Division I non-conference games we are playing present an exciting challenge that our program is ready to face.”

The Southern Conference Tournament is set for March 6-9 in Chattanooga, Tenn.

All games at McAlister Field House will tip-off at 7:05 p.m. All home games will be video and audio-streamed on www.CitadelSports.com. Audio will be available for all road games.

For complete coverage of Bulldog Basketball, visit the official home of The Citadel Athletics at CitadelSports.com.