CSUN Releases 2021-22 Schedule Featuring NCAA Tournament Teams, 16 Home Games

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---Interim head coach Trent Johnson has announced the 2021-22 CSUN Men's Basketball schedule featuring 16 home games including a four-team tournament held at The Matadome in the opening month of the season.

The 2021-22 slate consists of three meetings against teams that made last season's NCAA Tournament. Also, 10 opponents this season posted winning records a year ago.

"We've set a challenging non-conference schedule, and to open at USC is very challenging in its own right then we hit the road to Notre Dame but with that being said, for us moving forward it will be about us understanding how hard and how competitive we have to become to be able to be in games," said Johnson.

The Matadors open the 2021-22 slate at USC on Tuesday, Nov. 9. CSUN will face a Trojan team that advanced to the Elite Eight round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The Matadors then travel to Notre Dame on Nov. 13.

The Empire Classic at CSUN will be held from Nov. 19-20 inside The Matadome, which includes the Matadors, Eastern Washington, Texas State and Dixie State in a four-team tournament. The Matadors host Eastern Washington, an NCAA Tournament team last season, in their home opener on day one of the event while Texas State and Dixie State will also square off earlier in the day. The winners and losers of each game will face one another to wrap up the event on Nov. 20.

The Matadors will host Boise State (Dec. 7) and Portland State (Dec. 18) during the non-conference slate while Saint Katherine (Nov. 24) and Bethesda University (Dec. 22) also are set to visit Northridge. CSUN will make the drive to San Diego on Nov. 28 and Fresno State on Dec. 4 before wrapping up the road schedule with a trek to North Dakota State on Dec. 10.

CSUN opens Big West Conference action against the two teams it did not face last season due to COVID-19 precautions. The Matadors visit UC Irvine on Dec. 30 and UC San Diego on New Year's Day to conclude week one of league play. The Big West home opener is set for Thursday, Jan. 6 against CSU Bakersfield.

The month of January includes home contests with Cal Poly (Jan. 8), UC Davis (Jan. 20), UC Riverside (Jan. 22) and Big West reigning champion UC Santa Barbara (Jan. 25). The Matadors also visit Cal State Fullerton (Jan. 13), Long Beach State (Jan. 15) and Hawai'i (Jan. 27) during the month.

Return meetings with UC San Diego (Feb. 3), UC Irvine (Feb. 5), Long Beach State (Feb. 17) and Cal State Fullerton (Feb. 19) are set for The Matadome in February while the Matadors travel to Cal Poly (Feb. 10), CSU Bakersfield (Feb. 12), UC Riverside (Feb. 24) and UC Davis (Feb. 26).

The Matadors wrap up the road schedule on Mar. 1 at UC Santa Barbara before concluding the regular season in Northridge against Hawai'i on Saturday, Mar. 5.

The 2022 Big West Basketball Championships presented by the Hawaiian Islands will be held at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nev. from March 8-12.

The Matadors return eight letterwinners from last season while they welcome in five Division I transfers. Nine student-athletes on the roster are upperclassmen and have spent four or more years at the college level.

"With this group, the biggest thing is we have to stay together, regardless of what the circumstances are on and off the floor," added Johnson. "Things are going to get tough; we don't need to deviate and try to do too much. Everybody needs to understand, do what you can, focus on the next play, focus on being the best teammate you can possibly be, make plays for each other and everything will take care of itself."

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California State University Northridge Athletics

CSUN Releases 2021-22 Schedule Featuring NCAA Tournament Teams, 16 Home Games

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