It’s that time again, or at least in four months it is. The Harding athletic department has posted the schedule for the upcoming basketball season, and now I’m doing the same. All of the game times are still TBA, so I’ll update the main schedule page when those are posted.
2007-08 Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Location |
| 11/16 | Missouri State | Springfield, Mo. |
| 11/17 | Texas-Pan American | Springfield, Mo. |
| 11/23 | West Texas A&M Tournament | Canyon, Texas |
| 11/24 | West Texas A&M Tournament | Canyon, Texas |
| 11/27 | Champion Baptist | Searcy, Ark. |
| 11/30 | Alabama-Huntsville | Searcy, Ark. |
| 12/1 | North Alabama | Searcy, Ark. |
| 12/6 | Central Baptist | Searcy, Ark. |
| 12/8 | Drury | Springfield, Mo. |
| 1/3 | North Alabama | Florence, Ala. |
| 1/5 | Alabama-Huntsville | Huntsville, Ala. |
| 1/10 | Ecclesia | Searcy, Ark. |
| 1/12 | Arkansas-Monticello | Searcy, Ark. |
| 1/17 | Delta State | Cleveland, Miss. |
| 1/19 | Ouachita Baptist | Searcy, Ark. |
| 1/24 | Arkansas Tech | Searcy, Ark. |
| 1/26 | Henderson State | Arkadelphia, Ark. |
| 1/31 | Southern Arkansas | Magnolia, Ark. |
| 2/2 | Christian Brothers | Searcy, Ark. |
| 2/7 | Arkansas-Monticello | Monticello, Ark. |
| 2/14 | Delta State | Searcy, Ark. |
| 2/16 | Ouachita Baptist | Arkadelphia, Ark. |
| 2/21 | Arkansas Tech | Russellville, Ark. |
| 2/23 | Henderson State | Searcy, Ark. |
| 2/28 | Southern Arkansas | Searcy, Ark. |
| 3/1 | Christian Brothers | Memphis, Tenn. |
| 3/5 | GSC Tournament | Southaven, Miss. |
The Bisons will face a season-opening test at Missouri State’s Price Cutter Classic against MSU and UT-Pan American, both Division-I foes. MSU lost in the opening-round of the NIT last year, but they were a solid team in a deep Missouri Valley Conference. Ken Pomeroy, whose basketball rankings I trust the most, rated them #47 in Division-I. UT-Pan American is a different story, having gone 14-15 last year as a D-I independent. KenPom rated them #259 out of 336 teams.
The non-conference slate will include at least five D-II opponents, with the usual four game home-and-home against North Alabama and Alabama-Huntsville. The UAH game is on a Saturday again this year, so it looks like I will get at least one chance to see the team in action. There could be as many as three other non-conference D-II games, with a game against Drury on the road and 2 games at the West Texas A&M tournament. Champion Baptist, Central Baptist, and Ecclesia are all lower-level schools that should be easy non-conference wins.
If anything changes, I’ll post it here on the main schedule page.
jfwiii.net 
I’m calling it now: Harding beats UT-Pan Am. Who could think of a better place to spend Thanksgiving Break than Canyon, TX? I’m sure the players will be thrilled with that bus ride through desolation.
Other than Ouachita Baptist & Harding, no other Gulf South program appears to be maintaining their men’s basketball websites in the offseason.
Hopefully there will be some amusing transfers to discuss once the other teams start updating.
To whet your appetite, here’s something from a recent basketball release from Arkansas Tech:
Head Coach Mark Downey referred to a high school signee as “Steve Nash like good.”
http://athletics.atu.edu/bballm/recruit-signing.htm . That was hysterical in itself until I saw that he will be backing up Terrance Whiters.
Whiters graduated from high school the same year we did when he was a nationally ranked PG prospect. He’s now a sixth-year senior and will turn 25 once conference starts.
I sometimes wonder just what “eligibility” even means anymore in GSC basketball. Do players get mulligans now for a bad season or two?
I think Harding plays in the West Texas A&M tournament about every other year. Coach Morgan used to be their coach, so he clearly still has some connections there. I’m sure the players will thank him appropriately for that little trip.
Christian Brothers appears to also be updating their site, and it’s no wonder why. They have a great young core of players, and they’re building that program like a D-I school. I wonder how they’ve managed to get their program on the radar for recruits in places like Cincinnati and St. Louis.
If “Laithe” can fit in great at Arkansas Tech, he can’t be Steve Nash-like good. There’s not really much more to say about that.
I’ve had to redefine my internal concept of NCAA eligibility after seeing what goes on in D-II. I’d love to get my hands on a rulebook for that.