For the Gazette

STEVENS POINT – UW-Stevens Point head men’s basketball coach Kent Dernbach has completed his team’s 2023-24 season schedule. 

The slate features 13 home games and will include a preseason matchup with the Wisconsin Badgers.

The 2023-24 campaign will kick off with the annual Purple-Gold Game on Oct. 26. 

Tip-off time is yet to be determined as the night will feature a twin bill with UW-Stevens Point’s women’s team also playing a Purple-Gold contest.

UW-Stevens Point will then travel to Madison for an exhibition against the Wisconsin Badgers as part of the Garding Against Cancer initiative.

Tip-off at the Kohl Center on Nov. 1 is slated for 7:00 p.m.

The Pointers will begin the regular season at home against Lawrence on Nov. 11 beginning at 7:00 p.m. 

A trip to Minnesota to face St. Olaf on Nov. 15 interludes before UW-Stevens Point returns home to face Edgewood on Nov. 18 for a 3:00 p.m. tip.

A four-game road trip follows as the Pointers travel to Wisconsin Lutheran (Nov. 21), to Illinois to play Augustana (Nov. 26), north to take on UW-Superior (Dec. 2) and finally to Indiana for a showdown against Trine (Dec. 9).

The calendar year wraps up with the longest homestand of the season. North Central (Minn.) begins the homestand on Dec. 12, and Calvin visits on Dec. 18 at 7:00 p.m. 

UW-Stevens Point will also host two games during the annual Sentry Classic. 

The Pointers play MSOE (Milwaukee School of Engineering) on Dec. 28 at 7:00 p.m. and take on Illinois Wesleyan on Dec. 30 at 3:00 p.m. to conclude the homestand.

League play begins in January, with UW-Stevens Point playing the first two on the road at UW-Stout (Jan. 3) and UW-La Crosse (Jan. 6). 

UW-Stevens Point’s first home conference game is on Jan. 10 versus UW-Whitewater. 

A week later, the Pointers host UW-River Falls (Jan. 17), the first of consecutive home games, with UW-Oshkosh coming to town on Jan. 20.

The Pointers play back-to-back home games against UW-Stout (Jan. 31) and UW-La Crosse (Feb. 3). 

Consecutive home games to close out the home portion of the slate sees UW-Platteville (Feb. 10) and UW-Eau Claire (Feb. 14) visit. 

The game against the Pioneers will be Alumni Day, and UW-Stevens Point will host a 20-year reunion of the 2003-24 national championship team that day.