BUIES CREEK, N.C. – A home in-season tournament, plus games against members of the Big Ten and Atlantic-10 Conferences in addition to regional and conference rivals highlight the 2017-18 Campbell University men's basketball schedule.
 
The 2017 Big South Championship runner-up and CIT quarterfinalist Camels open the year at Big Ten opponent Penn State in a 4 p.m. tip-off Nov. 10 at State College, Pa.  CU also travels to a pair of in-state traditional rivals in defending CAA champion UNC Wilmington (Nov. 18) as well as East Carolina (Dec. 4).
 
Campbell will take on teams from the Mid-American, Southland and Atlantic Sun conferences when it hosts an in-season tournament for the first time in two decades.  The Creek Classic will feature six games in three days (Nov. 24-26) with Abilene Christian, Bowling Green and USC Upstate visiting Gore Arena.
 
Season tickets and flex plans now available
Season tickets are available for the 2017-18 Campbell men's basketball campaign and are just $150 for all men's and women's home games.  In addition, five-game flex plans are available for only $40.  Call 910-893-1459, email tickets@gocamels.com or visit GoCamels.com for more information.
 
The Camels will face members of eight different Division I leagues – including a Dec. 19 trip to Atlantic-10 foe Saint Louis – before opening Big South Conference play Dec. 30 at UNC Asheville.
 
With four starters – including the nation's second-leading scorer Chris Clemons (25.1) – returning from last year's squad that finished 19-18 overall, fifth-year head coach Kevin McGeehan and his staff have assembled a schedule that is intended to prepare the team for another run into March.
 
"We've put an emphasis on challenging our team to be ready for March and that's the goal of most teams in the Big South - to prepare themselves for the conference regular season and tournament," said McGeehan.
 
In addition to Clemons – a 5-foot-9 junior guard who made a school-record 118 three-pointers last year – Campbell returns red-shirt senior forward Shane Whitfield (11.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg), junior center Andrew Eudy (5.6 ppg, Big South leading 1.9 blocks per game) and sophomore guard Cory Gensler (7.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg). In addition, sophomore Marcus Burk (8.0 ppg, 67 threes) returns as does senior center Mogga Lado (3.6 ppg, 59.6% field goals).
 
After winning three times – including an 81-79 victory over defending champion Asheville in the quarterfinals – to reach the Big South title game, Campbell won twice in the 2017 CollegeInsider.com post-season tournament to advance to the quarterfinal round.
 
The 30-game regular season slate starts Nov. 10 before the Big South Championship begins Feb. 27.
 
The 18-game Big South Conference ledger begins at UNC Asheville on Dec. 30 before the Camels host Gardner-Webb (Jan. 3) and defending champ Winthrop (Jan. 6) the following week.  For the second-straight year, the Big South schedule features a complete home-and-home format with no teams at home or on the road for more than two-consecutive dates.
 
Season opener at Big Ten member
For the second-straight year, the Camels will open on the road against a Power Five school when the Camels play Nov. 10 at Penn State.  CU stands 1-2 all-time against members of the Big Ten Conference, including a 77-61 victory at Iowa in Nov. 2011.
 
"We're really excited about the opportunity to go to Penn State to open the season," said McGeehan. "Obviously playing a Big Ten opponent in a huge environment is a great platform for our guys.  It'll have us prepared and excited about kicking off the season."
 
The home opener is set for Nov. 13 against Columbia International in a 7 p.m. start at Gore Arena.
Campbell has won its last 11 home openers, including all nine at Gore Arena.  Overall, CU has won nine of its last 11 season-opening contests, the two setbacks coming in 2010 at No-.21 Virginia Tech and last year at Oklahoma State.
 
Campbell faces another stiff test when it heads to two-time defending Colonial Athletic Association champion UNC Wilmington for a 7 p.m. start on Nov. 18.  The game will be the 103rd meeting between the Eastern North Carolina rivals.  UNCW holds a slight 5-4 edge over the last nine contests with last year's Seahawk win in Buies Creek being the only time the road team has won during the span.
 
Johnson & Wales will visit Gore Arena for the fifth-straight year on Nov. 20, this time as the opening game of the Creek Classic.  A year ago, the Camels defeated the Wildcats of the USCAA 90-59.
 
Six Games in Three Days at Creek Classic
The Creek Classic continues with a three-day run starting on "Black Friday" (Nov. 24) when the Camels host Southland Conference member Abilene Christian at 2:00 p.m. The Wildcats finished 13-15 overall, 7-10 in the Southland last year.  Bowling Green and USC Upstate meet at 5:00 p.m.
 
Campbell and Bowling Green (13-19, 7-11 Mid-American in '16-17) tangle on Nov. 25 at 2:00, followed by Abilene Christian against USC Upstate.  The date marks the first game between the Camels and Falcons, and CU's first against a MAC member since a 1990 trip to Ball State.
 
The Creek Classic concludes on Sun., Nov. 26 when Abilene Christian and Bowling Green tip-off at 1:00 p.m., followed by CU's game against USC Upstate at 4:00.  Last season, the Camels' lone loss in the Holy City Hoops Classic came in overtime against USC Upstate (80-73) at Charleston, S.C.  Upstate finished the year 17-16 overall (7-7 in the A-Sun) after a first-round loss to Furman in the CollegeInsider.com post-season tournament.
 
"Based on how things went last year and the support we got through the CIT, I think our fan base and community is going to be really behind the opportunity to seeing us play in three-game, three-day tournament environment," said McGeehan.  "I think it's going to be a lot of fun – an electric atmosphere."
 
Campbell seeks its seventh-straight win against former A-Sun rival Stetson on Nov. 30 at DeLand, Fla.  Last year, the Camels earned an 81-72 victory over the Hatters at Gore Arena.
 
The 43rd meeting between Campbell and East Carolina is set for Mon., Dec. 4 at Greenville.  Campbell has won three of its last five games with the Pirates, including an 86-81 OT decision on Jan. 2, 2013 in its last trip to Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.
 
Following a 10-day break for final exams, Campbell will host The Citadel on Dec. 14, marking the third-straight year the teams will meet.  Two years ago, Chris Clemons set a school freshman scoring record with 31 points in a 101-82 triumph at Gore Arena.  Last year at Charleston, Shane Whitfield hit career highs with 29 points and 10 rebounds, while Clemons added 27 points and the Camels recovered from a 12-point deficit to win 97-91.
 
Over his first four years as head coach of the Camels, McGeehan has guided his team to a 7-3 record against members of the Southern Conference.
 
Campbell then travels to A-10 member Saint Louis for a Dec. 19 contest at 10,600-seat Chaifetz Arena.  The game marks the first for the Camels against an A-10 school since a Nov. 2014 trip to Davidson. The Billikens are coming off a 12-21 campaign, including a 6-12 mark in league play.
 
The pre-Christmas slate wraps up Dec. 22 when NAIA member Allen University visits Buies Creek for the third-consecutive year.  Last season, the Camels defeated the Yellow Jackets 92-60 after shooting 57 percent from the field.
 
Big South schedule opens Dec. 30
Campbell starts its Big South schedule Dec. 30 at UNC Asheville.  The last time the two teams met, the Camels knocked off the second-seeded and defending champion Bulldogs 81-79 in the Big South quarterfinals at Rock Hill, S.C.  Clemons scored a Big South record 51 points, marking just the second time in the last two decades any player in the nation hit the 50-point barrier in league tournament action.
 
Asheville makes its return trip to Gore Arena (where it claimed the 2016 Big South Championship) on Feb. 1.
 
The Big South home slate opens Jan. 3 vs. Gardner-Webb, followed by defending champ Winthrop Jan. 6.  The 18-game league schedule concludes Feb. 24 with Presbyterian visiting Gore Arena.
 
Big South Championship once again at host sites
The season wraps up with the Big South Championship that will reward the regular season champ with the advantage of hosting the tournament quarters, semis and final.  The Big South Championship first round commences Tues., Feb. 27 with the seventh seed hosting the 10th seed and the eighth-seeded team entertaining the number-nine finisher in the standings.
 
Quarterfinals (Mar. 1) and the semifinal round (Mar. 2) will be played at the top-seeded school.  The Big South Championship game is set for 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, Mar. 4 and will be televised on ESPN at the site of the highest remaining seed in the event.
 
"It was so magical the way things came together for our team," said McGeehan of last year's post-season run.  "When you have that opportunity, it establishes a foundation, a cornerstone, an anchor for what you're trying to do going forward. We've used the analogy of peeking through that door and seeing what's out there. That enabled us to have more focus during the offseason, focused on a goal, and I think that has allowed our guys to grow in a different way. There was a very deliberate focus in the off-season and over the summer to have this season be even better than last."