July 30, 2007

COMPLETE 2007-08 SCHEDULE

WINSTON-SALEM, NC -- The 2007-08 Winston-Salem State Rams will have a full plate of competition this season with one of their most challenging schedules in recent history. The Rams will make history this year as they will complete a full Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference schedule of games this season, including some of the most exciting match-ups in recent history while birthing some great rivalries for the Rams.

After playing just six games at home last season and facing some of the best competition in the nation, the Winston-Salem State Rams may see the 2007-08 season as an easier road, but a quick glance at the Rams' schedule will likely prove otherwise. After eating on the road for much of last season, the Rams will enjoy a virtual buffet of home cooking this season as they will play 15 games in Winston-Salem (one on the road at Wake Forest University), including playing 12 games on their home court along with three games at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The Rams will hit the ground running when the team opens the season with tournament play at Iowa State before heading to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where they will take on the Duquesne Dukes. The team will return to face the cross-town rival Wake Forest Demon Deacons in their first meeting since the passing of Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser.

"I really think that game takes on a different meaning for me, and it has nothing to do with basketball," WSSU head coach Bobby Collins said. "Skip was one of the good guys in this game, so that's going to be a tough night for me. But at the same time I think it will be an honor to play Wake Forest in light of what's happened."

The Rams will get some home cooking for the month of December with the team will play four of its five games in Winston-Salem. They will open Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play on December 1 when they host the South Carolina State Bulldogs, followed by meetings with Georgia State, Alabama A&M, and Ferrum College in the friendly confines of LJVM Annex. The team will wrap up the month of December on the road when they will head to Manhattan, Kansas to take on the Kansas State Wildcats before facing the South Florida Bulls on December 22.

The month of January may be cold outside, but the courts will heat up in Winston-Salem as the Rams will line up another home-friendly month of hardwood action.  The squad will enjoy some more home cooking playing five of its seven games at home, including home stints against NIT participants and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Regular Season Champions Delaware State as well as facing the Howard Bison at the LJVM Coliseum. WSSU head coach Bobby Collins will likely have January 21 circled as he will lead the Rams against his former team, the Hampton Pirates, for the first time. The team won't have far to travel for its next game as they will head up I-40 to take on the North Carolina A&T Aggies at the Corbett Sports Center in nearby Greensboro. The team will wrap up the month on the road when they head to Norfolk, Virginia to take on the Norfolk State Spartans.

Though the Rams will have enjoyed a wealth of home games for much of the season, the squad will wrap up the season on the road as the team will play seven of its final 11 games of the season on the road.

The Rams will open the final month of the season at home when they host the 2007 MEAC Champion Florida A&M Rattlers and Bethune-Cookman Wildcats to open the season, but will then hit the road for four straight games heading to Baltimore, Maryland to take on the Morgan State Bears and the Coppin State Eagles, followed by a pair of road games against the Howard Bison before Collins returns to Hampton for the first time since leading the Pirates to the 2006 MEAC Tournament Championship and NCAA tournament bid.

The Rams will return for their final home stand of the season when they host the North Carolina A&T Aggies for a Saturday match-up and face the Norfolk State Spartans in their final home game of the season. The Rams will finish the 2007-08 season on the road with a three-game road trip facing Florida A&M, Bethune-Cookman, and South Carolina State to finish the season.

The 2007-08 season will be filled with both challenges, but with a wealth of experience combined with a talented group of newcomers ready to face those challenges.

For additional information on WSSU men's basketball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at www.WSSURAMS.com.

2007 WSSU Men's Basketball Schedule:

DATE                      OPPONENT                           LOCATION                            VENUE                                   TIME

Nov. 9                     Iowa State Tournament      Ames, IA                                Hilton Coliseum                  TBA

Nov. 10                  Iowa State Tournament      Ames, IA                                Hilton Coliseum                  TBA

Nov. 12                  Duquesne                             Pittsburgh, Pa.                     A.J. Palumbo Ctr.                 TBA

Nov. 23                  Wake Forest                         Winston Salem, NC            LJVM Coliseum                   TBA

Nov. 27                  Fresno State                        Winston Salem, NC            LJVM Coliseum                   6:00       

Dec. 1                    South Carolina State *       Winston Salem, NC            LJVM Annex                        7:00       

Dec. 8                    Georgia State                      Winston Salem, NC            LJVM Annex                        7:00

Dec. 17                  Alabama A&M                     Winston Salem, NC            LJVM Annex                        7:00

Dec. 19                  Ferrum College                   Winston Salem, NC            LJVM Annex                        TBA

Dec. 22                  Kansas State                       Manhattan, KS                      Bramlage Coliseum           TBA

Dec. 29                  South Florida                        Tampa, Florida                    Sun Dome                            TBA        

Jan. 12                  MD-Eastern Shore *           Winston Salem, NC            LJVM Annex                        6:00

Jan. 14                  Delaware State *                 Winston Salem, NC            LJVM Annex                        6:00

Jan. 9                     Columbia Union *                Winston Salem, NC            LJVM Annex                        7:30

Jan. 19                  Howard *                               Winston Salem, NC            LJVM Coliseum                   4:00

Jan. 21                  Hampton *                            Winston Salem, NC            LJVM Annex                        7:30

Jan. 26                   North Carolina A&T *          Greensboro, NC                  Corbett Sports Center        TBA

Jan. 28                   Norfolk State *                      Norfolk, VA                            Echols Hall                           TBA

Feb. 2                     Florida A&M *                       Winston Salem, NC            LJVM Annex                        6:00

Feb. 4                     Bethune-Cookman *          Winston Salem, NC.           LJVM Annex                        7:30

Feb. 9                     Morgan State *                     Baltimore, MD                      Hill Fieldhouse                    TBA

Feb. 11                  Coppin State *                      Baltimore, MD                      Coppin Center                     TBA

Feb. 16                  Howard *                               Washington, DC                  Burr Gymnasium                 TBA

Feb. 18                  Hampton *                            Hampton VA                         Convocation Center            TBA

Feb. 23                   North Carolina A&T *         Winston Salem, NC            LJVM Annex                        6:00

Feb. 25                   Norfolk State *                     Winston Salem, NC            LJVM Annex                        7:30

Mar. 1                     Florida A&M *                        Tallahassee, Fla                 Gaither Gym                         TBA

Mar. 3                     Bethune Cookman *           Daytona Beach, Fla             Memorial Gym                      TBA

Mar. 6                     South Carolina State *        Oranageburg, SC                SHM Memorial Gym            TBA

Bold Type Indicates Home Game (Played at LJVM Coliseum Annex or LJVM Coliseum)

* Denotes Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Games

Note - Venues and Times All Subject To Change 

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