Happy New Year? URI basketball to start conference play on New Year's Eve in Pittsburgh

New Year’s Eve will find the University of Rhode Island opening its Atlantic 10 men’s basketball schedule in Pittsburgh.

The Rams will visit Duquesne to kick off their 18-game run to March, which culminates with the conference tournament in Brooklyn. URI starts its league home slate under coach Archie Miller with a Jan. 4 tip against Fordham at the Ryan Center.

A pair of three-game homestands and a three-game road swing highlight the action for the Rams, who are coming off a combined 12-22 conference mark over the last two seasons. URI captured double-digit games in four of the previous six, including a 15-3 mark and a first regular season championship in 2017-18. The transition from Dan Hurley to David Cox ultimately fell flat after four years, resulting in Miller signing a five-year deal in March.

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George Mason, Dayton and La Salle visit Kingston to close January. The Patriots and Explorers will begin home-and-home assignments with the Rams while the Flyers will give Miller a look at both his old school and one of the conference’s expected favorites. CBS Sports will pick up that Wednesday tip on Jan. 25.

Saint Joseph’s, Saint Louis and George Mason provide the opposition as URI opens February on the road. The Billikens are expected to rival Dayton for the league crown, and they host the Rams in a Feb. 7 tip on CBS Sports. URI will be coming off its lone bye of the season after facing the Hawks on Feb. 1.

VCU visits on Feb. 15 to kick off another extended period at home. The Minutemen and George Washington follow on Feb. 18 and 22, respectively. Saturday’s matchup against UMass will be the lone Rams conference game shown on ESPN.

URI plays single games with both the reigning regular season and conference tournament champions. The Rams visit Richmond on Jan. 17 and host Davidson for a Senior Day finale on March 4 — that game will be shown on CBS Sports. URI was eliminated from the conference tournament by the Spiders in March, and their surprising run into the NCAA Tournament ended in the Round of 32 against Providence.

Loyola Chicago provides the Rams with an unfamiliar opponent in a March 1 road matchup on CBS Sports. The Ramblers became the league's 15th member beginning this fall and have reached three of the last four NCAA Tournaments. Texas State makes it a pair of first-time meetings on the URI schedule this season.

An all-Rams road date with Fordham on Feb. 25 is set for 2:30 p.m. on the USA Network — that's the only firm game time as of now on the league schedule. The networks and the conference will release additional information in the coming weeks. Barclays Center will welcome the league tournament from March 8-12.

Miller’s URI debut comes in a Nov. 7 home game against Quinnipiac. The Rams released their nonconference schedule last month, one highlighted by visits from the Friars and Brown. URI is also guaranteed three games at the Cayman Islands Classic, including an opening matchup with Kansas State and a following test against either Nevada or Tulane.

ESPN+ will pick up the remainder of conference games not shown on national outlets. Visit gorhody.com for more information.

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On Twitter: @BillKoch25

URI men's basketball complete 2022-23 schedule

Nov. 7 – Quinnipiac (ESPN+)

Nov. 12 – Texas State (ESPN+)

Nov. 15 – Stony Brook (ESPN+)

Nov. 21 – vs. Kansas State (Cayman Islands Classic)

Nov. 22 – vs. Nevada/Tulane (Cayman Islands Classic)

Nov. 23 – vs. TBD (Cayman Islands Classic)

Nov. 27 – at Boston College

Dec. 3 – Providence (ESPN)

Dec. 7 – Brown (ESPN+)

Dec. 10 – Army (ESPN+)

Dec. 13 – UMass Lowell (ESPN+)

Dec. 18 – at Georgia State

Dec. 22 – Milwaukee (ESPN+)

Dec. 31 – at Duquesne (ESPN+)

Jan. 4 – Fordham (ESPN+)

Jan. 7 – at La Salle (ESPN+)

Jan. 11 – St. Bonaventure (ESPN+)

Jan. 14 – at Massachusetts (ESPN+)

Jan. 17 – at Richmond (ESPN+)

Jan. 21 – George Mason (ESPN+)

Jan. 25 – Dayton (CBS Sports Network)

Jan. 28 – La Salle (ESPN+)

Feb. 1 – at Saint Joseph’s (ESPN+)

Feb. 7 – at Saint Louis (CBS Sports Network)

Feb. 11 – at George Mason (ESPN+)

Feb. 15 – VCU (ESPN+)

Feb. 18 – Massachusetts (ESPN)

Feb. 22 – George Washington (ESPN+)

Feb 25 – at Fordham (USA Network), 2:30 p.m.

March 1 – at Loyola Chicago (CBS Sports Network)

March 4 – Davidson (CBS Sports Network)

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: URI's A-10 men's hoops schedule begins on New Year's Eve in Pittsburgh