Reggie Witherspoon (left) and junior guard Isaiah Reese will lead Canisius into non-conference season that has five NCAA Tournament teams from last year's field on Golden Griffins' schedule. (Photo by Vincent Simone/NYC Buckets)
Canisius ushered a level of prosperity into Western New York last season that had not been seen in nearly a quarter-century, leading many a Golden Griffins supporter to ask what Reggie Witherspoon and his program would do for an encore.
The answer -- or at least, the preliminary answer -- to that question was received Monday morning, when Canisius unveiled its non-conference schedule, a twelve-game tuneup to Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play headlined by the Advocare Invitational and a matchup with reigning national champion Villanova, one of five teams from last year's NCAA Tournament that the Griffs will face in the first half of the season.
The ball tips for the first time on November 14, when Canisius hits the road for a contest against defending Patriot League champion Bucknell, the first of three games in six days for the Griffs. The home opener, against Albany, follows three days later at the Koessler Athletic Center before the Thanksgiving weekend trip to Florida gets underway, with a November 19 date against Florida State serving as the precursor to the Advocare Invitational, which is once again an eight-team event this season.
The Griffs and Villanova will square off on the first day of the holiday event in Orlando, on Thanksgiving Day, November 22. Memphis or Oklahoma State will await the following day, and Canisius will have the opportunity to face either College of Charleston, Florida State for the second time, LSU, or UAB in the final game of the tournament on Sunday, November 25.
Once returned from Florida, Canisius will renew its historic rivalry with St. Bonaventure, who will welcome the Griffs into Olean on November 28. A weeklong hiatus is next on the ledger before Robert Morris comes up the shore of Lake Erie and into Buffalo on December 5. Following final examinations, Elon is next up for the blue and gold in a December 16 road game. Holy Cross, who welcomes the Griffs to Massachusetts on December 20, is the final non-league road opponent on the schedule. Home games against Buffalo (December 29) and Brown (January 8) complete the first half of the slate before MAAC play begins.
Canisius Non-Conference Schedule (all times TBD)
Wednesday, November 14: at Bucknell
Friday, November 16: vs. Albany
Monday, November 19: at Florida State
Thursday, November 22: vs. Villanova (Advocare Invitational, Orlando)
Friday, November 23: vs. Memphis or Oklahoma State (Advocare Invitational, Orlando)
Sunday, November 25: vs. Charleston, Florida State, LSU or UAB (Advocare Invitational, Orlando)
Wednesday, November 28: at St. Bonaventure
Wednesday, December 5: vs. Robert Morris
Sunday, December 16: at Elon
Thursday, December 20: at Holy Cross
Saturday, December 29: vs. Buffalo
Tuesday, January 8: vs. Brown
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