BASKETBALL
Sun Belt releases basketball schedules
The UALR and Arkansas State basketball teams will have two Saturday meetings next season, the Sun Belt Conference announced along with the 2016-2017 basketball schedules Thursday. UALR will host ASU in a men’s and women’s doubleheader on Jan. 14 at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock. The teams will meet at the Convocation Center in Jonesboro on Feb. 18 as part of an 18-game slate in which both play all the other 11 teams in the conference, but they don’t play two of the teams at home and miss out on road trips to two of the teams.
The change came after a 20-game schedule in which all 11 teams hosted and visited each league team. Coastal Carolina will be the 12th team in the conference next year.
UALR and ASU both play at Texas State and Texas-Arlington, but the Texas schools do not visit Arkansas. UALR and ASU will not visit Georgia State and Georgia Southern this season.
Another change came when the league moved conference men’s games to Monday night and conference women’s games to Thursday with Saturday doubleheaders. Last year, men’s and women’s doubleheaders were played on Thursdays and Saturdays.
UALR women will open the conference season Dec. 29 against Louisiana-Lafayette in Little Rock, while the men will open Dec. 31 against Louisiana-Monroe in Little Rock. ASU women open against Louisiana-Monroe on Dec. 29 in Jonesboro, while the ASU men will host Louisiana-Monroe on Dec. 31.
Both ASU and UALR will get an early chance at the Sun Belt’s newest team, with ASU playing a doubleheader at Coastal Carolina on Jan. 7 while UALR women play there Jan. 5 and the men Jan. 9. The Chanticleers visit ASU on Feb. 2 (women) and Feb. 6 (men) and UALR on Feb. 4.
— Troy Schulte