FULL 2020-21 NAU MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
FULL 2020-21 NAU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 13, 2020) – The Northern Arizona men's and women's basketball teams will tip-off the 2020-21 season on Wednesday, Nov. 25 in the official schedule announcement for both programs. The NAU men will open the season against in-state rival Arizona in Tucson, while the NAU women will make the short trip to Las Vegas to face UNLV.
Both programs are scheduled to play five non-conference games in addition to the
20-game Big Sky slate announced in October. All games as scheduled are subject to change and will be subject to health guidelines from state, county and local officials.
Furthermore, all Lumberjack men's and women's basketball games this season will be played in the Rolle Activity Center. All weekday home games will tip off at 6 p.m. with Saturday games scheduled for 12 p.m.
Unfortunately due to safety precautions, no fans will be permitted inside the Rolle Activity Center for any games held in December. The decision to not allow fans at competitions will be revisited based upon health and safety considerations in January 2021.
The Lumberjack men will open up the season with the Wildcats at the McKale Center for the third time in four years and will match up for the seventh time overall in the last decade.
Following their season opener in Tucson, the NAU men will host Eastern Washington, the Big Sky preseason favorite, on Thursday, Dec. 3 and Saturday, Dec. 5 for their home and conference openers. The two home games versus the Eagles will be part of a three-game homestand also featuring a non-conference contest versus UC Riverside on Dec. 10. Last season, the 'Jacks defeated the Highlanders, 63-56, in Riverside.
The men's stretch of three non-conference games prior to the resumption of conference play on Dec. 31 begins with a headline game at Gonzaga on Dec. 12. The Bulldogs will open the season at No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25. NAU will then travel to Denver, Colo. for a pair of games against Texas State and Denver on Dec. 21 and Dec. 22 respectively.
The Lumberjacks' five non-conference opponents combined for a .606 winning percentage last season with four of them posting winning records. Arizona, Gonzaga and Texas State each compiled 20 or more victories with Gonzaga posting a 31-2 mark.
Meanwhile, the season-opening matchup between the Lumberjack women and UNLV will mark the teams' first meeting since December 2009, a close 60-58 victory for the Lady Rebels in Las Vegas. The two programs have faced off just five times since 2000, with NAU winning an 85-76 overtime game in Flagstaff during the 2002-03 season.
Before Big Sky Conference play commences in Cheney, Wash. on Dec. 3 against the Eastern Washington, NAU will head to Tucson for a meeting with Arizona on Sunday, Nov. 29 after its trip to UNLV. The Lumberjacks will face the Wildcats for the third time in the past four years. During head coach
Loree Payne's first season at NAU, the Lumberjacks defeated the Wildcats 84-66 in Flagstaff before falling in the rematch a year later in Tucson.
NAU will pick back up its non-conference schedule on Dec. 9 in Phoenix as it travels south to face Grand Canyon before the women's home opener on Thursday, Dec. 17 versus UTEP.
To wrap up the non-conference slate, the Lumberjack women will head to California to face off with UC Davis on Dec. 20. The schools played last season in Prescott Valley, with the Aggies winning 71-61.
At the conclusion of their respective non-conference schedules, the NAU basketball teams will lock into Big Sky play beginning with the women will host Idaho, voted first in the Big Sky Preseason Polls, in Flagstaff on Dec. 31, while the men will play the Vandals in Moscow, Idaho that same day. Both teams will play nine consecutive weeks before a bye week leading up to the conference tournament in Boise, Idaho starting March 8.
All NAU men's and women's basketball home games and conference road games will continue to be streamed on Pluto TV.
