The 2016-17 Stony Brook Men’s Basketball team has a very different look to it than it did last season. Jameel Warney, Carson Puriefoy and Rayshaun McGrew have all graduated and head coach Steve Pikiell has departed for Rutgers. With the schedule released Wednesday afternoon, the revamped Seawolves will face three Power Five opponents: Maryland, Boston College and Rutgers.
Boston College and Rutgers will look to bounce back from disappointing seasons. Boston College finished last in the Atlantic Coast Conference, going winless in conference play while Rutgers finished last in the Big Ten with a record of 7-25. Maryland reached the Sweet 16 as a No. 5 seed last season.
Stony Brook will kick off the season on Nov. 11 at Island Federal Credit Union Arena, when they face-off against CollegeInsider.com Posteseason Tournament (CIT) champions, Columbia. The Seawolves defeated the Lions 69-60 last season.
Stony Brook will have a nine-day break before going on a three-game road trip against Boston College, Maryland and Towson on Nov. 20, 22 and 25 respectively. The team will face either Robert Morris or Hampton on Nov. 26.
On Dec. 3 and 6, Stony Brook will have a pair of non-conference rematches at IFCU Arena, Northeastern and Lehigh.
Dec. 10 will be the much-anticipated return of longtime head coach, Steve Pikiell, who started coaching the Seawolves in 2005. He went 190-55 during his 11 seasons as head coach and took the team to its first NCAA Tournament appearance.
The battle for Long Island will take place at Hofstra on Dec. 13. The Seawolves edged the Pride, 71-68, at Stony Brook last season. This is the 13th time the Long Island universities will square off, with Hofstra holding an 8-4 overall head-to-head matchup advantage.
Conference play will begin for the Seawolves on Jan. 5 when they head up to New Hampshire to play the Wildcats. Their first home conference game will be Jan. 8, when the Albany Great Danes come to visit the IFCU Arena. Jan. 28 will be the first time the Vermont Catamounts return to Stony Brook since last season’s America East Championship game.
