Bowling Green Bandits Release Inaugural Schedule
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…if you’re a basketball fan, that is. We got a double dose of WKU schedules yesterday, as the men’s side released their full 2014/15 slate while the Lady Toppers released their inaugural Conference USA schedules. Well, now, the newest member of the Bowling Green sports scene, the American Basketball Association’s Bowling Green Bandits, have released their inaugural schedule, which features 15 home games in the BG, and to the Bandits play their home games in our wonderful Diddle Arena.
The Bandits will tip off their franchise in Bowling Green on November 9th against the Memphis Lions, one of eight Gulf Division rivals. They’ll play their first road game in Chicago on Nov. 15th before coming home for the longest stretch of home (or road, for that matter) games of the season, as they’ll play six straight games in BG from Nov. 16 to Dec. 12. With 29 games in all, the Bandits’ season will run until March 8th, where they’ll end the season on a two game road trip against the Georgia Gwizzlies (March 7th) and the season finale in Montgomery against the Blackhawks.
The final home date of the year is March 1st against the Southern Illinois Monarchs. Over this past offseason, the ABA announced a deal with ESPN3 (the four-letter’s online viewing service), but games have not been announced yet. While there always is the possibility the Bandits can be selected, the league has over 100 teams in it (as a matter of fact, Bowling Green was announced as team 100), and with a “Game of the Week,” format, that might be difficult. The schedule, in its entirety, can be seen here.
As I mentioned earlier, the Bandits will participate this coming season in the ABA’s Gulf Division, featuring the aforementioned Lions, the Gulf Coast Flash, Jackson Showboats, Lafayette Legends, Birmingham Blitz, Mobile Bay Tornados, Montgomery Blackhawks and the defending ABA champions Shreveport-Bossier Mavericks.
Will you make it out to some Bandits games? (Especially since they’re at Diddle, why not, right?) Have you ever paid attention to the ABA? Will you now? Let us know!