The Youngstown State men's basketball team will host Morgan State in the first round of The Basketball Classic, Wednesday, March 16. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. at Beeghly Center. The game is part of a postseason doubleheader as the YSU women's basketball team hosts Kent State in the Women's National Invitational Tournament at 5:30 p.m. at Beeghly Center.
The Penguins (18-14) and Bears will play in The Marques Haynes Game, which is one of five Legends Games in the first round of The Basketball Classic presented by Eracism, with the winner receiving a trophy and advancing to the second round of the tournament.
Reserved tickets for the WNIT and The Basketball Classic are $15, and general admission tickets are $10. YSU student tickets are free with a valid student ID. Tickets will go on sale Monday evening on YSUsports.com, and tickets can be purchased at the YSU Athletic Ticket Office in Stambaugh Stadium or over the phone at (330) 941-1978 starting at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. YSU season ticket holders and Penguin Club members have until 5 p.m. on Tuesday to reserve their seats.
This is the second meeting between Youngstown State and Morgan State and the first since the 1985-86 season. The Penguins defeated the Bears, 88-64, on Dec. 30, 1985. Morgan State enters The Basketball Classic with a record of 13-14 and coming off a 72-63 loss to Norfolk State on March 11 in the semifinals of the MEAC Tournament.
This is the Penguins' third Division I postseason appearance and the second in the last three seasons. Youngstown State accepted a berth to the 2020 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), but the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19.
The Penguins first appeared in the postseason when they played in the CIT in 2013. YSU owns a CIT record of 1-1 after defeating Oakland, 99-87, and falling to Canisius, 84-82, in overtime in 2013. Both games were at Beeghly Center.
This season, the Penguins have recorded a winning record for the third consecutive season with a mark of 18-14. It marks just the second time in YSU's Division I history and the first time since 1982-83, 1983-84, and 1984-85 that the Penguins posted three straight winning campaigns.
The Penguins set a school record for most conference victories with 12 Horizon League wins, and their 18 overall wins rank tied for fourth in YSU's Division I history. Youngstown State also won 18 games during the 2019-20 season.
Youngstown State also won an impressive 12 games at the Beeghly Center this season and marks the third straight season with at least 10 home victories. Last season, the Penguins went 10-5 and set a Division I school record with 13 victories at the Beeghly Center in 2019-20.
