Hurricane Katrina Television Arrangements Force Changes to Arkansas Basketball Schedule

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Hurricane Katrina has forced a change in the Arkansas basketball schedule for this year while television arrangements have resulted in new start times for a few other games.

The Razorbacks were scheduled to face Xavier-New Orleans in an exhibition game on Nov. 12, but due to the hurricane, head coach Stan Heath’s staff was forced to line up a new opponent. The Hogs will now face LSU-Shreveport in an exhibition game, which is still set for Nov. 12. Game time will be set once a time for UA’s football game at Ole Miss on the same day has been determined.

Other changes include the Radford game on Nov. 26 being picked up by Fox Sports Net television with tip-off set for 3:05 p.m.; the game against Rice in Alltel Arena at North Little Rock on Dec. 17 starting at 7:35 p.m. on ARSN; the Western Illinois game on Jan. 1 tipping at 7:35 p.m. on ARSN; the game at Kentucky on Sunday, Jan. 29, beginning at noon; the ESPN home game against Alabama on Feb. 21 starting at 8:05 p.m.; and the game at Georgia being moved from March 4 to Sunday, March 5, and picked up by Jefferson-Pilot Sports at 1 p.m.

The Razorbacks, who were 18-12 last year, are led by junior guard Ronnie Brewer, who has been named the Southeastern Conference’s preseason player of the year by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and to the preseason watch list for the Wooden Award, which annually goes to the top player in the country. A returning first-team all-conference selection, he is the top returning scorer (16.2 ppg) and field goal percentage leader (.475) in the league. He was eighth in the SEC in scoring, fifth in shooting percentage, second in steals (2.53) and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio as a sophomore.

Other returnees are senior guard Jonathon Modica, who is 24th on UA’s all-time scoring list with 1,074 points; 6-10 sophomore forward Darian Townes, who was second on the team in scoring (10.2), rebounding (4.6), shooting percentage (.519), free throw percentage (.698) and blocked shots (1.6); senior guard Eric Ferguson, who is ninth on the school’s all-time assists chart with 297 and was fifth in the SEC last year (4.27); 7-0 sophomore center Steven Hill, who was second in the SEC with 1.8 blocked shots per game; and sophomore forward Charles Thomas (5.5 ppg), who started 18 games last year.

2005-06 ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

Date Opponent TV Location Time

Saturday, Oct. 29 Red-White Game Fayetteville, Ark. 4:05 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 4 Southwest Baptist (Exhibition) Fayetteville, Ark. 7:05 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 12 LSU-Shreveport (Exhibition) Fayetteville, Ark. TBA

Friday, Nov. 18 Portland State Fayetteville, Ark. 7:05 p.m.

Mon.-Wed., Nov. 21-23 Maui Invitational Maui, Hawaii

(Arkansas, Arizona, Chaminade, Connecticut, Gonzaga, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan St.)

Monday, Nov. 21 vs. Connecticut ESPN2 Maui, Hawaii 10:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 22 vs. Arizona or Kansas ESPN/U Maui, Hawaii 3 or 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 23 vs. TBA ESPN/2/U Maui, Hawaii TBA

Saturday, Nov. 26 Radford FSN/SUN Fayetteville, Ark. 3 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 30 Southern Miss FSN/SUN Fayetteville, Ark. 8:05 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 2 Missouri ARSN Fayetteville, Ark. 7:05 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 6 Texas St. ARSN Fayetteville, Ark. 7:05 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 15 Missouri St. ARSN Fayetteville, Ark. 7:05 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 17 #Rice ARSN N. Little Rock, Ark. 7:35 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 21 %vs. Texas Tech ESPN2 Dallas, Texas 9 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 30 Texas-Pan American ARSN Fayetteville, Ark. 7:05 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 1 Western Illinois ARSN Fayetteville, Ark. 7:35 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 7 *Mississippi St. FSN/SUN Starkville, Miss. 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 11 *LSU Fayetteville, Ark. 7:05 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 14 *Vanderbilt Fayetteville, Ark. 2:05 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 18 *Alabama JP Tuscaloosa, Ala. 7 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 21 *Auburn Auburn, Ala. 1 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 25 *Ole Miss Fayetteville, Ark. 7:05 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 29 *Kentucky CBS Lexington, Ky. Noon

Saturday, Feb. 4 *South Carolina JP (s) Fayetteville, Ark. 2:05 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 8 *LSU JP (s) Baton Rouge, La. 7 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 11 *Auburn FSN/SUN Fayetteville, Ark. 7:05 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 15 *Ole Miss Oxford, Miss. 7 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 18 !*Florida JP Fayetteville, Ark. 1:05 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 21 *Alabama ESPN Fayetteville, Ark. 8 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 25 *Tennessee JP (s) Knoxville, Tenn. Noon

Wednesday, March 1 *Mississippi St. JP (s) Fayetteville, Ark. 7:05 p.m.

Sunday, March 5 *Georgia JP Athens, Ga. 1 p.m.

Thur.-Sun., March 9-12 SEC Tournament Nashville, Tenn. TBA

Fayetteville games in bold

FSN/SUN – Fox Sports Network

ARSN- Arkansas Razorback Sports Network

# – game played in Alltel Arena

% – game played in American Airlines Center

* – Southeastern Conference games

! – SEC Throwback Weekend

JP – Jefferson-Pilot Sports

JP(s) – Jefferson-Pilot split broadcast

All times central and subject to change