Michigan Basketball Releases 2015-16 Non-Conference Schedule

Michigan Basketball announced on Monday their full slate of non-conference games for the 2015-16 season in a release on the athletic department's website.

The Wolverines will open the year with an exhibition game at Crisler Center with Patrick Beilein's LeMoyne College on Nov. 6 with the season officially opening on Nov. 13 vs. Northern Michigan. The Nov. 16 and Nov. 20 games will be played at home against Elon, a Battle 4 Atlantis mainland game, and Xavier, respectively.

From there, Michigan will travel to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis Nov. 25-27 and then travel to North Carolina State on Dec. 1 for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Five of their last six non-conference games will be played at home against Houston Baptist (Dec. 5), Delaware State (Dec. 12), Northern Kentucky (Dec. 15), Youngstown State (Dec. 19) and Bryant University (Dec. 23).

They will also travel to SMU on Dec. 8 to take on the Mustangs.

Here is coach John Beilein's statement on the schedule, per the release:

"As we do every year, we have another very difficult non-conference schedule," said U-M head coach John Beilein. "Each game provides unique opportunities for us to grow in preparation for Big Ten play.

"Hosting an outstanding Big East team like Xavier in the inaugural Gavitt Games will be exciting and very challenging. Away games at N.C. State and SMU will certainly help us prepare for our always tough Big Ten road contests. The Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas will give fans a March Madness feel over the Thanksgiving week. It is an exceptional field, and we are fortunate to be part of it.

"As we learned last year, every non-conference opponent is dangerous, and we will do our best to win every game possible. When it all shakes out at the end, we expect our overall strength of a schedule will be one of the best in the NCAA. We look forward to an exciting 2015-16 season."

And on the exhibition match-up with his son's team:

"Kathleen and I are so proud of Patrick as he moves into this next stage of his coaching career," said John Beilein. "Having the opportunity of coaching against my son in one of his very first games at Le Moyne College will be a special moment for the both of us. A big question for this game will be, who will Kathleen root for?"

"This is a great opportunity for Le Moyne College basketball to play a program like the University of Michigan," said Patrick Beilein. "It will be a special moment coaching against my dad and his team. The exposure, experience and the level of competition is a win-win for our program and the College this season and in the future.