Full season slate for the Royals includes a fresh new opening tournament and the same old tough conference foes

By Jared Martinson

The Bethel University men’s basketball team had another successful season on the hardwood that saw them host and compete in a second consecutive conference championship game and finish 2017-18 with a 21-7 record.

The schedule put together for the 2018-19 season was recently posted on Bethel’s athletics website and it rivals the challenge of last year’s slate.

The Royals tip off on the road at the University of Wisconsin-Stout to play in their third different invitational tournament in the last three seasons. They begin with a matchup against Wisconsin-Eau Claire and then face Stout the next day. That tournament takes place November 16-17.

Three more games round out the non-conference agenda for Bethel, with November tilts at home against Crown College and Wisconsin-La Crosse—the latter of whom the Royals defeated in a close game last season—while taking on Wartburg College in the Robertson Center for a Sunday matinee on December 30.

The MIAC schedule is one of the most competitive in the nation once again. Bethel finished third in the conference a season ago with a 15-5 record and faced fourth-seeded Augsburg University in the MIAC championship game, showing that there were more than enough good teams at the top of the league.

Bethel’s top challengers for the MIAC crown will include mainstays St. John’s and St. Thomas, both squads reloading well with top talent returning. St. Olaf has a well-coached team and lots of experience back, too. These teams are likely receiving top votes in the preseason poll but make no mistake, every conference game means something. That’s what makes the MIAC such a treat to watch.

The Bethel basketball team has built a reputation for success over the last handful of years; with all the talent returning to the roster in 2018-19, the next Royals hoops adventure is sure to be enjoyable.

You can find the schedule for next season here.