SPARTANBURG, S.C. - With the season just around the corner, the Wofford men's basketball team is preparing itself for the upcoming 2020-21 campaign. On Tuesday, the Southern Conference announced its 2020-21 league schedule, which is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, December 30. 

"Our players, led by our two seniors, Tray Hollowell and Storm Murphy, are really excited to start practice and this new journey together," said second-year head coach Jay McAuley. "They have a great connection already for a young team and are looking forward to finally competing daily in preparation for our upcoming season."

The Terriers will tip off their SoCon slate by traveling to Mercer on December 30. Wofford then begins a three-game home stand against Samford (January 2), UNCG (January 6) and ETSU (January 9). 

"We've tried to use our time the best that we can," McAuley said of his team's ability to adapt to the protocols this summer and fall to get ready for Southern Conference play. "The thing I'm most proud of is that our team has really worked while they've been away, and that hasn't skipped a beat since they've been back to campus. With the start of regular practice now, everyone is just looking forward to that daily competitive environment that Wofford generates."

The Terriers will hit the road for three straight, visiting VMI on January 13, before traveling to Chattanooga (January 16) and UNCG (January 20). Wofford welcomes Western Carolina to Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on January 23, before traveling to Charleston to face The Citadel on January 27. 

Mercer (January 30) and VMI (February 3) make trips to Spartanburg, followed by a matchup at Furman on February 6. The Terriers return home to host Chattanooga on February 10 prior to visiting ETSU on February 13. 

Wofford will face The Citadel on February 17, capping off its road schedule with visits to Western Carolina (February 20) and Samford (February 24) before finishing the regular season at home against Furman on February 27th.

The Southern Conference Tournament is scheduled for March 5-8 at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina. 

"It's exciting," said Wofford assistant coach Will Murphy of the conference competition. "We've got guys like Storm, Ryan (Larson) and Tray who've all been a part of a championship team here. The team that sticks together and attacks adversity, which every team is going to go through, that's the team that's going to ultimately win this deal, and we feel like we've got the pieces to do that."

Additional non-conference games will be added to the schedule in the near future. Information regarding game times, facility capacity, ticket availability and broadcast details will be announced in November.

Due to coronavirus concerns, schools have been given the latitude to change Southern Conference game dates with the approval of both programs' directors of athletics and the conference office.

"To put it into basketball terms, we've got be really good at pivoting," McAuley said of reacting to the pandemic and its ongoing influence throughout the season.  "Every day brings a couple of different challenges in a regular basketball year, but now with everything going on, we just have to take things one day at a time and do our job at a high level. Whatever comes our way, we'll pivot, adjust and be the best problem solvers and competitors we can be."