Dates and times have been confirmed for the upcoming 2021 Hampden-Sydney College basketball schedule.

Caleb Kimbrough

The 12-game Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) slate includes six home games and six road games. The adjusted format maintains the conference tournament opportunity and ultimately the chance to earn the ODAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, while remaining subject to change.

“We commend our players and their perspective so far this year,” second-year Head Coach Caleb Kimbrough said. “We have an unbelievable group of guys who have stayed motivated and positive despite the circumstances. We are thankful that the ODAC has decided to give us a chance to compete for a conference championship, and we look forward to making the most out of the games we do get to play.”

H-SC will open its abbreviated, conference-only schedule at Roanoke College on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 2 p.m. in Salem. The Tigers will play their first home game against Guilford College on Thursday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m. at S. Douglas Fleet Gymnasium in Kirby Field House.

The Tigers follow with consecutive road games, one at Ferrum College on Tuesday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m. in Ferrum, and one at Emory & Henry College on Friday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m. in Emory.

H-SC returns home for back-to-back games in Fleet Gym, the first against Shenandoah University on Sunday, Feb. 7, at 2 p.m., and the second versus Randolph College on Thursday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m.

The Tigers then travel for a pair of road games, one at Bridgewater College on Saturday, Feb. 13, at 3 p.m. in Bridgewater, and the other at the University of Lynchburg on Tuesday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m. in Lynchburg.

The Garnet & Grey return home to Fleet Gym to play archrival Randolph-Macon College on Friday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m. and remain at home to play Washington and Lee University on Sunday, Feb. 21, at 2 p.m.

The final week of the regular season will include a road game at Virginia Wesleyan University on Thursday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. in Virginia Beach before the finale at home in Fleet Gym against Eastern Mennonite University on Saturday, Feb. 27, at 7 p.m.

The 2021 ODAC Tournament will include the top four seeds playing in semifinals on Thursday, March 4, at the higher seeds, followed by the conference championship on Saturday, March 6, at the highest remaining seed.

H-SC finished with an overall record of 14-13 last season as the Tigers won 12 of 14 games during a midseason stretch, including a six-game winning streak and a five-game winning streak. The 14 wins are the most for the program since 2015-16 (17) and surpassed the win-total from the previous two seasons combined (10). The Garnet & Grey were one of the most improved teams in NCAA Division III with a plus-eight turnaround from the previous season, advancing to the ODAC Tournament quarterfinals for the first time in three years.

The ODAC Presidents Council endorsed a conference policy that will prohibit spectators at any ODAC indoor athletic event for the upcoming spring campaign. Decision-making throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has focused on the health of the individuals within the ODAC’s athletic arenas and a safe return to competition. Enacting this policy will allow campus administrations to control athletic environments as work is collectively done towards a return to play.

This decision affects all conference indoor sports, including basketball, indoor track and field, swimming and volleyball. ODAC leadership will continue to monitor the landscape surrounding the pandemic. Should any changes be made to the spectator policy, updates will be conveyed through conference office and member institution communication channels.