Lamar University just the first stop of UTPA's lengthy road trip

EDINBURG — Every year the University of Texas-Pan American men’s basketball schedule might offer a surprise or two.

For example, next month’s UTPA at Texas  raised some eye-brows. No non-Division I opponents this year probably received approving head nods.

Never a surprise is the amount of road games UTPA plays every season. As is usually the case, the 2009-10 Broncs embark on a 10-game, one-month road trip, starting with a 7 p.m. contest today at Lamar University in Beaumont.

The Broncs, who lost their season opener Saturday against Louisiana Tech, don’t return to play at the UTPA Field House until Dec. 18 when they play host to the University of Texas-San Antonio.

“I think by Dec. 15 we will have had enough of the road for probably a couple of seasons,” said Broncs coach Ryan Marks about the last of the 10 games, which so happens to be against that pleasant surprise – third-ranked Texas.

Before then, the Broncs have to play games at Missouri, an Elite Eight team from last season, at No. 18 Mississippi State, at Big 12’s Nebraska. They also travel to play Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Texas State and UTSA.

UTPA does play two contests at the South Padre Island Tournament during Thanksgiving weekend but they are by no means home games.

“The good thing about the SPI (Tournament) is that we get to come back and sleep in our beds for a couple of nights,” Marks said. “Unless we are going to put the Field House on back of the trailer and drive it over to the Island, it is still a neutral game.”

The truth of the matter is that the Broncs are at a point in its history when teams from major conferences shell out thousands of dollars to schedule UTPA.

“We love long home stands but those only come at the expense of long road trips,” Marks said. “If you can have a balance where you are never at home or on the road for more than two or three games at a time, it is beneficial to good teams.”

Sophomore guard Jared Maree said the considerable amount of time on the road will give the Broncs, a team with many new faces, a chance to get to know each other better.

“We got some new guys on our team and it is a good time for us to get a feel of what it is going to be like on the road,” Maree said. “It could be a positive.”

Peter Rasmussen covers UTPA athletics for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4448 or via e-mail at prasmussen@themonitor.com.