MIAMI – A home date with USF and a trip to face Arkansas, of the Southeastern Conference, highlight the FIU men's basketball team's non-conference slate which was announced by the Panthers' first-year Head Coach Jeremy Ballard on Wednesday.

Click here for complete 2018-19 FIU men's basketball schedule.
Click here for web schedule.

"We have made a commitment to challenging ourselves in the non-conference schedule both on the road and at home," said Ballard. "We are thrilled to get to work in preparation for this schedule and for laying down the foundation for a winning program."

FIU will open the 2018-19 campaign with three-straight home games, which includes Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Nov. 13, before heading to New York City to take part in the Johnny Bach Classic hosted by Fordham University in the Bronx, New York, Nov. 16-18. While in the Big Apple, the Panthers will face the host Rams in the Classic opener, followed by Columbia on Nov. 17, and Youngstown State on Nov. 18.

After a home contest on Nov. 23 against Ave Maria, as part of the Johnny Bach Classic, FIU will hit the road for two-straight games against teams that took part in the postseason at the conclusion of the 2017-18 season. The Panthers will head across Alligator Alley on Nov. 28 to face defending Atlantic Sun Champion, and NCAA Tournament participant, Florida Gulf Coast, and then travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to butt heads with the Razorbacks who took part in last year's National Invitation Tournament.

FIU will return to the Ocean Bank Convocation Center for three-straight games, beginning with North Florida on Dec. 13, followed by USF on Dec. 18. The Panthers will close out their non-conference home ledger on Dec. 20, against Florida Memorial, and then end 2018 with a trip to Athens, Ohio, to face Ohio University on Dec. 30.

FIU opens its Conference USA schedule – which was announced in July – on Jan. 3, when it travels to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to take on Middle Tennessee.

The 2019 Conference USA Tournament will return to Frisco, Texas at the Ford Center at the Star, March 13-16, for the second-consecutive year.

#####

Fans are encouraged to follow @FIUHoops on Twitter, and "Like" FIU men's basketball on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/FIUMensBBall) for the latest Panther basketball news.

Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Google+ (FIU Athletics), Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).