UCA sets challenging schedule in Shulman’s first season

CONWAY, Ark. — Central Arkansas will face five Power 4 opponents in coach John Shulman’s first season at the helm of the program.

UCA will open the 2024-25 season with a road trip to Utah to face Brigham Young on Nov. 5 and the University of Utah on Nov. 7, both members of the Big 12. The Bears play at Georgia Tech, from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) on Nov. 30 in Atlanta.

UCA will take on John Calipari’s Arkansas Razorbacks in their annual game at Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock on Dec. 14, then travel to Norman, Okla., on Dec. 22 to face the OU Sooners for the second consecutive season. In all, the Bears will have 13 non-conference games prior to the start of Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) play on Jan. 2.

“It feels like we’re playing in the NBA Western Conference,” said Shulman, who comes to UCA from Alabama-Huntsville, where he put together a 112-39 record in five seasons. “We want to play the best. That’s why kids are coming here. We’re going to challenge them. And playing two Big 12, two SEC and an ACC team is definitely going to do that.

“But that’s why they want to be here. It will be an unbelievable challenge playing five big boys, but whatever doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. But we just have to be ready for Jan. 2. We have six freshmen, five sophomores, one junior and one senior. While everybody in the country is getting older, we got young. So the deal is that by Jan. 2 we can’t have anymore freshmen. These freshmen have to be sophomores.

“So we’re going to make one year in November and December and we’re going to throw them to the wolves, throw them in the fire. And they’re either going to sink or swim. And if they start sinking, then we’re going to help them swim.”

The Bears will play five non-conference games at the Farris Center during the first semester, along with three other non-conference matchups at Western Illinois (Nov. 16), at Little Rock (Dec. 4) and at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Dec. 7). The marquee game of the non-conference schedule is the game against the Razorbacks.

“For Coach Calipari and Arkansas to meet us in Little Rock, for them to do that, to be honest, shows the class of John Calipari,” said Shulman. “Because it really helps our basketball program, to get off to a great start as we’re taking over here. We want to play in-state teams because we’re going to recruit Arkansas. But we’re also going to recruit Atlanta, that’s why we’re going to play Georgia Tech. We’ve already worked on next year’s schedule.

“We had the opportunity to schedule one more game, and I picked up the phone and called (freshmen) Layne (Taylor) and Ty )Robinson). I said, ‘Here’s your choices, who do you guys want to play?’ Because this isn’t about me. It’s not about my record. They were like, Georgia Tech, are you kidding me?”

Shulman said scheduling is about the athlete experience as much as anything.

“Scheduling is a difficult task in today’s world,” he said. “We have The Citadel (Dec. 16) coming in, that’s the start of the Southern Conference/ASUN Challenge. We’re going to play two of those next year. We got on our schedule late because we got here in March. I think we’ve got 14 homes games this year, and next year I would think we would have 16 or 17.

“The only reason people don’t schedule the schedule we have is they are worried about their record. If I was worried about my record, I would have stayed in Huntsville, Ala. I’m not worried about my record. I’m worried about this program and this team. And we’re going to challenge our kids.

“The record doesn’t get you in the NCAA Tournament. The three (ASUN Tournament) games in March get you in the NCAA Tournament. I know that because I was at Chattanooga for nine years. I know how this thing works. All this schedule is going to do is help us in the long run if we allow it to.”

The 18-game ASUN slate begins Jan. 2, with the Bears playing their opening two games at home on Scottie Pippen Court. UCA hosts Eastern Kentucky on Jan. 2 and Bellarmine on Jan. 4. That is followed by four consecutive road games in the state of Florida, at Stetson (Jan. 9), at Florida Gulf Coast (Jan. 11), at North Florida (Jan. 16) and at Jacksonville (Jan. 18).

“I know how good the ASUN is,” said Shulman. “I follow college basketball. My middle son Tanner was at Lipscomb, so I’ve watched the ASUN for the last three or four years. I know how good it is. I know how good the coaches are, I know how good the talent is. I know we’ll probably be picked 12th out of 12. Thank God there aren’t 13 teams because we’d be picked 13th.

“But the last time I checked, when we start Jan. 2 we’ll be tied for first with everybody else. That’s why they play the games, and we’re looking forward to playing the games. If it was easy, everybody would do it. I told the guys, it ain’t going to be easy but it will be worth it.”

Information from UCA Sports is included in this story.