The UMBC men's basketball team will open its 2001-2002 season at Loyola's Reitz Arena, in the annual Battle of Baltimore Classic, televised locally by WMAR-TV 2. The Retrievers are the defending champions, having wrested the title from Loyola with convincing wins over Towson and Loyola at the RAC Arena last November. Head Coach Tom Sullivan's team will face the host Greyhounds in the second game of a doubleheader (approximately 9:15 p.m.) on Saturday, November 17, with Towson taking on Coppin State in the opener at 7 p.m. The title game takes place on Monday, November 19 at 7 p.m.

After the Battle of Baltimore and some other tough non-league encounters, the Retrievers will focus on Northeast Conference play. Most experts have UMBC pegged to finish in the top four in the league, but if UMBC is to capture the title, they will do so without a senior on the roster.

"We had questions about youth two years ago, and were able to overcome them," recalled Sullivan. "We are young, but the juniors and sophomores have played a lot of minutes and I believe they understand how hard they have to work and how intense and how focused they need to be in order to win a championship. I believe we'll be a good team, now our goal is to win a championship."

Coach Sullivan may recall three years ago, when a band of predominantly sophomores combined with an emotional leader and former junior college player Rod Harrison won the first fifteen NEC contests they lined up for. This year's super sophomores, 2001 Rookie of the Year Peter Mulligan, All Rookie Team member Will McClurkin and versatile Ron Yates will take some cues from junior college transfer Malik Wallace and potentially form an even more talented group than the 1998-99 team.

The Retrievers open the home schedule on Thursday, December 6, when they entertain Quinnipiac, then host arch-rival Central Connecticut on Saturday, December 8. Both games begin at 7 p.m. Season tickets for all eleven Retriever home games may be purchased for the low price of $50 per seat. Call (410) 455-2205 for additional information.