Rare though, is an NAIA team hosting an NCAA Division 1 opponent, but it happens. Rarer still, hosting a P5 opponent.
Enter Xavier University of Louisiana.
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| XULA is an NAIA Division 1 school participating in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference |
A 3-mile walk from the French Quarter, XULA boasts 3,000 students. Compare that to two NCAA Division 1 teams they are hosting this year: Auburn (30,000) and North Texas (38,000).
A few years ago, Grambling State men's basketball visited USCAA Mid-Atlantic Christian University in a chin-scratching matchup, an 85-36 breeze in an exception that proved the rule: NCAA Division 1 rarely ventures into smaller ponds. So what made the XULA women's basketball program special? The Gold Nuggets will face four total Division 1 opponents: UNT and Auburn at home, and Southeastern Louisiana and Louisiana-Lafayette on the road.
I reached out for comment from XULA's Head Coach Bo Browder, as well as UNT's Sports Information Director Luke Della and Associate Head Coach Bobby Brasel.
XULA Coach Bo Browder on scheduling 4 NCAA Division 1 teams this year:
"We love taking on quality teams. We love competing against some of the best teams in the country. We were blessed to get four games against DIs this season. One year we won at Tulane, UNO and Nicholls (2004-05), and after that our chances to get DIs dried up pretty good for a while."
That 2004-05 season, the Gold Nuggets finished with a 29-5 record and lost to Cumberland in the opening round of the NAIA National Tournament.
So how did they land Auburn and North Texas this year?
XULA assistant Tarniesha Scott has known Auburn assistant Adrian Walters, which helped when Auburn was looking to fill a hole in their 2017-18 schedule.
"[Auburn] needed to fill a spot," said Coach Browder, "We helped them out and they promised to play a second game at our place this season."
At North Texas, guard Terriell Bradley is entering her Redshirt Senior season. Bradley is from New Orleans, and Head Coach Jalie Mitchell was looking for an opportunity to find a game for Bradley in her home town, according to UNT's Luke Della.
"They checked all the DIs in the area, but no one was interested," said Browder, "Then they called us. We were happy to help. We'll play a second game at North Texas next season."
"Remember what Southern Miss used to say about their football program? Anyone, anywhere, any time. That's us, too, because we love good competition."
XULA begins their season with four home games, and host the Xavier Classic on November 2nd and 3rd.
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| Bo Browder is entering his 20th season leading the Gold Nuggets |
So how did they land Auburn and North Texas this year?
XULA assistant Tarniesha Scott has known Auburn assistant Adrian Walters, which helped when Auburn was looking to fill a hole in their 2017-18 schedule.
"[Auburn] needed to fill a spot," said Coach Browder, "We helped them out and they promised to play a second game at our place this season."
At North Texas, guard Terriell Bradley is entering her Redshirt Senior season. Bradley is from New Orleans, and Head Coach Jalie Mitchell was looking for an opportunity to find a game for Bradley in her home town, according to UNT's Luke Della.
"Every year coach Mitchell likes playing road games in cities where some of our out of state student athletes come from. For example, last year we went to Chicago where Tosin Mabodu was from and then to Eastern Illinois, which is kind of close to where another player was from. They talked to all the schools in the New Orleans area and XULA was the one that worked best for scheduling."
"They checked all the DIs in the area, but no one was interested," said Browder, "Then they called us. We were happy to help. We'll play a second game at North Texas next season."
"Remember what Southern Miss used to say about their football program? Anyone, anywhere, any time. That's us, too, because we love good competition."
XULA begins their season with four home games, and host the Xavier Classic on November 2nd and 3rd.
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