WEST LIBERTY — After leading the West Liberty University men’s basketball team on its eighth NCAA Division II “Sweet 16” run in the past 10 seasons, Coach Ben Howlett is taking the Hilltoppers’ show on the road to tip off their 2019-20 schedule.

Howlett’s two-time defending Mountain East Conference champions open the season Nov. 9-10 when they travel to Raleigh, N.C., to take on St. Augustine’s and Shaw in the MEC/CIAA Crossover. The Hilltoppers hit the road again less than a week later when they head to Amherst, N.Y., to take on nationally ranked Daemen (N.Y.), which returns four of five starters from last year’s NCAA Tournament squad — including the reigning NCAA Division II East Region Player of the Year.

“We have a great nucleus returning — including a couple of guys who practiced with us all last year as redshirts,” Howlett said. “On top of that, we’ve brought in some outstanding transfers and some freshmen who could contribute immediately so I wanted to challenge this group.

“With that in mind, I’m really excited about our schedule. Having our first three games on the road against quality competition is perfect. The CIAA teams are always tough at home and Daemen has just about everybody back from last year’s Top 25 team. That’s a great early season challenge.”

Non-conference foes coming to the hilltop this season include Salem (W.Va.), Ohio Valley (W.Va.) and an Ohio Dominican team that returns two 1,000-point scorers and the leading rebounder in the nation.

Howlett believes playing a strong non-conference schedule not only helps prepare the Hilltoppers for the grind of the MEC season, it also helps West Liberty’s post-season resume when the NCAA ranking committee reviews the team’s body of work.

“Winning is hard,” said Howlett, who is an eye-popping 57-9 in his two seasons at the WLU helm. “Our conference puts multiple teams in the NCAA Tournament every year so you have to be ready to play every night. You have to learn how to work through adversity as a group. You have to learn how to win.”

West Liberty’s home opener is set for Nov. 20 against Salem while the first league game in the friendly confines of the ASRC is a Nov. 26 rematch of last season’s MEC Tournament championship game against Notre Dame (Ohio).

With the departure of Shepherd and UVa-Wise from the MEC, the Hilltoppers have picked up a pair of new conference foes. Former WVIAC rival Davis & Elkins dribbles into town on Jan. 29 while Frostburg State (Md.) makes its first visit to the ASRC on Feb. 19.

West Liberty closes out the regular season at home against Wheeling Jesuit on Feb. 29 with the MEC Tournament returning to WesBanco Arena March 4-8.