Bemidji State University head men’s basketball coach Mike Boschee has released the 2013-14 schedule, which is highlighted by a Division I exhibition contest, four nonconference home dates and a 22-game Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference slate.

The season begins Oct. 25 with a trip to University of Northern Iowa for an exhibition game. The contest will serve as the first Division I exhibition game for Boschee as the Bemidji State bench boss. BSU played Northern Iowa in an exhibition game in 2007 and lost 79-61.

The Beavers then begin their four-game nonconference homestand with a Nov. 13 contest against Mayville State University. BSU hasn’t battled the Comets since 2001, but have a rich history with MSU and own the all-time series 46-35. Next up is a Nov. 19 contest against Finlandia University. The Beavers have played the Lions three times in the last four years and have won all three games. Last season, BSU posted a 122-61 victory at Finlandia to record the largest margin of victory in program history.

The next two tests come against College of St. Scholastica Nov. 23 and Michigan Tech University Nov. 26. The Beavers are 21-5 all-time against St. Scholastica, but haven’t played the Saints since 2003. BSU will be looking to avenge last season’s 86-59 loss to Michigan Tech. The teams have squared off in each of the last three seasons with the Huskies leading 2-1 in those meetings.

The Michigan Tech game ends the nonconference season for the Beavers, as they prepare for the league campaign. The 22-game conference schedule is split into 14 games against NSIC North Division opponents (one home and one away) and eight contests against NSIC South Division teams. The Beavers will play 11 home games and 11 road games during the NSIC season.

All 16 teams will make the NSIC Tournament and will be seeded base on their record within the division where they finish in their respective divisions. The first round of the tournament will be held on campus sites, while the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship games will be held March 1-4 in Sioux Falls, S.D. at the new Sanford Pentagon facility.

Conference play begins Nov. 30 when then Beavers hit the road to play travel partner, University of Minnesota Crookston. Bemidji State swept the season series with the Golden Eagles last season and is riding a 10-game winning streak against UMC.

The home league season starts Dec. 6-7 when St. Cloud State University and University of Minnesota Duluth visit BSU Gymnasium. The Beavers downed then-No. 22 SCSU at home last season, but split the two meetings a year ago. BSU swept the season series against the Bulldogs and have been victorious in seven of the last eight meetings.

Dec. 13-14 will see a road trip to Minnesota State University Moorhead and Northern State University, respectively. The Beavers defeated the Dragons at home in overtime, but fell on the road to split the series. The two games against Northern State were decided by a total of six points, but unfortunately for BSU, both contests went in the favor of the Wolves.

The 2013 portion of the schedule concludes with a home game against Minnesota Crookston Dec. 21, while the New Year starts Jan. 3-4 with home games against Winona State University and Upper Iowa University, respectively. The Beavers went on the road and lost regular season meetings with WSU and UIU last season, but got the best of both teams in the NSIC Tournament. BSU traveled to Winona, Minn. and upset then-No. 21 Winona State – the eventual NCAA Central Region Champions – in the quarterfinals to advance to the final four teams. The Beavers then traveled to Rochester, Minn. and defeated the Peacocks in the semifinals to move on to the NSIC Tournament Championship for the first time in program history.

The first road test of 2014 comes Jan. 10 against Augustana College and Jan. 11 at Wayne State College. BSU defeated a Vikings team receiving votes in the national poll in Bemidji a season ago by the score of 69-67. The next night, the Beavers fell by a margin of two at the claws of the Wildcats. BSU exacted revenge by defeating WSC 71-54 in the first round of the NSIC Tournament.

The Beavers conclude the season series with MSU Moorhead and Northern State at home Jan. 17-18 before hitting the road for their longest road trip of the season.

The Beavers travel to University of Mary Jan. 24 before battling Minot State University Jan. 25. Bemidji State went 3-1 against the two teams last season, losing to Minot State on the road. The road trip wraps-up Jan. 31 with Southwest Minnesota State University and Feb. 1 at University of Sioux Falls. The Beavers scored 72 points in each home game against SMSU and USF last season to guide them to victory in each contest.

After four games on the road, BSU enjoys four home contests, starting with familiar foes in Minot State (Feb. 7) and U-Mary (Feb. 8). The Beavers conclude play against the NSIC South when Minnesota State University, Mankato visits Feb. 14 and Concordia University, St. Paul comes to town Feb. 15. Bemidji State shocked then-No. 5 Minnesota State on the road last season with an 82-74 victory for the program’s first win against a team ranked in the top five nationally. MSU exacted revenge and ended the Beavers’ season in the NSIC Tournament Championship with a 73-68 victory. BSU lost on the road to CU last season, 85-84 on bucket with four seconds remaining in regulation.

The regular season ends on the road, as Bemidji State travels to Minnesota Duluth Feb. 21 and St. Cloud State Feb. 22.

The Beavers posted an 18-12 overall record in 2012-13 to rank fifth all-time for wins in the 91-year history of the program. Bemidji State finished the 22-game NSIC schedule with a 13-9 mark to finish as the No. 3 seed in the NSIC North Division. Boschee set the BSU record for most wins by a first-year head coach, as the Beavers made a run to the NSIC/Sanford Health Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship game.

BSU returns four regulars from last season, including seniors Zach Noreen (F, Avon, Minn.), Maxie Rosenbloom (F, St. Paul, Minn.) and Jake Schalow (G, Kaukauna, Minn.).