(September 6, 2006) - The 2006-07 Fordham University men??s basketball schedule has been released and it features a sixteen-game Atlantic 10 Conference schedule and 14 home games, as well as an appearance in the 2006 Preseason NIT. The highlight of the schedule will be four nationally televised games, including one on ESPN2 when the Rams host the University of Massachusetts in an Atlantic 10 contest in the historic Rose Hill Gym on Thursday, February 15th at 9:00 p.m. Two of the other three national appearances will be on CSTV, the first coming on January 6th when the Rams travel to Richmond to face the Spiders at 1:00 p.m. and the second on January 11th when the Rams host defending A-10 champions, Xavier University, at 8:00 p.m. The fourth national television appearance will take place on ESPNU when the Rams take on Tennessee in the Preseason NIT on November 13th. The Rams will also have two major road contests in 2006-07, traveling to College Park, Maryland to face the University of Maryland of the Atlantic Coast Conference on December 6th and traveling to College Station, Texas, to take on Texas A&M out of the Big 12 on December 12th. Eleven of Fordham??s 2006-07 opponents saw postseason action last year with six teams appearing in the NCAA Tournament: Iona, George Washington, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Xavier; the Rams could face another 2006 NCAA participant as North Carolina-Wilmington and Belmont, the other two schools in the Tennessee region of the Preseason NIT, also earned NCAA bids last year. Five other 2006-07 opponents received bids to the NIT (Charlotte, Manhattan, Maryland, Saint Joseph??s, and Temple). Fordham??s Atlantic 10 schedule includes home-and-home games with Duquesne, Rhode Island and St. Bonaventure as well as home dates with Massachusetts, Saint Joseph??s, Saint Louis, Temple and Xavier. The Rams will also play five Atlantic 10 schools on the road in 2006-07 (Charlotte, Dayton, George Washington, La Salle and Richmond). The top 12 Atlantic 10 teams will advance to the Atlantic 10 Championship Tournament that will be held in Atlantic City from March 7-10, 2007. Times for the conference games will be set once the 2006-07 CSTV Atlantic 10 schedule is complete. In non-conference play, Fordham opens the 2006-07 season on Friday, November 10th as the Rams host Sacred Heart University in the Rose Hill Gym before traveling to Nashville to participate in the Preseason NIT. Fordham opens the NIT with Tennessee on November 13th and then faces either North Carolina-Wilmington or Belmont in the regional championship/consolation game on November 14th. Fordham will play six of its ten non-conference games at home this winter, hosting St. Francis (NY) College, Manhattan, Iona, Fairfield and Quinnipiac along with Sacred Heart. Besides Maryland and Texas A&M, the Rams will play at defending Ivy League champions Pennsylvania and at the College of Charleston. Fordham will be led into the season by fourth-year head coach Dereck Whittenburg, who returns a plethora of talent from last year??s team, including junior Bryant Dunston, a 2006 First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection. Last year, Whittenburg led the Rams to a 16-16 overall record, 9-7 in the Atlantic 10. The nine conference wins were the most for Fordham since the Rams joined the Atlantic 10 conference in 1995-96 while the 16 overall wins were the most since the 1991-92 team won 18 games. The Rams also made noise at the 2006 Atlantic 10 Championships, advancing to the semifinals of the tournament for the first time ever. Fordham opened the championships with a 45-37 win over Richmond and then defeated La Salle, 64-62, in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals the Rams faced eventual tournament winners, Xavier, falling to the Musketeers, 70-59. Season ticket information is available by calling the Fordham Ticket Office at 718-817-4300. Individual tickets will soon be on sale and may be purchased at the Fordham Ticket Office or online at www.fordhamsports.com. For a downloadable schedule, click on ??2006-07 Fordham Men??s Basketball Schedule?? under Files Available to Download on the men??s basketball web page.