By DON O'BRIEN

Herald-Whig Sports Editor

Thanks to SIU-Ed-wardsville's departure from the Great Lakes Valley Conference, fans of the Quincy University men's basketball team will get to see some different teams this winter at Pepsi Arena.

SIUE's exodus to the Division I ranks left QU men's basketball coach Marty Bell -- and others in the GLVC's West Division -- with two extra spots on their schedules. Bell has filled those vacancies with two in-region Division II teams -- Upper Iowa and Oakland City. QU has played Upper Iowa just once previously and Oakland City only twice.

"It's harder to schedule with just 17 in-region and conference games scheduled for you (by the GLVC)," Bell said. "We had to find more in-region Division II games."

One of the components of the NCAA Division II region rankings is how teams fare against others in the region.

Last year was the first time Division II teams were able to count games played against teams that bordered their home state as in-region games. QU will also play two region games against Truman State -- playing the Bulldogs in a home-and-home series -- and will play host to Missouri Western in a region game. The Hawks' 27-game regular-season schedule will feature 14 home games and 13 road games. QU will play 10 non-conference games. Only one of those schools -- Oakland City (18-13) -- had a winning record last season.

QU faces Henderson State (3-24 last season) and Robert Morris-Springfield (14-15) in the ninth annual QU/Subway Holiday Tournament the weekend of Dec. 13-14.

With GLVC member Missouri-St. Louis rounding out the field, the pairings for the event will be predetermined. The Hawks shared the title with South Dakota last
season. The Hawks will face regional rivals Hannibal-LaGrange College at Pepsi Arena in their regular-season opener on Nov. 15 and a mid-season matchup at Culver-Stockton College on Jan. 7.

QU opens GLVC play at home the weekend of Dec. 4-6 at Pepsi Arena in their only league games on the 2008
portion of the schedule.

Thanks to SIUE's
departure, the league schedule has a few quirks this season.

Twice, the Hawks play a Thursday night home game and play a league road contest on Saturday. The team has three byes during league play.

On two of those bye dates in February, the entire West Division will have a Thursday night off. Bell has scheduled non-conference games near the first two byes.

He will give his team a break around its Feb. 26 bye.

"A couple of years ago when we won the division, we had a bye late and it really helped us," Bell said. "Late in the year, byes aren't too bad because you need the rest."

Bell has one of what he hopes will be three exhibitions against Division I teams set. QU will play at Missouri State on Nov. 3.

The Bears will feature new coach Cuonzo Martin, the former East St. Louis star who is taking over for Barry Hinson. Missouri State finished 17-16 last season, the program's seventh straight winning season.

QU finished 16-13 last winter for its fourth straight winning campaign. Only three players who saw significant time for the Hawks last season -- senior starter Austin Chapital and sophomore reserves Josh Edmonds and Andrew Kueker -- return for the Hawks.

-- dobrien@whig.com/221-3365