BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Gardner-Webb University announced its 2009-2010 men’s basketball schedule Monday, with road trips to preseason top-10 programs North Carolina, Duke and Texas highlighting a challenging slate.

GWU will travel to face the defending national champions on Monday, Nov. 23, and will add in challenging non-league road dates at Charlotte (Dec. 12) and Penn State (Dec. 19) in addition to games at Duke (Dec. 15) and Texas (Dec. 29).

The Runnin’ Bulldogs open the season on Saturday, Nov. 14, at home against Covenant College. Gardner-Webb will play five of its first six games at home in Paul Porter Arena, including a visit from Western Carolina (Nov. 28) and the Big South Conference opener against UNC Asheville (Dec. 5).

Beginning with its trip to Charlotte on December 12, Gardner-Webb will play six of seven games on the road – with a visit from CAA contender James Madison (Dec. 17) the lone game in Boiling Springs until the new year.

Gardner-Webb returns four starters from last season (13-17), including leading scorer and assist man Grayson Flittner (14.5 ppg, 3.8 apg), who battled through nagging injuries as a junior and will be a candidate for All-Big South honors in 2009-2010.

Flittner’s best games last season came early against high-major competition, when he netted 21 points at Virginia Tech (11/14), 19 points at South Carolina and 19 points – including a pair of four-point plays – in a narrow, 80-76, loss at No. 12 Oklahoma. The Sharpsburg, Ind., marksman scored a career-best 31 points in Gardner-Webb’s win at Western Carolina (12/17) last season as well.

In addition to Flittner, the ‘Dogs return 6-foot-8 center Auryn MacMillan (9.4 ppg), who played for the Australian National Team in the recent 2009 World University Games, 6-foot-4 swing man Jonathan Moore (9.1 ppg) and 6-foot-3 forward Joshua Henley (6.8 ppg, 10.3 rpg). Henley (Nashville, Tenn.) paced all NCAA Division I freshmen last season in rebounds per game.