Connor Caldon
Men's Basketball
Purchase Season Tickets KINGSTON, R.I.
As part of the non-conference schedule, the Rams will play two games at the Jacksonville Classic in St. Augustine, Fla. from Nov. 27-28. Further details about the MTE, including opponents and game times, will be announced later. Overall, the non-conference schedule includes eight home games, one true road games and three neutral site contests.
Year three under head coach Archie Miller begins on Monday, Nov. 4 when Rhode Island welcome Fairfield to the Ryan Center. Last season, the Stags were 24-13 overall and 14-6 in league play. They reached the MAAC championship game, where the Stags fell to Wagner 68-63. Fairfield went on to win a pair of games in the CBI, reaching the tournament's semifinals.
The opener is the first of five straight home games to open the season for Rhode Island. Holy Cross and second-year head coach Dave Paulsen visit Kingston on Nov. 8. Paulsen – the former George Mason and Bucknell head coach – has more than 450 career wins and is a three-time Patriot League Coach of the Year. Among his assistant coaches is former URI staff member Sydney Armand, who joined the Crusaders after spending the last two seasons on Brown's staff.
The Rams host Division II Franklin Pierce on Nov. 12 and another Patriot League squad, Lafayette, on Nov. 20.
Next will be a rematch with College of Charleston on Nov. 24. Rhody fell at the Cougars 85-70 last season. Charleston went on to go 27-8 overall, winning the CAA title before falling to No. 4 seed Alabama in a wild NCAA Championship opening-round game, 109-96. Former Rhody assistant Christen Cunningham is on Chris Mack's staff as the program's general manager/assistant coach.
Rhode Island leaves home for the first time when it heads to St. Augustine a pair of games at the Jacksonville Classic.
Rhody opens December with a home game against defending Ivy League champion Yale on Dec. 2. The Bulldogs went 23-10 a year ago and had one of the biggest upsets of the opening round of the NCAA Championship when they knocked off No. 4 Auburn in the East Region. Rhode Island defeated Yale 76-72 last season.
The next two games are annual in-state rivalry contests. Rhode Island hosts Providence on Dec. 7. The Friars were 21-14 and reached the Big East semifinals in their first season under Kim English in 2023-24. Providence earned a bid to the NIT, where it fell to Boston College in the opening round.
Rhody plays its first road game of the season when it visits Brown on December 10. The Bears ended 2023-24 on a hot streak, winning their last six regular-season games before stunning top-seeded Princeton in the opening round of Ivy Madness. It marked the first time since Ivy Madness began in 2017 that a four seed beat a one seed. Brown then led Yale by six with 27 seconds to go in the title game, but the Bulldogs used an 8-1 run to end the game and pull out a 62-61 win. Rhode Island Hall of Famer and Ring of Honor member Tyson Wheeler is in his third season as an assistant on Mike Martin's staff.
The final non-conference home game is against Central Connecticut State, which put together a 20-11 record last season. After going 13-3 in the NEC, CCSU reached the conference semifinals before falling to eventual league champion Wagner.
Finally, Rhode Island travels to Springfield, Mass. to battle Temple in the previously-announced Hall of Fame Classic on Dec. 21. Played at the MassMutual Center, the game will be the first between Rhody and the Owls since Temple left the A-10 in 2013. The contest is part of a doubleheader that also features fellow A-10 school UMass playing Arizona State.
The dates and times for the conference portion of Rhode Island's schedule will be announced in mid- to late-September.
Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased on GoRhody.com or by calling 401.874.RAMS (7267).
2024-25 Non-Conference Schedule
Nov. 4 – Fairfield
Nov. 8 – Holy Cross
Nov. 12 – Franklin Pierce
Nov. 20 – Lafayette
Nov. 24 – College of Charleston
Nov. 27 – TBD, Jacksonville Classic (St. Augustine, Fla.)
Nov. 28 – TBD, Jacksonville Classic (St. Augustine, Fla.)
Dec. 2 – Yale
Dec. 7 – Providence
Dec. 10 – at Brown
Dec. 15 – Central Connecticut State
Dec. 21 – vs. Temple, Hall of Fame Classic (Springfield, Mass.)
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