HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University men's basketball team is getting ready for the 2024-25 campaign, and now it knows when gameday will be as the team released its schedule for the 2024-25 season on Friday.
 
The season starts at home in the University Center as the Crusaders of William Carey come to Hammond, America on Nov. 4^th. From there, Southeastern becomes road warriors as the Lions head out on the road for the next 10 games over a month and a half.
 
"Being on the road and playing some of the best teams in the country will be a great test for our new, young team," said SLU head men's basketball coach David Kiefer. "If we want to be the best, we have to play the best and we are doing that. As coaches, we are able to make tweaks and adjustments to our team early in the year when you are challenged night in and night out."
 
That 10-game road trip starts in Alabama on Nov. 10^th with a contest against Alabama-Birmingham. Two days later, the Lions are in Mississippi to take on the Bulldogs of Mississippi State. The quick trip through the Gulf South comes to an end back in the home state of Louisiana, but up in the northeast part of the state to take on the ULM Warhawks on Nov. 18^th.
 
Then it's off to big sky country for the first game of the Cancun Challenge on Nov. 22^nd as Southeastern takes on Wyoming in Laramie. The Lions make the flight down to Mexico for the last two games of the Cancun Challenge, first taking on Gardner-Webb on Nov. 26^th before ending the trip to Puerto Aventuras with a game against either Bethune-Cookman or North Dakota the next day, depending on the prior day's results.
 
"We are really excited about being invited to the Cancun Challenge," continued Kiefer. "This will be a great opportunity to play in a tournament-type setting at a neutral site. This will be a great chance to handle a long road trip with lots of distractions, and playing back-to-back games will be a great test for our team."
 
After returning home from Mexico, the Lions stay in Louisiana for the remainder of the road trip, starting on Dec. 2^nd in the Crescent City to take on Tulane. Three days later, Southland Conference competition begins as Southeastern takes the trip to Thibodaux for the first of two games against Nicholls. A week later, SLU makes the ride over the Atchafalaya Basin into Cajun Country for a date with the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns on Dec. 11^th. The long run of games away from home finally ends on Dec. 16^th, back in the northern part of the state to take on the Grambling State Tigers.
 
The stop back home will be a short one, however, as SLU hosts the Wolf Pack of Loyola-New Orleans on Dec. 20^th in the University Center. The 2024 calendar year ends with the second SLC match-up of the season as the Lions head back to southwest Louisiana for the first meeting with the Cowboys of McNeese on Dec. 30^th in Lake Charles.
 
2025 revolves solely around Southland play, and it starts with the first multi-game home stand of the season as Southeastern welcomes the A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders on Jan. 4^th and SLC newcomer Texas-Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros on Jan. 6^th to Hammond, America.
 
The two-game home stand precedes a four-game road swing which starts on Jan. 11^th at the New Orleans Privateers. SLU leaves the state of Louisiana for the first meeting with the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks, who are making their return to the Southland this season, on Jan. 13^th in Nacogdoches. The Lions make the trip back on the Louisiana side of the border to battle the Northwestern State Demons on Jan. 18^th in Natchitoches. Back in Texas, the road trip comes to a close on Jan. 20^th as Southeastern travels to the Dallas metro for a date with Texas A&M-Commerce.
 
The longest homestand of the season starts on Jan. 25^th as the Incarnate Word Cardinals invade the University Center. That's followed two days later by Houston Christian coming to Hammond, America. The month of February opens with the second meeting of the season with UNO as the Privateers make the ride up to the northshore on Feb. 1^st. The homestand concludes two days later with Lamar coming over for the first meeting of the season.
 
A quick, two-game road trip follows, wrapping up the season series with two teams which were part of the prior homestand, UIW and HCU. Southeastern travels to San Antonio first for the second game with the Cardinals on Feb. 8^th before making the run to Houston to finish the season series with the Huskies on Feb. 10^th.
 
The second four-game homestand of the season, and final four home games of the season, follows to end a run of eight games out of 10 in Hammond, America, starting on Feb. 15^th as the season series with the Nicholls Colonels concludes. Then, McNeese makes the trip to the University Center for a game on Feb. 17^th. The Battle of the Lions wraps up next as Texas A&M-Commerce comes to town on Feb. 22^nd. The final home game of the season takes place on Feb. 24^th as SLU welcomes Northwestern State on Feb. 24^th to wrap up play in the University Center for the season.
 
Both of the final two games of the season are on the road as the Lions head to the island to take on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on March 1^st before the regular season ends on March 3^rd near the border with the second meeting with the SLC newcomer, UTRGV Vaqueros.
 
"I think we have added two great programs to our conference with two great head coaches," continued Kiefer. "UTRGV is a program on the rise with lots of resources and a new head coach. SFA has a great tradition of basketball, and for a long time dominated the Southland Conference. These two schools will make our conference even more competitive. I think this year our conference has a chance to be the most competitive it has ever been."
 
The 2025 Southland Conference Basketball Championships returns to Lake Charles and runs March 9^th-12^th at McNeese's Legacy Center with an automatic berth to March Madness and the NCAA National Championship Tournament up for grabs.
 
2024-25 Southeastern Men's Basketball Schedule
Nov. 4 | vs. William Carey | 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 10 | at Alabama-Birmingham | TBA
Nov. 12 | at Mississippi State | TBA
Nov. 18 | at Louisiana-Monroe | TBA
Cancun Challenge – hosted by Triple Crown Sports - Puerto Aventuras, Mexico
Nov. 22 | at Wyoming | TBA (part of Cancun Challenge but played at Wyoming)
Nov. 26 | vs. Gardner-Webb | 11:30 a.m.
Nov. 27 | vs. Bethune-Cookman OR North Dakota | TBD
Dec. 2 | at Tulane | TBA
Dec. 5 | at Nicholls* | TBA
Dec. 11 | at Louisiana-Lafayette | TBA
Dec. 16 | at Grambling State | TBA
Dec. 20 | vs. Loyola-New Orleans | 6 p.m.
Dec. 30 | at McNeese* | TBA
Jan. 4 | vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi* | 3:30 p.m.
Jan. 6 | vs. UTRGV* | 6 p.m.
Jan. 11 | at New Orleans* | TBA
Jan. 13 | at Stephen F. Austin* | TBA
Jan. 18 | at Northwestern State* | TBA
Jan. 20 | at Texas A&M-Commerce* | TBA
Jan. 25 | vs. UIW* | 3:30 p.m.
Jan. 27 | vs. HCU* | 6 p.m.
Feb. 1 | vs. New Orleans* | 3:30 p.m.
Feb. 3 | vs. Lamar* | 6 p.m.
Feb. 8 | at UIW* | TBA
Feb. 10 | at HCU* | TBA
Feb. 15 | vs. Nicholls* | 3:30 p.m.
Feb. 17 | vs. McNeese* | 6 p.m.
Feb. 22 | vs. Texas A&M-Commerce* | 3:30 p.m.
Feb. 24 | vs. Northwestern State* | 6 p.m.
March 1 | at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi* | TBA
March 3 | at UTRGV* | 6:30 p.m.
March 9-12 | Southland Conference Basketball Championships – hosted by McNeese -Lake Charles, La.
 
Home games in BOLD | * - Southland Conference game | All times are Central Time & subject to change
 
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