LOWELL, Mass. – UMass Lowell Men's Basketball Head Coach
Pat Duquette announced his team's complete 2024-25 schedule on Thursday. The new campaign opens at home on Monday, November 4 against Rivier.
On the heels of the team's second consecutive 20-win season and third America East championship game appearance in four years, Duquette believes the 2024-25 slate will provide the right mix of competition and preparation from the start so that the team is ready to make another deep run in conference play. The River Hawks will face their first tests early on, squaring off against a pair of 2023-24 NCAA Tournament participants in back-to-back contests following the opener. The squad first hosts Saint Peter's on Nov. 8 before heading across the country to take on Gonzaga on Nov.15. UMass Lowell then stays out west to face Washington of the Big Ten on Nov. 17.
"We are excited to announce what we think is an extremely competitive schedule," said Head Coach
Pat Duquette. "To get us ready for America East play, the non-conference portion includes games against our regional rivals, and is highlighted by a trip to Gonzaga and Washington in mid-November that will bring great exposure and experience for our program."
UMass Lowell boasts a total of 10 non-conference home games for the first time ever at the Division I level. Three of the River Hawks' last four contests in the first month of action are at home, as the squad welcomes Fisher (Nov. 20), Quinnipiac (Nov. 23) and Merrimack (Nov. 25) to Lowell ahead of a trip to Saint Louis on Nov. 27, which opens a three-game road swing that includes stops at Central Connecticut State (Dec. 1) and Kennedy Cup rival Massachusetts (Dec. 7).
The River Hawks close non-conference action with five straight home games, marking the team's longest homestand since the 2019-20 season. LIU kicks things off on December 11 ahead of matchups against Dartmouth (Dec. 14), Stonehill (Dec. 18), Boston University (Dec. 21) and Emerson (Dec. 30).
The America East Conference portion of the slate will once again be set up in a home-and-home format against each opponent and maintain the Thursday/Saturday weekly game schedule that was instituted in 2023-24. The River Hawks head to UAlbany to open conference play on January 4 before hosting Vermont in a rematch of last year's title game on Jan. 9. NJIT (Jan. 11), Maine (Jan. 23) and New Hampshire (Jan. 25) all also come to Lowell during the month of January.
February is heavy on road trips, with three of the team's first four games scheduled away from friendly confines beginning at UMBC on Feb. 1. However, UMass Lowell will still host UAlbany (Feb. 13), UMBC (Feb. 20) and Bryant (Feb. 27) during the month.
The River Hawks will welcome Binghamton for their regular-season home finale on March 1 before wrapping up on the road at Maine on March 4.
The top eight teams in the standings will qualify for the 2024-25 America East Playoffs, which are set to begin with the quarterfinal round on Saturday, March 8. The semifinals will follow on Tuesday, March 11 to determine the championship matchup on Saturday, March 15. All rounds will be played at the higher seed.
The 2024-25 schedule is subject to change. Updates can be found at www.goriverhawks.com.
