Men's Basketball unveils 2024-25 Schedule

The Wiley University men's basketball team will play 22 games, with seven at Alumni Gymnasium, as it announced its 2024-25 schedule on Monday.

The Wildcats will open the season against the defending Red River Athletic Conference champion Louisiana State University-Alexandria on October 26. The Wildcats will host Arkansas Baptist University for their Homecoming Game on November 2. On November 8 and 9, Wiley will make its third appearance in the Austin Area Urban League Historically Black Colleges and Universities Classic at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Texas. It will face Jarvis Christian University on November 8 and Texas College, which qualified for the 2024 NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship, on November 9.

During the summer, the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference rebranded to the HBCU Athletic Conference and added three new schools: Stillman College (Ala.), Voorhees University (S.C.) and Wilberforce University (Ohio). The Wildcats open HBCUAC play on November 14, hosting Southern University at New Orleans. They will host Dillard University on November 16.

"Generally, the way I coach I use non-conference to figure us out going into conference play," head coach Joseph Flegler said. "I think this year with us having some continuity, we will be a lot further down the road and will allow me to evaluate the team sooner. I think we should pull together a lot earlier this year."

The expansion split the conference into two divisions. Wiley will be in the West with Southern-New Orleans, Dillard, Philander Smith University, Tougaloo College and the University of the Virgin Islands. Fisk University, Oakwood University, Rust College Stillman, Talladega College, Voorhees and Wilberforce comprise the East Division. Divisional games will be played home-and-home. Inter-divisional games will be played in pods.

The Wildcats will travel to Wilberforce University for games against the host Bulldogs, Rust College, Fisk and Voorhees from December 13 to 17. From January 3-6, they will play a pod at Talladega College against the host Tornadoes, Stillman and Oakwood.

Wiley will not play more than two consecutive games at home. After opening conference play at home, it will not play at Alumni Gymnasium until January 18 when it hosts Virgin Islands. The Wildcats wrap their home schedule against Philander Smith on January 23 and Tougaloo College on February 6. Flegler said adding depth was important.

"With us having to play pods and not playing at home as much, we have to rely on certain things to be successful," Flegler said. "It was important for me to shore up some positions and I think I've done that."

For the second straight season, the HBCU Athletic Conference Tournament will be at Stillman College from February 25 to March 2. Two teams will receive an automatic bid to the 2025 NAIA National Championship. The opening rounds will be March 14 and 15 followed by the national championship tournament March 20 to 25 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.

The Wildcats are coming off a 12-14 season, finishing fifth in the GCAC. They return most of its roster, including Demarius Pitts, who averaged 13.1 points per game, All-GCAC All-Defensive Team selection Jalen Bates, starting guard Shamir Mosley and key reserves Devon Barshow and Tayvion Fisher.

For more coverage on the Wildcats visit Men's Basketball - Wiley University (wileyathletics.com)

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