University of Rhode Island Press Release
KINGSTON, R.I. – Rhode Island will play a 13-game non-conference schedule that features seven home games, a three-game tournament at the Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational and a neutral site contest against Tulsa at the Veteran’s Classic.
The Rams open at home against Stetson on Nov. 3, which begins a stretch of four games in 12 days. Following the opener, Rhody will head to Annapolis for the Veteran’s Classic. That event will be a doubleheader in which URI plays Tulsa from the American. The second game will be Navy against Yale.
Rhody returns to the Ryan Center to host Stonehill (Nov. 11) and UAlbany (Nov. 14) before a tough road game against Yale on Nov. 18. It will be the third straight season facing the Bulldogs, who have made back-to-back NCAA Championship appearances. Rhode Island beat Yale 76-72 in 2023-24, and then 84-78 last season, both of which were home games. Yale head coach James Jones has led Yale to five NCAA Championship bids in the last 10 years.
URI will go to Orlando the week of Thanksgiving for three games in three days from Nov. 24-26. Held at Walt Disney World’s Wide World of Sports, the eight-team tournament bracket is expected to be released in the near future.
December begins with back-to-back in-state rivalry games. Rhody hosts Brown on Dec. 2, looking to snap a three-game skid against the Bears. Later that week, the Rams will look for their second straight win over Providence when they visit the Friars on Dec. 6. Rhode Island defeated Providence 69-63 last season.
The final three non-conference games will be home games against McNeese State (Dec. 9), Canisius (Dec. 16) and Northeastern (Dec. 22). McNeese State is the defending Southland champion coming off a 28-7 season that included an upset of Clemson in the opening round of the NCAA Championship. Though coach Will Wade has departed, the team returns leading scorer Javohn Garcia and also added former Providence guard Garway Dual.
Former Rhode Island player Jim Christian is in his second season at Canisius. A member of Rhody’s 1988 Sweet 16 team, Christian has 323 career wins through 20 seasons as a head coach, with stops at Kent State, TCU, Ohio and Boston College.
Northeastern is led by head coach Bill Coen, who is entering his 20th season with the program. Coen enters the year one win shy of 300 for his career. He was an assistant coach for Al Skinner at Rhode Island for eight seasons from 1989-97, helping the Rams make two NCAA Championship appearances and two NIT appearances.
Rhode Island is looking to build off an 18-win season a year ago. If the Rams top 18 victories, it would mark just the seventh time in program history URI has increased its win total in three consecutive seasons. The longest run was from 2005-06 through 2009-10, when Rhody increased its wins in five straight seasons. The program upped its win total in four straight years from 1984-85 through 1987-88, and it has increased its wins in three straight years four times (1935-36 through 1937-38; 1958-59 through 1960-61; 2000-01 through 2002-03; 2012-13 through 2014-15).
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Non-Conference Schedule
Nov. 3 – Stetson
Nov. 7 – vs. Tulsa, at Veteran’s Classic (Annapolis, Md.)
Nov. 11 – Stonehill
Nov. 14 – UAlbany
Nov. 18 – at Yale
Nov. 24 – vs. TBA, Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational (Orlando, Fla.)
Nov. 25 – vs. TBD, Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational (Orlando, Fla.)
Nov. 26 – vs. TBD, Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational (Orlando, Fla.)
Dec. 2 – Brown
Dec. 6 – at Providence
Dec. 9 – McNeese State
Dec. 16 – Canisius
Dec. 22 – Northeastern