BRONX, N.Y. – Entering his third season at the helm of the program, Fordham Men's Basketball Head Coach Keith Urgo has announced his team's non-conference schedule for the upcoming 2024-25 campaign.
The challenging slate features at least three games against high major opponents, including a pair of local foes from the BIG EAST. In addition to the Rams' previously announced game against St. John's, Fordham will also travel to Seton Hall for its first game against the Pirates since 2001.
The last time that Fordham faced off against three or more high-major foes during its non-league slate was in 2017-18, when the Rams took on Florida State, Rutgers and West Virginia. Fordham could face four high-major foes this year depending on how the bracket plays out in the Sunshine Slam, a challenge that Fordham has not encountered since 2012-13 when the Rams squared off against Pittsburgh, St. John's, Connecticut, Georgia Tech and Ole Miss.
Additionally, the Sunshine Slam is gearing up to be the toughest multi-team event (MTE) field for the Rams in over 30 years. Last season, Clemson (19), San Francisco (65) and Penn State (77) finished with an average KenPom ranking of 53.7, the lowest average for Fordham's opponents in an MTE field since the KenPom Era began in 1996-97. It will be the strongest tournament field the Rams have faced since the 1993 Fiesta Bowl Classic, which featured defending national runner-up Michigan, Arizona after a 24-4 season and Auburn coming off an NIT bid.
Fordham will begin its 2024 campaign on Monday, Nov. 4, with a short trip to Queens, as the Rams will take on St. John's at Carnesecca Arena. It will be the 91st meeting all-time between the two New York City programs and will mark the third time in the last four years that the schools will play.
After opening with the Johnnies, the Rams will square off with their second straight BIG EAST foe to start the season, heading to South Orange for a matchup with Seton Hall on Saturday, Nov. 9, inside Walsh Gym. Regular opponents from the 1950s through the 1980s, Fordham and Seton Hall will face off for the 50th time overall and the first since Dec. 28, 2001. Fordham leads the all-time series with the Pirates, 26-23.
The Rams will host their home opener on Nov. 12, welcoming Binghamton to the Rose Hill Gym for a Tuesday night tilt. Fordham is 3-0 all-time against the Bearcats, including a 77-62 win during the 2022-23 season.
Fordham will play its third road game of the young season on Friday, Nov. 15, when it heads to Riverdale for the annual Battle of the Bronx against Manhattan. The squads will meet for the 115th time, by far the most of any single opponent in Fordham history. Last season after a one-year hiatus in the series, Fordham resumed the rivalry with a bang, defeating the Jaspers, 93-61, for the Rams' most lopsided win against Manhattan since 1986.
The Rams will return to the Rose Hill Gym for a pair of home games beginning on Nov. 19 when Fordham welcomes Division II Georgian Court to the Bronx. Three days later on Nov. 22, Fordham will host Drexel in a campus-site game of the Sunshine Slam. The Dragons are coming off four straight winning campaigns, including a 20-12 effort last season that was good enough for a second-place finish in the CAA.
After taking on Drexel, the Rams will head south to Daytona Beach for the aforementioned Sunshine Slam. The Rams will open against Penn State on Nov. 25 at 4 p.m. before facing either Clemson or San Francisco the following day.
Following their trip to the Sunshine State, Fordham will play four of its five remaining non-conference games inside the friendly confines of the Rose Hill Gym. Beginning on Dec. 1, Fordham will host three contests in the span of eight days against New Hampshire (Dec. 1), FDU (Dec. 4) and Maine (Dec. 8).
The Rams will hit the road for the final time in non-conference play on Saturday, Dec. 14, when they head to Mohegan Sun Arena to take on Bryant as part of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase. The game will be part of a doubleheader that also features Providence and St. Bonaventure.
After a week off to focus on final exams, the Rams will close out their non-conference schedule on Saturday, Dec. 21, with a contest against UAlbany. The squads will meet for second time in the history of the two programs and the first in over a century. Fordham won that first game, a 40-17 decision on Feb. 17, 1923, against what was then known as State Teacher's College.
Season tickets for the 2024-25 season will go on sale tomorrow, Aug. 28, at 12 p.m. To purchase your new season ticket package, click here.
Tip-off times, ticket information and broadcast destinations will be released at a later date.
