BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford men's basketball team has finalized its schedule for the 2025-26 season. The Bulldogs are set to face a 33-game slate that will see them play 15 home games at the Pete Hanna Center.

The Bulldogs open their season on the road at Tulane on Nov. 3 before returning to Birmingham for their home opener on Nov. 7 against South Carolina State. The Dogs go on a mid-November road trip where they will face Texas Southern, Arkansas, and Central Arkansas from Nov. 12-16. The meeting with the Razorbacks in Bud Walton Arena will mark the fourth time the Bulldogs have faced Arkansas in program history.  

Samford returns home to host Florida Gulf Coast before heading to the Cancun Challenge, where they will face New Mexico State in Las Cruces before Georgia State and Utah Valley in Mexico on Nov. 25-26. Fan packages are available for the Cancun Challenge: Fan Packages - Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya - Cancun Challenge.

"As we worked to put together our non-conference schedule over the past few months," said head coach Lennie Acuff, "it became obvious that we were going to be challenged at an extremely high level early and often. I appreciate all the time and energy that Tyler Murray (Associate Head Coach) invested in this process. Road trips to Tulane, Texas Southern, Arkansas, and Central Arkansas in the first two weeks of the season will be a tall task for our team. We are thankful for the opportunity to participate in the Cancun Challenge over the Thanksgiving break, where we will play Georgia State and Utah Valley. This trip will be a great experience for our players while taking on two quality opponents on a neutral court."

As the calendar rolls into December, the Dogs travel to face VCU on the 5th before returning home to host Cornell, Bryan, and Reinhardt to wrap up the non-conference portion of their schedule. 

"We will wrap our pre-conference road schedule later in the semester, playing at New Mexico State and VCU, both of which provide great atmospheres with elite winning traditions," said Acuff. "We are excited that our fans will be able to see us compete against three quality NCAA Division I opponents in the Pete Hannah Center, prior to the Christmas break. Our home opener will coincide with Homecoming weekend as we take on South Carolina State (Nov. 7), followed by Florida Gulf Coast (Nov.19) and Cornell (Dec. 7). Our goal every year is to be a team that grows throughout non-conference play as we prepare to compete in the Southern Conference, which continues to be one of the top mid-major leagues in college basketball."

Samford turns their attention to the Southern Conference schedule, where they will play a home-and-away with the other 10 teams within the league. The Bulldogs open with a difficult January in the league as they face UNCG, Chattanooga, and Wofford on the road, while they will host Furman and ETSU in between. Samford's SoCon home opener sees them host Western Carolina on Jan. 7.

The Dogs are home for three consecutive games in early February as they face The Citadel, Mercer, and Wofford before closing out their regular season by hosting VMI and UNCG on Feb. 26 & 28.

Under the leadership of first-season head coach Lennie Acuff, the Bulldogs have 13 newcomers to a squad that went 22-11 overall and 12-6 in conference play last season. 

Samford will participate in the Ballin in Boutwell exhibition against Alabama A&M in Birmingham on Oct. 13. Season tickets for the 2025-26 season the exhibition against Alabama A&M can be found here. 

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For the latest news and information on Samford men's basketball, visit the official website for Samford Athletics at SamfordSports.com. Fans can also follow the Bulldogs on social media at /SamfordSports (Facebook), @SamfordMBB (Twitter), and @SamfordMBB (Instagram).