SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference (SoCon) and Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) have entered into a scheduling alliance for men's basketball as the leagues announced today. The two-year partnership will have each SoCon team play two games against ASUN opponents with contests taking place in early November and December.
Wofford's two opponents through the alliance for the upcoming 2024-25 season are Lipscomb and North Alabama. In the first round, the Terriers will travel to Nashville, Tennessee, to face the Bisons on November 9. Round two will see Wofford host the Lions on December 1 inside Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
Southern Conference Commissioner Michael Cross said, "We are very excited to partner with the ASUN to form a two-year scheduling alliance. It is apparent to anyone involved in men's basketball that the current scheduling process is flawed and that getting two teams to agree to play one another is incredibly difficult. As NCAA Tournament access has continued to erode for mid-major programs and conference schedules expand due to conference realignment, identifying meaningful non-conference games against attractive regional opponents has become very important. Leadership from the Directors of Athletics in both conferences and willingness from the coaches to experiment with this concept were the necessary ingredients to establish this alliance. Their willingness to recognize that change is needed in scheduling took vision and compromise. I'm confident this will be a very beneficial partnership for both the SoCon and the ASUN."
The agreement comes in response to the emphasis placed on NET rankings for postseason prospects and an ever-changing landscape in college athletics, which, for many, has posed more challenges in filling a 30-game schedule with quality opponents. It is a two-year deal beginning with the 2024-25 season.
The scheduling alignment will feature two rounds with each SoCon team playing a different ASUN opponent in each round. All 10 SoCon schools will have one road and one home contest split between the rounds.
Round 1:
Nov. 4 - FGCU @ UNCG
Nov. 8 - Eastern Kentucky @ ETSU
Nov. 8 - Western Carolina @ Queens
Nov. 9 - VMI @ Bellarmine
Nov. 9 - Wofford @ Lipscomb
Nov. 11 - Stetson @ The Citadel
Nov. 11 - Jacksonville @ Furman
Nov. 11 - Chattanooga @ Austin Peay
Nov. 15 - Samford @ North Alabama
Dec. 4 - West Georgia @ Mercer
Round 2:
Dec. 1 - North Alabama @ Wofford
Dec. 3 - Lipscomb @ UTC
Dec. 4 - Bellarmine @ Western Carolina
Dec. 4 - Furman @ FGCU
Dec. 7 - Queens @ VMI
Dec. 8 - Austin Peay @ Samford
Dec. 8 - Mercer @ Stetson
Dec. 14 - East Tennessee @ Jacksonville
Dec. 14 - UNCG @ North Florida
Dec. 16 - The Citadel @ Central Arkansas
*game dates may be subject to change
