LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University men's basketball team announced its full 2023-24 schedule on Wednesday, unveiling a 31-game schedule plus a preseason exhibition game against Transylvania that Bellarmine will play in Knights Hall on Oct. 24.  Overall, the Knights will play 15 non-conference games and 16 ASUN contests with 18 road games and 15 at home.

Bellarmine will play in four different times zones this season, opening the regular season in the Pacific Time Zone on Nov. 6 at the University of Washington with additional games played in Mountain Time Zone (Brigham Young and Utah) along with regional foes—including Louisville—in the Central and Eastern Time Zones.   

"This schedule is challenging from game 1 at Washington to be followed by a Final Four participant Kansas State!" said Bellarmine Head Coach Scott Davenport.  "Playing games within our region is great for college basketball. Louisville heads the list, and we sincerely appreciate Coach (Kenny) Payne and (UofL Director of Athletics) Josh Heird. I feel this game is special to a community that is the number one college basketball fan base in the country. Numbers tell the truth; our market leads the country in College Basketball viewership."

Davenport added, "Regional foes Morehead State, Evansville, Ball State, Chattanooga, High Point and Bowling Green provide tremendous challenges to prepare us for Atlantic Sun play. Our road trips to Utah and BYU between semesters is tremendous exposure for our players and Bellarmine University. Add a trip to perennial Big 12 power West Virginia, and our schedule is as challenging as any non-conference in the country."
 
After opening at Washington, Bellarmine plays three more on the road (at Kansas State, Chattanooga and Bowling Green) before making its regular season home debut on Nov. 20, welcoming Morehead State to Freedom Hall.  Bellarmine will then host in-state foe Midway the following night.

Three more road games follow with games at West Virginia (Nov. 26), Louisville (Nov. 29) and Ball State (Dec. 2) before returning for a 3-game homestand.  The homestand will kick off with a pair of 11 a.m. games on Dec. 4 and 7 as Bellarmine brings back a popular feature from its 2022-23 schedule—Inspiration Day, which brings local grade school students to Freedom Hall for the thrill and excitement of college basketball. The Knights face in-state foes Boyce and Berea in those matchups before closing the homestand with the University of Evansville on Dec. 16. 

Bellarmine's nonconference slate wraps up with three more road games, playing at Utah (Dec. 20), Brigham Young (Dec. 22) and High Point (Dec. 30).

January brings the arrival of Atlantic Sun competition, with the league comprised of two six-team divisions, East and West, this year. Bellarmine will play its five West Division counterparts twice and square off once against the East Division squads.

"The Atlantic Sun, last year--per many metrics, was one of the top three most improved conferences in the country," said Davenport. "The level of play and coaching is ultra-competitive every night."

Bellarmine opens conference action with two games at home--on Jan. 4 versus Austin Peay and Jan. 6 against Lipscomb. Next up will be three straight against the other teams from the West:  North Alabama (Jan. 11), Central Arkansas (Jan. 13), and Eastern Kentucky (Jan. 20).

Bellarmine then embarks on a six-game swing versus East Division opponents, starting with home games against North Florida and Jacksonville (Jan. 25 and 27).  After road games at Kennesaw State (Feb. 1) and Queens (Feb. 3), the Knights play back-to back games against Florida teams but one is home and one is away. The Knights host Stetson on Feb. 7 before flying to the Sunshine State for a Feb. 10 date at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Bellarmine closes the regular season by returning to West Division play, during which they'll simply reverse the order of play from the first time through the division.  The Knights host EKU, UCA, and UNA (Feb. 17, 22 and 24) before wrapping the regular season with games at Lipscomb (Feb. 28) and Austin Peay (March 1).

The ASUN Conference Championship tourney will be held March 4-10 at campus sites determined by seeding.

With both the men's and women's basketball schedules now complete, the Bellarmine ticketing office is working with the Kentucky Exposition Cetner to finalize season ticketing.  Current season ticket holders should receive an email in the coming weeks for renewals with new season ticket packages available following the renewal process.

"Our players have demonstrated since June 5, and throughout the early fall period, they have the utmost respect for the challenge ahead," Davenport said. "Their efforts are appreciated and belief in each other is admired. I encourage the fans in this phenomenal basketball community to support these young men who stand for everything that is right in college athletics."