ATLANTA — Bellarmine men's basketball will open ASUN conference play on Jan. 2 at North Alabama, the first of 18 conference games, the league announced Friday. The ASUN shifts back to an 18-game schedule for the 2024-25 season following a 16-game schedule in 2023-24.
 
The Knights for the first time in their history will be eligible for the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship as their reclassification period will have concluded.
 
Bellarmine will face seven of their 11 ASUN opponents both at home and on the road: Austin Peay, Eastern Kentucky, Florida Gulf Coast, Lipscomb, Jacksonville, North Florida, and Stetson. Central Arkansas, North Alabama, Queens and ASUN newcomer West Georgia will face Bellarmine once apiece.
 
Following the opener at North Alabama, Bellarmine will head west to face Central Arkansas two days later. The Knights then return home to Freedom Hall for a three-game homestand against repeat opponents Jacksonville (Jan. 9), North Florida (Jan. 11) and Lipscomb (Jan. 16).
 
The Knights renew their in-state rivalry with the ASUN's defending regular season champion Eastern Kentucky (Jan. 18) in Richmond before returning home for the second duo of Florida schools, Florida Gulf Coast (Jan. 23) and defending ASUN Tournament champion Stetson (Jan. 25).
 
A pair of two-game road trips through Tennessee and Florida then follow as the Knights face Austin Peay (Jan. 30), Lipscomb (Feb. 1), North Florida (Feb. 6) and Jacksonville (Feb. 8) away from Louisville.
 
Eighteen days after their home matchup with Stetson, the Knights will begin a crucial four-game homestand to start the stretch run with Queens (Feb. 13) and West Georgia (Feb. 15) before finishing with return games against Austin Peay (Feb. 18) and Eastern Kentucky (Feb. 20).
 
The Knights complete the regular season slate with their second trip of the month to Florida to take on Stetson (Feb. 24) before the finale at Florida Gulf Coast (Feb. 26).
 
The 2025 ASUN Championship will begin on Sunday, March 2 and again be hosted at campus sites. The tournament will feature the top 10 teams from regular season league play, with the 7-10 seeds playing an extra game. The championship game will be held on Sunday, March 9.
 
The Knights won the ASUN Championship in 2022, but were not eligible for the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship during their reclassifying period.
 
Knights head coach Scott Davenport previously announced that Bellarmine would open the 2024-25 season at Virginia Commonwealth on Monday, November 4. Davenport held an assistant coaching position at VCU under Mike Pollio during the 1985-86 season alongside former Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith. The rest of the Knights' out-of-conference schedule will be announced at a later date.
 
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