Kansas, Kentucky and 2 in-state rivals highlight Brown’s 2024-25 men’s basketball schedule

Two road dates with bluebloods, consecutive games against in-state rivals and bookend rematches with an Ivy League title game opponent highlight the men’s basketball schedule for Brown.

The Bears released their 2024-25 slate Tuesday afternoon, and it comes with some headliners. Kansas, Kentucky, Bryant, Rhode Island and two meetings with Yale at key times of the season all catch the eye.

Brown will make trips to face the Jayhawks and Wildcats to close the calendar year. The Bears travel to Allen Fieldhouse on Dec. 22 and visit Rupp Arena on New Year’s Eve. Kansas and Kentucky have combined to win 12 national championships, including the Jayhawks in 2022.

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Those two games come after Brown’s final exam break, and the two wrapping up first semester are against the Bulldogs and Rams. The Bears visit Bryant on Dec. 3 and will be looking to rebound from a home defeat last year.

Brown hosts URI on Dec. 10 and is in search of a fourth straight win against the Rams for the first time since the 1970s.The Bears travel to open conference play and stay home to close it. They’ll reunite with the Bulldogs after playing a thriller in the Ivy Madness title game in March. Yale used a buzzer-beater to reach its latest NCAA Tournament, and the pair of meetings on Jan. 11 and March 8 could help determine who’s in the running for March Madness this time.

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Brown will also play three home games in as many days as part of the College Hill Classic, a tournament set for the Pizzitola Center. The Bears welcome New Hampshire, Holy Cross and Sacred Heart from Nov. 15-17 for three straight matchups. Brown lost at the Wildcats last year and rolled past the Pioneers at home in 2021-22.

The Bears open the season at Siena on Nov. 4 and play their first home game against Maine on Nov. 10. Brown closes its nonconference schedule with Johnson & Wales on Jan. 5 before playing five of its first seven league games on the road. That stretch away includes three straight at Penn, at Princeton and at Columbia before a Valentine’s Day home date with Princeton.

The Bears finished just 13-18 overall in 2023-24 but caught fire at the ideal time, winning seven straight before the 62-61 heartbreaker against Yale. That included a 90-81 upset of the Tigers in the Ivy Madness opener, as Brown dumped the regular-season champion out of the four-team field at Columbia. The Bears beat all seven conference opponents during that hot streak into March.

Brown returns a strong 1-2 punch in the lineup with seniors Kino Lilly Jr. and Nana Owusu-Anane. The Bears also bring in a four-player freshman class headlined by Massachusetts guard Jeremiah Jenkins. AJ Lesburt, Landon Lewis, Aaron Cooley and Lyndel Erold were all rotation members at the end of last season.

The changes at Brown start on the coach staff, with longtime associate head coach TJ Sorrentine departing for the Washington Wizards and director of basketball operations Sydney Armand leaving for an assistant’s role with the Crusaders. The Bears tabbed former Valparaiso head coach Matt Lottich and former Denison University assistant coach DeVon Price to fill those two spots. Brown also lost a pair of potential small forward contributors – Kalu Anya transferred to join former assistant coach Antoine Gray at Saint Louis and Division II verbal commit Jacob Dar flipped to Rice.

All game times and broadcast information will be released at a later date. Visit brownbears.com for more information.

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25

Brown men’s basketball schedule

Nov. 4 – at SienaNov. 10 – MaineNov. 15 – New HampshireNov. 16 – Holy CrossNov. 17 – Sacred HeartNov. 23 – at CanisiusNov. 27 – Stony BrookDec. 3 – at VermontDec. 6 – at BryantDec. 10 – Rhode IslandDec. 22 – at KansasDec. 31 – at KentuckyJan. 5 – Johnson & WalesJan. 11 – at YaleJan. 18 – HarvardJan. 20 – at CornellJan. 25 – DartmouthJan. 31 – at PennFeb. 1 – at PrincetonFeb. 8 – at ColumbiaFeb. 14 – PrincetonFeb. 15 – PennFeb. 21 – ColumbiaFeb. 22 – CornellFeb. 28 – at HarvardMarch 1 – at DartmouthMarch 8 – Yale

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Kansas, Kentucky and in-state rivals on Brown’s basketball schedule