Rhode Island men’s basketball schedule released. Here’s who the Rams will face and when

The University of Rhode Island will start the Atlantic 10 portion of its men’s basketball schedule with a New Year’s Eve trip to face the reigning league tournament champions.

The Rams will spend the last day of 2024 taking on Duquesne, the surprise winners of an automatic NCAA Tournament berth in the spring. It was the first time dancing for the Dukes since 1977, a run through Barclays Center in Brooklyn that sent coach Keith Dambrot into retirement on a high note.

More: Rhode Island basketball lands 6-4 guard from Mass. to fill void in backcourt. Who is he?

URI plays its next two games at the Ryan Center before visiting the two programs that shared the regular-season title in 2023-24. Richmond and Loyola Chicago will welcome the Rams on Jan. 11 and Jan. 15, respectively, and will be looking to approach the 15-3 conference finishes they posted last year. That was good enough for a one-game margin over Dayton, which visits URI on Feb. 26.

The Flyers are part of what figures to be a tough finishing stretch for the Rams. They travel to Saint Louis on Feb. 22, taking on a program with a new coach in Josh Schertz and a new star in center Robbie Avila. Both came from Indiana State after a 32-7 campaign and kick off a five-game run that includes a March 1 trip to rival Massachusetts and a March 5 visit to Saint Joseph’s.

VCU gives URI another headline home game on Jan. 21, the regular-season and tournament champions in 2022-23. The Rams play four of their first six games in that month on campus and don’t enjoy a bye until the start of February. They’ll also have a week-long break between a Feb. 15 home date with La Salle and the matchup with the Billikens.

More: Rhode Island basketball to host Providence on Dec. 7. Here’s the full nonconference slate.

George Mason serves as the home opener for URI on Jan. 4, a 2 p.m. start on USA Network. It’s the first of five national conference broadcasts for the Rams and one of seven currently listed on the schedule. URI will also host Providence and face old league rival Temple on CBS Sports Network, games set for Dec. 7 in Kingston and Dec. 21 at Mass Mutual Center in Springfield.

The Rams are coming off a 12-20 overall mark last season and a 6-12 finish in league play. URI started 3-0 against conference foes before dropping each of its next four, and a 5-5 mark in early February crumbled thanks to a seven-game losing streak. Five of those defeats were against teams that finished in the top 100, according to KenPom.com, including home losses to Loyola Chicago and Richmond and a road loss to VCU.

The Rams shuffled their roster in the offseason, welcoming Sebastian Thomas (Albany), Quentin Diboundje (East Carolina), Jamarques Lawrence (Nebraska), Javonte Brown (Western Michigan) and Drissa Traore (St. John’s) via the transfer portal. It’s a second stint at URI for Thomas, the former Bishop Hendricken star and Providence native. The Rams will play an Oct. 14 exhibition at Mohegan Sun against two-time national champion Connecticut before starting their regular season with a Nov. 4 home matchup against Fairfield.

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25

URI men’s basketball A-10 schedule

Dec. 31 – at DuquesneJan. 4 – George MasonJan. 8 – George WashingtonJan. 11 – at RichmondJan. 15 – at Loyola ChicagoJan. 18 – DavidsonJan. 21 – VCUJan. 25 – at La SalleJan. 29 – MassachusettsFeb. 5 – at FordhamFeb. 8 – at George MasonFeb. 12 – St. BonaventureFeb. 15 – La SalleFeb. 22 – at Saint LouisFeb. 26 – DaytonMarch 1 – at MassachusettsMarch 5 – at Saint Joseph’sMarch 8 – Fordham

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island men’s basketball Atlantic-10 schedule released