LAKELAND, FL - Following their impressive 2024-25 season that saw them win the SAC Tournament Championship and Southeast Region Title, the Lenoir-Rhyne Men's Basketball team has been selected to play in the prestigious Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic to open their 2025-26 season. 

The two-day classic opens the NCAA DII basketball season with 10 teams playing two games each over the course of the first weekend in November. The entire classic takes place in Lakeland, Florida, on the campus of Florida Southern College.

The Bears will face off against Daemen at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 1st, before taking on Michigan Tech at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 2nd. 

Last year in Head Coach Brent Owen's first season at the helm the Bears made history, advancing to the NCAA DII Elite Eight in Evansville for the first time in program history. They set LR season records for wins (29), points (3,050), field goals (1,114), and free throws (640) en-route to their eighth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, as well as their sixth SAC Tournament Championship. 

Daemen spent much of last season as the #1 team in the country, as they were undefeated before being upset by St. Thomas Aquinas in the NCAA Round of 32. Michigan Tech, a power in the midwest region, went 24-8 last season and also advanced to the round of 32. Both teams won their conference regular season titles with Daemen also taking home the tournament title. 

More information on tickets, stats, and stream will come at a later date.