STEPHENVILLE, Texas ­– Tarleton State Men's Basketball will take on a slew of Power Four Conference Opponents in its 2024-25 non-conference schedule as well as a 16-game WAC campaign head coach Billy Gillispie released on Tuesday morning.
 
The 15-game regular season non-conference slate features six power four conference opponents, the most in program history. The Texans will host five home tilts in non-WAC play. The slate will also feature the first time coach Gillispie will coach against UTEP as a head coach, where he led the program from 2002-04.
 
With the new composition of the WAC, the Texans will play 16 total conference games, a home-and home with each of the eight other WAC schools. As a result of the new alignment, the 2025 WAC Tournament will contain all nine programs. The new layout of the nine-team event eliminated the ladder bracket style and adds a play-in game between the eighth and ninth sides in St. George, Utah.

A season ago, the Texans compiled 25 victories, the most wins in their D1 era, backed by its trio of newly signed professional players. Lue Williams, Jakorie Smith and KiAndre Gaddy have all signed professional basketball contracts and are keeping their basketball careers alive at the next level. Tarleton notched its first D1 postseason tournament championship, winning the Lou Henson Classic on its home court.

What a schedule! It doesn't get any better than this," said head coach Gillispie. "Most would say it's way too difficult but we see it differently because we love the challenge this schedule presents. It gives us unmatched exposure nationally, we play in a very demanding WAC, it is what we promised the players when we recruited them because great players want to see how they stack up against the very best, and it will test us against great players, coaches, and traditions as we prepare for post season play, which presents our ultimate and most important goal. Earning a spot in the NCAA tournament is something we are shooting for in our very first year of eligibility. It should be a fun and exciting season."

The 2024-25 campaign will open with an exhibition contest against UT Tyler on Monday Oct. 28. Tarleton will open its regular season slate on opening night at new ACC member, SMU. The Texans will take on the Mustangs in their first men's basketball contest as a member of the power four conference. The Purple and White will then return to the friendly confines of Wisdom Gym for their home opener against Sam Houston on Saturday, Nov. 9. It will be the first time since the Bearkats left the WAC that the two squads will compete against one another.
 
The Texans will then embark on a grueling stretch, playing three "Power Four Conference" foes in three of their next four games. The Purple and White will head to Tallahassee, Fla. to take on the Seminoles of Florida State on Tuesday, Nov. 12. It will be the first matchup against the Seminoles for coach Gillispie and in program history. Tarleton will return home for a brief stay with a tilt against Tabor College (Kan.) on Thursday, Nov. 14 before closing out the week on Sunday at Baylor on Nov. 17. The contest will be the second meeting between the two schools since Tarleton became a Division I program, and the first meeting at the newly-constructed Foster Pavilion. For the second time in program history, the Texans will travel to Ann Arbor, Mich. to take on the Michigan Wolverines at the Chrisler Center. The matchup is set for the Thursday before Thanksgiving, Nov. 21.
 
The Texans will then enjoy an eight-day off period where they will use the end of it to travel to Nassau, Bahamas for the 2024 Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship. The Texans will take on Iona, Hofstra and Indiana State in consecutive days from Nov. 29 through Dec. 1. The games will be held at the Baha Mar Convention, Arts & Entertainment Center.
 
Tarleton will finish out its non-conference agenda with six more games in December, with a trio at home. After returning from the Bahamas, the Texans will host Dallas Christian in Wisdom Gym on Dec. 3. The Texans own the series, 12-0 dating back to its non-Division I playing days. Tarleton will then return to Florida for the second time this season to take on UCF, for the second time in program history. The Texans will face off against the Golden Knights on Sunday, Dec. 8.
 
The Purple and White will conclude their road slate with a pair of games west of Stephenville. The Texans will travel to El Paso, Texas to take on UTEP. Coach Gillispie will return to El Paso to take on the Miners for the first time in his career as a head coach on Monday, Dec. 16. The squad will then travel north to Stillwater, Oklahoma for its first matchup against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The tilt will finish the Texans record six power four non-conference games on Wednesday, Dec. 18.
 
Tarleton will conclude with a pair of home contests around the holidays in a doubleheader with women's basketball. First, the Texans will take on Howard Payne at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21 at Wisdom Gym. After an eight-day holiday break, the Texans will round out non-conference play with a Sunday doubleheader against Florida A&M also at 4 p.m.
 
The men's squad will open their 2024-25 conference slate at home against UT Arlington on Jan. 4. The match up will mark the third time in five seasons the Texans open their WAC slate at home and for the second time against the Mavericks. The contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. as all Texan conference home games will occur at 7 p.m. The Purple and White will then start the first full week of conference play on the road at Southern Utah (Jan. 9) and at Utah Tech (Jan. 11). The Texans were 3-0 in the state of Utah last season. The following week, the Texans will open on Thursday Jan. 16 at home against California Baptist before heading to Grand Canyon just two days later (Jan. 18). Tarleton split each series with the Lancers and Lopes last year with both wins coming in Wisdom Gym.
 
Tarleton will enjoy a one-game week with Abilene Christian on Jan. 23 and their first of two conference Saturday off days. Last year, the Texans were 10-0 in the regular season against Texas schools. The Purple and White will round out January with a home contest against Utah Tech on Jan. 30. In last year's "White Out Wisdom" game, the Texans routed the Trailblazers by 18, the largest margin of victory in a WAC game at Wisdom last season.
 
The Texans will open February with a home game to round out the week against Southern Utah. In the Texans' final two-game road trip, the men's squad will head out west to take on Seattle U (Feb. 6) and Utah Valley (Feb. 8). The Texans were 2-0 on the road trip last season and overcame a 17-point deficit to knock off the Wolverines in Orem. In the most anticipated home game of the year, the Texans will host the Grand Canyon Lopes on Thursday, Feb. 13. Last year, the top two WAC teams took to battle in Wisdom Gym, ending in a 77-74 victory for the Texans with the fans storming the court after the final buzzer. Tarleton will round out the weekend against Seattle U on Feb. 15. In the final two games of February, the Texans will travel to UT Arlington (Feb. 22) before closing out the month at home against I-20 rival, Abilene Christian (Feb. 27).
 
Tarleton will be busy in the final weekend of the season heading to Riverside to take on California Baptist on March 6. The final game of the season will be in Wisdom Gym against Utah Valley on March 8.
 
The Texans will then head to Las Vegas, Nevada to compete in the WAC Championship. The five-day event will take place in Las Vegas from March 12-15 with the play-in game for the bottom two seeds on March 11 in St. George.
 
In their first season eligible for the NCAA Tournament, the Texans will be hoping to hear their name called for the 2025 edition of March Madness on Selection Sunday, March 16.
 

2024-25 Tarleton State Men's Basketball Schedule
Date	Day	Opponent	Location	Time
10/28/24	Mon.	UT Tyler (Exhibition)	Stephenville, TX	7:00 PM
11/4/24	Mon.	SMU	Dallas, TX	7:30 PM
11/9/24	Sat.	Sam Houston State	Stephenville, TX	7:00 PM
11/12/24	Tues.	Florida State	Tallahassee, FL	6:00 PM
11/14/24	Thurs.	Tabor College	Stephenville, TX	7:00 PM
11/17/24	Sun.	Baylor	Waco, TX	7:00 PM
11/21/24	Thurs.	Michigan	Ann Arbor, MI	7:30 PM
11/29/24	Fri.	Iona	Nassau, Bahamas	1:00 PM
11/30/24	Sat.	Hofstra	Nassau, Bahamas	3:30 PM
12/1/24	Sun.	Indiana State	Nassau, Bahamas	6:00 PM
12/3/24	Tues.	Dallas Christian	Stephenville, TX	7:00 PM
12/8/24	Sun.	UCF	Orlando, FL	12:00 PM
12/16/24	Mon.	UTEP	El Paso, TX	8:00 PM
12/18/24	Wed.	Oklahoma State	Stillwater, OK	7:00 PM
12/21/24	Sat.	Howard Payne	Stephenville, TX	4:30 PM
12/29/24	Sun.	Florida A&M	Stephenville, TX	4:30 PM
1/4/25	Sat.	UT Arlington	Stephenville, TX	7:00 PM
1/9/25	Thurs.	Southern Utah	Cedar City, UT	7:30 PM
1/11/25	Sat.	Utah Tech	St. George, UT	8:00 PM
1/16/25	Thurs.	California Baptist	Stephenville, TX	7:00 PM
1/18/25	Sat.	Grand Canyon	Phoenix, AZ	7:00 PM
1/23/25	Thurs.	Abilene Christian	Abilene, TX	7:00 PM
1/30/25	Thurs.	Utah Tech	Stephenville, TX	7:00 PM
2/1/25	Sat.	Southern Utah	Stephenville, TX	7:00 PM
2/6/25	Thurs.	Seattle	Seattle, WA	9:00 PM
2/8/25	Sat.	Utah Valley	Orem, UT	3:00 PM
2/13/25	Thurs.	Grand Canyon	Stephenville, TX	7:00 PM
2/15/25	Sat.	Seattle	Stephenville, TX	7:00 PM
2/22/25	Sat.	UT Arlington	Arlington, TX	2:00 PM
2/27/25	Thurs.	Abilene Christian	Stephenville, TX	7:00 PM
3/6/25	Thurs.	California Baptist	Riverside, CA	9:00 PM
3/8/25	Sat.	Utah Valley	Stephenville, TX	7:00 PM
3/11--3/15/24	Tue-Sat	WAC Tournament	Las Vegas, NV (The Orleans)

 
*All Times Central