Fordham Releases 2023-24 Non-Conference Schedule - Fordham University Athletics (2024)

Rams to play games at MSG and Barclays in December

BRONX, N.Y. – Coming off the program's finest season in more than three decades, Fordham Men's Basketball Head Coach Keith Urgo has announced his team's non-conference schedule for the upcoming 2023-24 campaign.

The Rams' non-league ledger features numerous notable matchups, including a contest at "The World's Most Famous Arena" against longtime New York City rival St. John's and a date with reigning NIT champion North Texas in Brooklyn.

Fordham will also resume its annual Battle of the Bronx rivalry series with Manhattan in addition to traveling to the U.S. Virgin Islands for a trio of games.

In total, the Rams will play eight of their 13 non-conference contests inside the historic Rose Hill Gym, which will host its 99^th season of Fordham hoops in 2023-24.

Tip times and television destinations will be announced at a later date.

The Rams will open the 2023-24 season, the 121^st in program history, on Nov. 6 when it welcomes Wagner to the Rose Hill Gym. Fordham won on its home floor last year against the Seahawks, dominating the second half on its way to a 72-59 victory. The Rams lead the all-time series, which started in 1907-08, 24-3.

Five days later on Nov. 11, the Rams will play one more pre-Paradise contest at the Rose Hill Gym against an in-state foe when they host Cornell for the first time since 1980.

The Rams will then embark on a trip to St. Thomas, where they will compete in the U.S. Virgin Island Paradise Jam from Nov. 17-20. The previously released bracket for that multi-team event will pit Fordham against Norfolk State in the opening contest on Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. The Rams will then face off against either San Jose State or Abilene Christian in their second tilt. The other side of the eight-team bracket features reigning MAC Champion Kent State, Florida Gulf Coast, Missouri State and Hampton.

Following a brief break for Thanksgiving, the Rams will return home to host The Battle of the Bronx when Manhattan College comes to the Rose Hill Gym on Nov. 27. Excluding war (1943-44) and pandemic (2020-21), last season marked the first time since 1921-22 that the Rams and the Jaspers failed to face off on the hardwood. Fordham and Manhattan have met 113 times dating back to 1912, a series history in which the Jaspers hold a slight 59-54 advantage.

The Manhattan game will also serve as the start of a four-game homestand, which will continue on Nov. 30 when FDU ventures to the Rose Hill Gym. After making history in last year's NCAA Tournament by knocking off top-seeded Purdue, just the second no. 16 seed to ever beat a no. 1 seed, the Knights will travel to the Bronx under the direction of newly minted head coach Jack Castleberry.

Having knocked off the Green Wave in New Orleans one year ago to the day, the Rams will welcome Tulane to the Rose Hill Gym on Sunday, Dec. 3. After falling to Fordham, Tulane went on to win 20 games in 2022-23 and finish third in the American Athletic Conference behind Houston and Memphis.

The Rams will close out their four-game homestand on Dec. 6, hosting NJIT for a Wednesday evening affair at the Rose Hill Gym. It will mark the third-ever meeting between the Rams and Highlanders, as the teams split a pair of contests in 2007 and 2018.

The following Sunday, Dec. 10, the Rams will play its first of two consecutive games inside New York's famed NBA arenas, taking on reigning NIT champion North Texas as part of the NABC Brooklyn Showcase at Barclays Center. Last season, North Texas amassed 31 wins after finishing second in the C-USA standings behind Final Four-bound Florida Atlantic. The Rams' showdown against the Mean Green, which is set to tip off at 11:30 a.m., will kick off a college hoops quadrupleheader that also features Colorado vs. Miami, St. John's vs. Boston College and Temple vs. UAlbany.

On Dec. 16 inside The World's Most Famous Arena, Fordham and St. John's will meet for the 90^th time in the history of the two programs. It will mark the Rams' first appearance at MSG since a 68-53 loss to Rutgers in the 2016 ECAC Holiday Festival. In the other half of that 2016 doubleheader, Associate Head Coach Keith Urgo helped lead Penn State to a 92-76 win over the Johnnies.

The Rams will wrap non-conference play with a pair of home contests in the Bronx, beginning with a Dec. 21 outing against CCSU. This will mark the third straight season that Fordham and the Blue Devils have squared off in non-league action.

Fordham will renew another local rivalry on Dec. 30 when the Rams welcome Columbia to the Rose Hill Gym. Fordham leads the all-time series with the Lions, which began in 1907, 53-27.

Season ticket deposits for the 2023-24 Fordham Basketball season are now being accepted.

Last season, the Rams put forth their best effort in a generation, turning in a record of 25-8 to equal the second-highest win total in program history. Fordham also set new high-water marks for both victories (12) and winning percentage (.667) in nearly 30 years of Atlantic 10 competition. Urgo, who led the Rams to just their second-ever appearance in the semifinals of the A-10 Tournament, was recognized with Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honors.

The Rams are set to return eight of their 11 players who averaged five or more minutes per game last season, led by a pair of fifth-year collegiate back court standouts in Kyle Rose and Antrell Charlton. The Rams will also welcome back rising sophom*ore Will Richardson, who averaged 9.2 points and shot a blistering 45.7 percent from beyond the arc over his final 17 games of the season.

In addition to those returning Rams, Fordham will also welcome a pair of proven Division I transfers in Japhet Medor and Josh Rivera alongside three-star prospect Jahmere Tripp out of Our Saviour Lutheran in the Bronx.

2023-24 Non-Conference Schedule