The Roanoke College basketball season for both men’s and women’s teams is nearing opening day. Both teams have been practicing for the winter season and are facing challenging schedules.
The RC men are ranked 10th in the nation in Division III with the release of the D3hoops.com top 25 pre-season poll last week. The Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) is well represented in the top 25, with Randolph-Macon College (#2), Virginia Wesleyan University (#14) and Hampden-Sydney College (#17) all earning spots in the top 25.
Last winter the Maroons advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 16 for the first time since the 1995-96 campaign. Roanoke finished the 2024-25 season 25-6, the most wins for the program since the 1993-94 season. RC ranked No. 15 in the final D3hoops.com poll, the highest in program history for a D3hoops.com season-ending poll.
The Maroons return four starters from the 2024-25 team Marcus Morgan, Jackson Bell, Gavin O’Malley and Patrick Clevenger, and welcome back 2023-24 starter Zach Rosenthal, who was forced to sit out the 2024-25 campaign with an injury.
The Maroon men will open the 2025-26 campaign at home in the Cregger Center next Tuesday, Nov. 11, against Christendom College at 7 pm. RC hosts the four-team Frankie Allen Tip-Off Tournament Nov. 14-15 and begins Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) play at defending conference champion Guilford College on December 3. Other significant dates include the Hampden-Sydney College Tournament on Dec. 19-20 and the Cregger Invitational on Dec. 29-30. Roanoke finishes the regular season with four-straight home ODAC games.
“We’re excited about the strong quality of opponents on our schedule,” said head coach Clay Nunley, the 2024-25 VaSID All-State Coach of the Year. “We know a challenging non-conference slate is always necessary to prepare us for the demanding ODAC portion of the schedule.”
The RC women will compete in a 25-game regular season slate, which includes three tournaments and 16 conference games.
“We are looking forward to another season of growth and building on where we left off last year,” said coach Carla Flaherty. “Competing against strong non-conference opponents is vital to help prepare for our conference schedule.”
Roanoke opens their season at William Peace on Nov. 12. They then will compete in their home opener that weekend as they host the Jean Beamer Tip-Off Classic on Nov. 15-16. December includes the start of conference play as RC travels to Guilford and Shenandoah on the 3rd and 6th. The Maroons then travel to the Catholic University of America to play in the Jamie Lynn Roberts Fairfield Inn DC Holiday Classic on Dec. 15-16 before hosting the Susan Dunagan Holiday Classic after the holidays on Dec. 29-30.
RC kicks off the new year with their final non-conference game of the season with Warren Wilson on Jan. 3 for Camper Appreciation Day. The squad then takes on the meat of their ODAC schedule through Feb. 21 when they host Randolph-Macon for Senior Night.
ODAC Tournament play for men and women will run from Feb. 25 to Mar.1 with the top four teams in the conference hosting the quarterfinals and the Salem Civic Center hosting the semifinals and championship.
