STARKVILLE, Miss. (November 4, 2025) – A new season has arrived for North Alabama Men's Basketball.
After reaching new heights last season with a regular season championship, the University of North Alabama men's basketball officially opens a new campaign on national television Wednesday night. The Lions will travel to Starkville, Miss. to take on Mississippi State at 8 p.m. on SEC Network.
Fans looking for the local broadcast can catch "Voice of the Lions"
Benjamin Ray and
Grant Wakefield on Roar Lions Productions, available on Facebook, X (Twitter), YouTube, Twitch, RoarLions.com and the Varsity Network app. To find your preferred listening method,
click here.
GAME INFORMATION
Game: North Alabama vs. Mississippi State
Date: Wednesday, November 5
Time: 8 p.m. CT
Location: Starkville, Mississippi
Venue: Humphrey Coliseum
Capacity: 9,100
Watch:
SEC Network (Dave Neal, Rodney Terry)
Radio:
Roar Lions Productions ("Voice of the Lions"
Benjamin Ray,
Grant Wakefield)
Live Stats:
StatBroadcast
Tickets:
Click Here
Game Notes:
Click Here
Social Media:
@UNA_Basketball
NOTES
A NEW SEASON: The Lions look to build on a historic 2024-25 season that included an impressive 24-11 record and a share of the ASUN Regular Season Championship. UNA made a run to the ASUN Championship Final with wins over Austin Peay and Jacksonville before falling to top-seeded Lipscomb in Nashville. This marked the first regular season championship for UNA at the Division I level in any sport and the most single-season wins for the men's basketball program since 2008. The Lions were rewarded with an appearance in the NIT for the first time in school history, falling to Bradley on the road in the first round.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: North Alabama returns 10 players from last season while adding two junior college transfers and a pair of true freshmen. The Lions are led by one returning starter — redshirt junior forward
Corneilous Williams. Williams averaged 9.7 points per game and 9.1 rebounds per game last season, leading the ASUN in rebounding. He and senior
Donte Bacchus were both selected to the preseason all-conference team; Williams was a unanimous selection.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS: Mississippi State has been to three straight NCAA Tournaments under head coach Chris Jans and will look to add a fourth in 2025-26. The Bulldogs have won 21 games in each of the last three seasons, including a 21-13 record last year. State has a 35-3 record against non-SEC opponents during the regular season over the last three seasons. The player to watch is Josh Hubbard, a junior guard who is on the Bob Cousy Award Preseason Watch List and a Second Team All-SEC selection last season. He averaged 18.9 PPG last season.
SERIES HISTORY: Mississippi State has a 5-0 advantage in the all-time series with all five meetings coming in Starkville. Those games happened in 1982, 1983, 2008, 2021 and 2023. Two current Lions suited up in the 2023 meeting, including
Canin Jefferson and
Jamal Albritton. Redshirt senior
Dallas Howell played in the 2021 matchup.
PRESEASON HYPE: The Lions were picked first in the ASUN Preseason Media Poll and second in the ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll last month. UNA was also the only team to have more than one player on the all-conference preseason team, as both
Corneilous Williams and
Donte Bacchus were voted. Williams was one of two unanimous picks along with ASUN Preseason Player of the Year Chris Ashby from Queens.
LOCKED IN: Back in August, UNA Director of Athletics
Dr. Josh Looney announced a new five-year contract for head men's basketball coach
Tony Pujol on Monday, extending him through the 2029-30 season. Pujol was hired on April 2, 2018 and has been the program's only coach during the Division I era. He enters his eighth season at the helm and has 102 wins over the first seven seasons.
THE MAGIC NUMBER: Last season, UNA scored at least 70 points in every win. The Lions also went 19-1 when allowing under 70 points on defense — the only loss being a 64-60 result at Jacksonville.
BALL SECURITY: Last season, UNA was one of the best teams in Division I at protecting the basketball. The Lions ranked second in the nation in fewest turnovers committed with 8.9 per game.
STATE OF BASKETBALL: Many have claimed the state of Alabama is producing the best basketball in the nation as of late, and the case is compelling. Of the 10 Division I schools in the state, eight finished ranked in the top three of their conferences last year. All eight were also ranked in the top 125 of the NET. Four of the eight made the NCAA Tournament, while four others were selected to the NIT. South Alabama was prematurely invited to the NIT but unfortunately had the invitation revoked and became the first team out.
THRILL NEIL: Last season,
Corneilous Williams led the ASUN with 9.1 rebounds per game and ranked 21st among all Division I players with 317 total rebounds. He and former Lion
Taye Fields were one of two duos in the nation with 300 or more rebounds each. The other school was Maryland with Derik Queen and Julian Reese. Neil initially transferred to UNA after one season at LSU and one at Western Carolina.
SIXTH-YEAR STANDOUT: Redshirt senior
Dallas Howell finished his fifth season in the program last year and enters his sixth after an injury redshirt. Before ending his season in the third game of the year last year, Howell was averaging 11.3 PPG over 24.3 minutes. He led the Lions to a thrilling road win over Air Force with 17 points on five triples, a block and five rebounds. He has played in 98 career games, which ranks fourth on the Division I games played list at UNA.
THE NEW GUYS: Four newcomers join the fold this season, including junior college transfers
Tank Washington and
Kedar Bodie and true freshmen
Braylon Patton and
Cortez Graham-Howard. Washington, a forward, led Coastal Alabama Community College with 16.0 PPG last season, while Bodie was named ACCC Player of the Year with 21.2 PPG at Bishop State CC in Mobile, Ala. Patton prepped at Hueytown High School and won three area championships, while Graham-Howard is a three-star prospect from Hillsboro High School in Nashville and was a TSSAA Mr. Basketball finalist.
NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS: On Friday, Nov. 7, UNA will host Lane College for the regular season home opener at 6:00 p.m. UNA will host a "Night of Champions" where the 2024-25 team will be presented rings for the ASUN Regular Season Championship and a new banner will be revealed in CB&S Bank Arena. UNA will also honor Coach Gary Elliott with the naming of Gary Elliott Court. Elliott led UNA to the 1991 NCAA Division II National Championship.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
