FLORENCE, Ala. (December 31, 2025) – The University of North Alabama men's basketball team will ring in the new year a little differently when the clock strikes 12 — noon, that is — as the Lions will host Stetson for a New Year's Day game on Thursday.
Tipoff is set for noon inside CB&S Bank Arena in Florence. According to available records, this will be the first time UNA has hosted a New Year's Day game in the Shoals.
The Lions and Hatters will open Atlantic Sun Conference play on Thursday. Non-conference play concluded in December, as the Lions closed with a 5-6 overall record while Stetson went 4-9.
The first game of 2026 will stream on
ESPN+ with "Voice of the Lions"
Benjamin Ray and Matt Daniels on the call.
Chase Glover will be the courtside reporter. Bryan Neece will have the local call on
Roar Lions Productions, available on RoarLions.com, Varsity Network, Facebook, X (Twitter), YouTube and Twitch.
Tickets are available by calling 256-765-5466 (LION) or by visiting
this link.
As a special promotion for New Year's Day, fans can purchase two general admission tickets for $20.26 — which totals to $10.13 per person. If purchasing online, the price will automatically adjust in your cart once two general admission tickets have been added.
Fans are encouraged to arrive early for the game, as parking is limited due to ongoing construction. As such, the lot near the Hal Self Athletic Annex will be unavailable. Violators will be towed if parked in the construction zone.
Lots A and B will be in the parking lot directly below Flowers Hall. Lot A pass holders will have coned off spots near the staircase. Shuttles will be available to take fans up to the field house lot for entry into CB&S Bank Arena.
Lot C parking will be in the parking lot below the Mitchell Burford Science and Technology Building. Residential Students will have access into Lot C with their hang tags. The public can also park in this lot for $12.
Limited handicap parking will be available in front of the CB&S Bank Arena ticket office.
GAME INFORMATION
Game: North Alabama vs. Stetson
Date: Thursday, January 1
Time: Noon
Location: Florence, Alabama
Venue: CB&S Bank Arena
Capacity: 3,000
Promotions: $20.26 New Year's Ticket Special
Watch:
ESPN+ ("Voice of the Lions"
Benjamin Ray, Matt Daniels,
Chase Glover)
Listen:
Roar Lions Productions (Bryan Neece)
Live Stats:
StatBroadcast
Tickets:
Click Here
Game Notes:
Click Here
Social Media:
@UNA_Basketball
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: The Lions ended non-conference play at LMU on Dec. 19 with a 91-57 loss. Despite the setback, UNA finished with a 5-6 record with impressive road wins over Jacksonville State and San Francisco, while also earning home wins over Northwestern State, Lane College and UT Southern.
SCOUTING THE LIONS: UNA finished non-conference play averaging 70.7 points per game and 75.5 PPG allowed, putting the Lions among the top three defensive teams in the ASUN during the first two months of the season. UNA's offense has the fewest turnovers per game in the ASUN (10.1) and has four players in double figures offensively.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: Stetson brings a 4-9 overall record into Florence with notable wins over Howard and VMI. The Hatters won the ASUN Championships just two seasons ago in 2024 but took a step back in 2025 with a 6-12 record in conference play and an opening round loss to Central Arkansas in the postseason tournament. Sophomore guard Jamie Phillips Jr. leads the Hatters with 14.1 PPG and 5.6 RPG.
SERIES HISTORY: Stetson has an 8-4 advantage in the all-time series against UNA. However, the Lions have won the last two meetings. This includes a 79-72 victory in Stetson's last visit to Florence in 2024, as well as a dominant 92-64 victory over the Hatters in Florida last season.
LAST MEETING: Last year's win over Stetson set a school record for largest win margin over an ASUN opponent until it was broken a few weeks later with a 94-65 win over Central Arkansas. Former Lion
Taye Fields had 23 points and 17 rebounds and notched a double-double just 14 minutes into the game. This was the fastest-achieved double-double in the NCAA last season.
ASUN OPENERS: The Lions have a 3-4 record in ASUN openers since joining the league in 2018. Last year's ASUN opener set the tone for the rest of the season, as UNA handled Bellarmine with an 82-66 victory.
Corneilous Williams had eight points and a game-high 15 rebounds in that win.
LEAGUE LEADER: Speaking of redshirt junior
Corneilous Williams, he currently ranks 14th in the NCAA with 10.3 RPG. That total leads the ASUN by over a rebound. He also has a 59.8 shooting percentage with 49 makes, which would rank him among the top 35 shooters in the nation. He is just a few makes shy of the five-per-game minimum.
DOUBLE TROUBLE: Williams has finished with a double-double in four of the team's five wins this season. Through 11 games in non-conference play, Williams had six double-digit scoring games and seven games with double figure rebound totals.
BLOCK PARTY: The Lions rank second in the ASUN with 4.5 blocks per game, trailing only West Georgia at 5.5 per game. UWG has the top two blockers in the league, but UNA is the only ASUN team with three players in the top 10 of blocked shots per game —
Corneilous Williams (1.1 per game),
Jamal Albritton (1.0 per game) and
Dallas Howell (0.8 per game).
TWOS WIN GAMES: This season, UNA has a 5-0 record when outscoring its opponent in the paint. The Lions are 0-5 when the opponent wins the paint. UNA and Alabama A&M tied for points in the paint last time out — a game won by Alabama A&M. However, a surprising trend this season is three-point shooting. The Lions are 0-3 when shooting over 40 percent behind the arc but have a record of 5-3 when shooting under 40 percent.
SIXTH-YEAR SENIOR: Sixth-year senior
Dallas Howell has been with the program since 2020, earning a COVID season and an injury redshirt last season. He is one of just seven known players in Division I this season to play six seasons and the only one to do so at the same school. The other schools with a sixth-year player include Oklahoma, Iowa State, USC, Texas, Bowling Green and Tarleton State. All six of those players have transferred at least once.
EMERGING STARS: Sophomore
Kevin de Kovachich and junior
Canin Jefferson have been UNA's guard tandem this season. Both are averaging over 11.0 PPG with de Kovachich leading all scorers in the month of November with seven straight double figure scoring games. Jefferson shined in December with a 20 point outing at Alabama A&M, 16 points in the win over Alabama A&M and the game-winning layup in the final moments to beat San Francisco.
FRESHMAN BREAKOUT GAMES: The Lions have a pair of true freshmen that bookended non-conference play with breakout performances. Rookie guard
Braylon Patton scored 11 points at Mississippi State in the season opener, the best start for a rookie since
Jacari Lane scored 11 in his 2022 debut. The other rookie,
Cortez Graham-Howard, scored a season-high nine points in the 2025 finale at LMU on Dec. 19 and will look to ride that momentum into conference play.
BACCHUS IS BACKING IT UP: Senior forward
Donte Bacchus was a preseason all-conference selection this year after serving as UNA's primary option off the bench in 2024-25. He led North Alabama to a pair of marquee road wins in December, including a 73-66 win over in-state rival Jacksonville State and a 65-63 win two days later at San Francisco. He averaged 19.5 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game in the wins and was named ASUN Player of the Week. Bacchus also won a national fan vote for Mid-Major Madness National Player of the Week. He is the leading scorer for UNA at 13.5 PPG.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION: Speaking of national recognition, well-known college basketball analyst Rocco Miller recently published an article highlighting his five national teams of the week: Iowa State, Notre Dame, Richmond, Virginia and North Alabama. The Lions were labeled an ASUN contender by Miller, noting the ability to win back-to-back road games with little time to recover — much like a postseason tournament setting.
PRESEASON POLLS: As a refresher heading into conference play, North Alabama was picked first in the ASUN Preseason Media Poll and second in the ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll. Stetson was picked eighth and ninth in the polls, respectively. UNA was also the only team to have more than one player on the all-conference preseason team, as both Williams and Bacchus were voted. Williams was one of two unanimous picks along with ASUN Preseason Player of the Year Chris Ashby from Queens.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
