Men's Basketball released 2024-25 schedule, beginning Purple & Gold Tournament

DEFIANCE, Ohio - Heading into its 116th season, the Defiance College men's basketball program embraces new affiliation with the NAIA and a new conference membership in the WHAC as the Athletic Department announced the full 2024-25 schedule on Monday.

With fourth-year head coach Josh Gibson at the helm, the Yellow Jackets will play their first season as an NAIA program since 1991. This year also marks their first as a member of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference after leaving the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference where they spent the previous 24 years.

DC's season begins at home on Nov. 1-2 with the Purple and Gold Tournament hosted at the Karl H. Weaner Center. The Yellow Jackets will host a four-game showcase along with guests Great Lakes Christian, IU East and Miami Middletown.

Next up, Defiance will hit the road for the first of four total Division I exhibitions starting against Defiance native Greg Kampe's Oakland Golden Grizzlies. Defiance will also travel to nearby D-I schools with games against Toledo (Dec. 7), Purdue Fort Wayne (Dec. 20) and Miami (Ohio) (Dec. 30). 

Conference play kicks into gear with the WHAC tipoff at Siena Heights on Nov. 16. Defiance travels to UNOH next before hosting Lourdes on Nov. 23 for the program's first home game of WHAC play. The WHAC schedule will feature home-and-home series against all but four schools this year. Defiance will have just one matchup apiece against Concordia, Cleary, Lawrence Tech and Indiana Tech.

Defiance will take on six opponents for the first time – all in-conference – and historically, has had the most meetings with Indiana Tech. The Yellow Jackets have dominated that series, 25-7, with the pair's most recent matchup taking place Nov. 22, 1991 resulting in a DC loss. In all-time competition versus WHAC foes, Defiance is 40-11 dating back to the 1951-52 season.

Standard game times for conference matchups are 7:30 p.m. on weekdays and 3 p.m. on Saturdays. All start times are subject to change. 

2024-25 Men's Basketball Schedule 
Nov. 1 vs. Great Lakes Christian (Purple and Gold Tournament), 6 p.m.
Nov. 2 vs. Miami Middletown (Purple and Gold Tournament), 3 p.m.
Nov. 4 at Oakland (exhibition), 7 p.m.
Nov. 5 vs. Penn State Shenango, 7 p.m.
Nov. 9 at Spalding, 3 p.m.
Nov. 13 at Goshen, 7 p.m.
Nov. 16 at Siena Heights, 6 p.m.*
Nov. 20 at UNOH, 7:30 p.m.*
Nov. 23 vs. Lourdes, 3 p.m.*
Nov. 30 at Cornerstone, 3 p.m.*
Dec. 4 vs. Madonna, 7:30 p.m.*
Dec. 7 at Toledo (exhibition), 7 p.m.
Dec. 14 vs. Aquinas, 3 p.m.*
Dec. 18 vs. UM-Dearborn, 7:30 p.m.*
Dec. 20 at Purdue Ft. Wayne (exhibition), 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 30 at Miami (OH) (exhibition), 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 4 at Concordia, 3 p.m.*
Jan. 8 at Miami Middletown, 7 p.m.
Jan. 11 at Cleary, 3 p.m.*
Jan. 15 vs. Lawrence Tech, 7:30 p.m.*
Jan. 18 vs. Indiana Tech, 3 p.m.*
Jan. 22 at Rochester Christian, 7:30 p.m.*
Jan. 25 at Madonna, 3 p.m.*
Jan. 29 vs. UNOH, 7:30 p.m.*
Feb. 1 at Lourdes, 3 p.m.*
Feb. 5 vs. Siena Heights, 7:30 p.m.*
Feb. 8 vs. Cornerstone, 3 p.m.*
Feb. 15 at Aquinas, 3 p.m.*
Feb. 19 vs. Rochester Christian, 7:30 p.m.*
Feb. 22 at UM-Dearborn, 3 p.m.*

*Denotes WHAC game

-JACKETS-