LORETTO, Pa. - Saint Francis men's basketball head coach Rob Krimmel has announced his 2024-25 schedule. Highlighting the slate are two games against the Big 10 and single contests against the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big East, and the Atlantic 10. The squad will also have 13 of its 30 contests at DeGol Arena, including eight of 11 home games in a 51 day stretch.
"After a productive summer, I am looking forwardto competing with this group as we preparefor a challenging start to the 2024-2025 season," said Krimmel."Our guys will be tested throughout the non-conference portion of our schedule especially early as we head on the road for five straight games. We will be prepared as we enter a new look NEC schedule and work towards a run at an NEC Championship."
The Red Flash will open its 129th season on the road at Dayton on November 4. It will be the eighth meeting against the Flyers dating back to the 1954-55 season and the first since the 2013-14 season. All six meetings happened on the road, with one meeting in New York City and the rest in Ohio.
It will be the sixth time in 13 seasons the team will open the year on the road against the Atlantic 10 after openingacampaign against Fordham (2013-14), VCU (2019-20), George Washington (2021-22), and St. Bonaventure (2016-17, 2022-23). In addition, it will be the second time under Krimmel that Saint Francis will open the season in Ohio and the first since the 2014-15 season at Cincinnati. The Frankies have also opened in the Buckeye State against Ohio (1984-85), Kent State (1985-86), and Xavier (1995-95) to mark the fifth time the team has said hi to a season in Ohio.
70th anniversary against dayton
The first time Saint Francis played Dayton was in the NIT on March 17, 1955. The Flyers won the game 79-73 in overtime, but Frankies and Naismith Hall of Famer Maurice Stokes scored a then program-record 43 points in the game. The New York Times called Stokes' performance against Dayton one of the "most dazzling" in NIT history. It was the fourth time since February 3 that Stokes registered a 40-point performance (11-game span). Despite Saint Francis finishing fourth in the NIT, Stokes was named the NIT Tournament MVP and was named to the All-NIT team by a media panel in 1997. The 2024-25 season marks the 70th anniversary of Stokes' performance against Dayton in the NIT.
The program-record five-game road trip continues with its third trip to the state of South Carolina at Clemson on November 8. It will be the team's first time in the state since facing South Carolina in 1983-84. Saint Francis will meet the Tigers for the first time in program history and face an ACC team for the 21st time in program history. Krimmel, who will face an ACC team for the 11th time in his head coaching career, has a win against the leagueafter the Frankies defeated Pittsburgh 80-70 on November 25, 2020.
The Red Flash starts its trek back to above the Mason-Dixon line at Campbell on November 10 for its second meeting against the Camels after defeating Campbell 78-76 in Loretto last season.
The first game in the Keystone State will take place on November 12 at Penn State. It will be the 14th meeting against the Nittany Lions dating back to the 1949-50 campaign and marks the first time the two teams will square off in consecutive seasons since 2002-03 and 2003-04.
The five-game road trip concludes at Mount St. Mary's on November 16, with the first non-conference meeting in Emmitsburg since 1956-57. This will be the 89th meeting in the series, dating back to the 1915-16 season, and the 11th regular-season non-conference matchup on the road in the all-time series.
DID YOU KNOW?
Krimmel's Flash will embark on its fifth road trip to start the season of three games or more, joining the 2012-13, 2017-18, 2019-20, and 2023-24 teams. The five-game road trip ties the program record for most games away from Loretto to start the season with the 1964-65 team. The Frankiesopened last season with four games on the road.
After starting the season on the road for five games, the squad will make its 2024-25 home debut on November 20 with the first-ever meeting against Penn State Schuykill. It is the second straight season the Flash will have its home opener on that date, after playing Pitt Greensburg last year on November 20.
Saint Francis returns to the road at Georgetown on November 23. This is the 14th meeting against the Hoyas since the 1921-22 season and the first since the 1994-95 campaign. It will also be the fourth meeting under Krimmel against the Big East and the 36th in program history.
hoyas don't come around here no more
Saint Francis is 0-9 against Georgetown in the nation's capital, but the Frankies hold a 4-0 record against the Hoyas in Loretto, with wins in 1951-52, 1953-54, 1973-74, and 1976-77 at home. In the last meeting between the two teams at DeGol Arena, Saint Francis defeated Georgetown 94-87 in the final regular-season game for the Flash, who finished 15-11 that season. The last two wins against Hoyas were against legendary head coach John Thompson. The 1976-77 Red Flash team was led by Saint Francis Hall of Famers Nick Leasure (16.8 ppg.) and Jack Phelan (16.0 ppg.). The game against the Hoyas was 45 days after Phelan notched a DeGol Arena record 42 points against Duquesne.
After having six of the first seven tilts on the road, Saint Francis will flip the schedule with seven of the next 10 games in Loretto. The stretch begins with the first of two three-game homestands with Lehigh (November 26), Radford (December 1), and Penn State Shenango (December 4).
It will be the 21st meeting against Lehigh dating back to the 1969-70 season, with the Frankies winningof five of the last eight meetings in the series. Last season, the Red Flash defeated the Mountain Hawks 62-61 for Krimmel's 100th career win.
flash against the patriot league
Saint Francis has won 11 of the last 18 games against the Patriot League. Lehigh has been on the schedule every year since 2007-08 except the COVID-19 2020-21 season. American, who was also not on the 2020-21 slate, is off the Red Flash's full schedule for the first time since 2000-01.
The contest against Radford will be the first between the two teams in program history. It will be just the third tilt against the Big South after facing and defeating Longwood in 2016 and 2017. The meeting against Penn State Shenango will also be the first game against that branch of Penn State.
Saint Francis returns to the road for a two-game road trip starting at Niagara on December 14. It will be the second straight season the Purple Eagles are on the schedule. They took a 14-13 lead in the all-time series after downing the Red Flash in Loretto last year. The Red Flash defeated Niagara 93-87 in the previous meeting in Niagara Universityin 2017-18.
After spending time in upstate New York, the squad returns to the DMV in Maryland on December 17. This is only the third battle against the Terrapins, dating back to the 1954-55 season, and the first since the 2015-16 season.
flash vs. power conferences
The 2024-25 season will be the first time the Red Flash will play four teams from Power 5 conferences. Under Krimmel, the Red Flash faced three teams with that distinction in 2018-19 and 2022-23. The Frankies have played 22 games against Power 5 teams under their head coach, and the Red Flash owns wins against Pittsburgh (2020-21) and Rutgers (2014-15). NOTE: There were six power conferences before the PAC-12 ended last season.
Saint Francis returns home to host Franciscan for its final non-conference home game on December 19. It is the 41st meeting against Franciscan and the seventh time the two teams have met at DeGol Arena in the last eight years.
Since Robert Morris left the Northeast Conference (NEC), the two former NEC foes have met in the final game before the Christmas holiday. That tradition will continue when Saint Francis travels to face the Colonials on December 21. It will be the 95th meeting between the two teams since the 1977-78 campaign.
The NEC is beginning a tradition with CCSU being the first team Saint Francis encounters in league play in Loretto. The Blue Devils were also the NEC opener for the Frankies in 2022-23, while last year, the two teams played the NEC home opener for Saint Francis. The Red Flash is 4-1 against the Blue Devils in the first NEC game of the year, including 3-0 in Loretto. Saint Francis will start the league slate at home for the 22nd time in program history and is 15-6 in those games at DeGol Arena.
The Red Flash will continue its second three-game homestand when Stonehill (January 5) and Mercyhurst (January 10) come to town. The Frankies are starting the league slate against CCSU and Stonehill for the second time in three years. Those two opponents were also the first contests of the league slate in 2022-23 when the Flash advanced to the NEC Semifinals.
Mercyhurst is one of two new teams in the league in 2024-25. Saint Francis is 4-0 against the Lakers after taking four straight games between 1982-86 against the Erie program, with three of the four tilts in Loretto.
good history with three-straight home games to open league play
The 2024-25 season will be the third time Saint Francis has started the league slate in program history with three straight NEC home games. The Red Flash played in the national postseason in the previous two occasions. In 1990-91, Saint Francis won the regular season and its only NEC Tournament title and played in its only NCAA Tournament. In 2018-19, the Frankies won the regular season for the second time and played in the NIT. NOTE: Saint Francis also had three consecutive NEC games to start league play but played one game in December and two in January, with four non-conference games in between. That team made the NEC Tournament with a 10-8 record.
Over nine days, Saint Francis will play three games in the New Jersey-New York metropolitan area. The Red Flash will complete its weekend after playing Mercyhurst with a trip to FDU on January 12. The following weekend, the squad will travel to New York to face LIU (January 18) and Wagner (January 20) for its annual Martin Luther King Day contest.
LIU (January 24) and Wagner (January 26) will then come to Loretto the following weekend to wrap upthe season series in a week. The Frankies then hit the road to finishthe season series with Mercyhurst on January 30.
Saint Francis will complete a stretch of three of four and six of the first 10 at home when Le Moyne comes to DeGol Arena on February 6.
The Red Flash will then embark on a four-game road trip over the next 13 days, with games in Illinois, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and upstate New York. Chicago State is the second new team in the league this season, and Saint Francis will make its first visit to play the Cougars on February 8. It will be the fifth time the Frankies will play in Illinois, including three games in the city of Chicago at Illinois Chicago looking for their first win in the state.
The road trip continues at Stonehill (February 13) and CCSU (February 15) before wrapping up the away games at Le Moyne (February 20).This four-game road trip in league play marks the 10th time the Loretto program will play four straight conference games on the road and the third time in the last four years, joining the 1988-89, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1998-99, 1999-00, 2004-05, 2006-07, 2021-22 and 2022-23teams.
Saint Francis wraps up the regular season with two games at home against FDU (February 22) and Chicago State (March 1). It is the third straight season, the fourth time in the last five years, and the seventh time in Krimmel's tenure as a head coach the team will finish the season at home.
The Loretto program will open and close the conference schedule at home for the eighth time in program history and the first time since the 2022-23 campaign.
The NEC Tournament is March 5, 8, and 11, and the Top 8 teams advance to the league postseason.
2024-25SAINT FRANCIS NON-CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN BY CONFERENCE
Atlantic 10
Game #1: November 4 at Dayton
Saint Francis vs. Atlantic-10:7-44 (Dayton [0-1], Duquesne [2-22], Fordham [0-1], George Washington [1-3], La Salle [0-3], Penn State [2-0], Pittsburgh [0-5], Richmond [0-1], St. Bonaventure [1-5], Saint Joseph's [1-0], VCU [0-1], Villanova [0-1], West Virginia [0-1])
Last Meeting vs. Atlantic-10:Saint Bonaventure 71, Saint Francis 58 (November 7, 2022)
Last Win vs. Atlantic-10:Saint Francis 79, Saint Joseph's 63 (November 30, 2019)
Krimmel vs. Atlantic-10:2-9
Krimmel wins vs. Atlantic-10:
December 17, 2014 - Saint Francis 67, Duquesne 52
November 30, 2019 - Saint Francis 79, Saint Joseph's 63
Saint Francis vs. Dayton
Series Record:Dayton leads 6-1
Series Record in Dayton:Dayton leads 5-1
Krimmel vs. Dayton:0-1
Current Streak:Lost 4
First Meeting:Dayton 79, Saint Francis 73 (March 17, 1955)
Last Meeting:Dayton 70, Saint Francis 56 (November 13, 2013)
Last Saint Francis Win:Saint Francis 56, Dayton 53 (January 31, 1958)
Atlantic Coast Conference
Game #2: November 8 at Clemson
Saint Francis vs. ACC:1-19 (Duke [0-1], Florida State [0-1], Georgia Tech [0-1], Louisville [0-1], Maryland [0-1], Miami [0-1], North Carolina [0-2], NC State [0-1], Notre Dame [0-1], Pittsburgh [1-0], Virginia [0-1], Virginia Tech [0-2], Wake Forest [0-5]
Last Meeting vs. ACC:#25 Miami 91, Saint Francis 76 (December 17, 2022)
Last Win vs. ACC:Saint Francis 80, Pittsburgh 70 (November 25, 2020)
Krimmel vs. ACC:1-9
Krimmel wins vs. ACC:
November 25, 2020 – Saint Francis 80, Pittsburgh 70
Saint Francis vs. Clemson
Series Record:First Meeting 11-8-24
Coastal Athletic Association
Game #3: November 10 at Campbell
Saint Francis vs. CAA:3-8 (Campbell [1-0], Delaware [0-2], Drexel [0-4], George Mason [1-1], VCU [0-1], William & Mary [1-0])
Last Meeting vs. CAA:Saint Francis 78, Campbell 76 (December 30, 2023)
Last Win vs. CAA:Saint Francis 78, Campbell 76 (December 30, 2023)
Krimmel vs. CAA:2-3
Krimmel wins vs. CAA:
December 22, 2019 – Saint Francis 78, William & Mary 72
December 30, 2023 – Saint Francis 78, Campbell 76
Saint Francis vs. Campbell
Series Record:Saint Francis leads 1-0
Series Record in Buies Creek:First Meeting 11-10-24
Krimmel vs. Campbell:1-0
Current Streak:Won 1
First Meeting:Saint Francis 78, Campbell 76 (December 30, 2023)
Last Meeting:Saint Francis 78, Campbell 76 (December 30, 2023)
Last Campbell Win:NA
Big 10
Game #4: November 12 at Penn State; Game #12: December 17 at Maryland
Saint Francis vs. Big 10:2-13 (Illinois [0-1], Indiana [0-1], Iowa [0-1], Maryland [0-1], Michigan [1-0*], Minnesota [0-1], Penn State [0-6], Ohio State [0-2], Rutgers [1-0])
* in 1995-96 against Michigan, the Wolverines used an ineligible player and Saint Francis was credited with the win
Last Meeting vs. Big 10:Penn State 83, Saint Francis 63 (November 14, 2023)
Last Win vs. Big 10:Saint Francis 73, Rutgers 68 (December 20, 2014)
Krimmel vs. Big 10:1-6
Krimmel wins vs. Big 10:
December 20, 2014 – Saint Francis 73, Rutgers 68
Saint Francis vs. Penn State
Series Record:Penn State leads 10-3
Series Record in State College:Penn State leads 9-1
Krimmel vs. Penn State:0-2
Current Streak:Lost 6
First Meeting:Saint Francis 67, Penn State 62 (1949-50)
Last Meeting:Penn State 83, Saint Francis 53 (November 14, 2023)
Last Saint Francis Win:Saint Francis 66, Penn State 63 (December 13, 1978)
Saint Francis vs. Maryland
Series Record:Maryland leads 2-0
Series Record in College Park:Maryland leads 2-0
Krimmel vs. Maryland:0-1
Current Streak:Lost 2
First Meeting:Maryland 69, Saint Francis 56 (December 30, 1955)
Last Meeting:Maryland 96, Saint Francis 55 (December 4, 2015)
Last Saint Francis Win:NA
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Game #5: November 16 at Mount St. Mary's; Game #11: December 14 at Niagara
Saint Francis vs. MAAC:8-18 (Army [1-1], Canisius [2-2], Iona [0-4], Loyola [1-1], Mount St. Mary's [0-1], Niagara [3-5], Saint Peter's [1-4])
Last Meeting vs. MAAC:Mount St. Mary's 72, Saint Francis 65 (December 15, 2023)
Last Win vs. MAAC:Saint Francis 79, Niagara 73 (November 30, 2018)
Current Streak vs. MAAC:Lost 3
Krimmel vs. MAAC:2-4
Krimmel wins vs. MAAC:
December 10, 2017 – Saint Francis 93, Niagara 87
November 30, 2018 – Saint Francis 79, Niagara 73
Saint Francis vs. Mount St. Mary's
Series Record:Mount leads 54-34
Series Record in Emmitsburg:Mount leads 33-12
Krimmel vs. Mount:6-16
Current Streak:Lost 5
First Meeting:Saint Francis 17, Mount 15 (1915-16)
Last Meeting:Mount 72, Saint Francis 65 (December 18, 2023)
Last Saint Francis Win:Saint Francis 75, Mount 62 (February 27, 2020)
Saint Francis vs. Niagara
Series Record:Niagara leads 14-13
Series Record inNiagara University:Niagara leads 6-5
Krimmel vs. Niagara:2-2
Current Streak:Lost 1
First Meeting:Niagara 30, Saint Francis 27 (1921-22)
Last Meeting:Niagara 69, Saint Francis 61 (November 25, 2023)
Last Saint Francis Win:Saint Francis 79, Niagara 73 (November 30, 2018)
Big East
Game #7: November 23 at Georgetown
Saint Francis vs. Big East:0-35 (Butler [0-1], Cincinnati [0-1], UConn [0-1], Georgetown [0-3], Marquette [0-1], Notre Dame [0-3], Miami [0-1], Pittsburgh [0-19], Syracuse [0-1]. Villanova [0-4])
Last Meeting vs. Big East:Butler 95, Saint Francis 67 (November 17, 2022)
Last Win vs. Big East:NA
Current Streak vs. Big East:Lost 35
Krimmel vs. Big East:0-3
Saint Francis vs. Georgetown
Series Record:Georgetown leads 9-4
Series Record in DC:Georgetown leads 7-0
Krimmel vs. Georgetown:0-0
Current Streak:Lost 4
First Meeting:Georgetown 48, Saint Francis 10 (1921-22)
Last Meeting:Georgetown 88, Saint Francis 55 (December 18, 1995)
Last Saint Francis Win:Saint Francis 94, Georgetown 87 (February 28, 1977)
Patriot League
Game #8: November 26 Lehigh
Saint Francis vs. Patriot League:29-41 (American [10-12], Bucknell [11-11], Colgate [2-3], Lafayette [0-4], Lehigh [5-11], Navy [2-0])
Last Meeting vs. Patriot League:Saint Francis 75, American 73 (December 2, 2023)
Last Win vs. Patriot League:Saint Francis 75, American 73 (December 2, 2023)
Current Streak vs. Patriot League:Won 2
Krimmel vs. Patriot League:11-15
Krimmel wins vs. Patriot League:
November 21, 2015 – Saint Francis 68, American 48
December 2, 2015 – Saint Francis 84, Lehigh 73
November 26, 2016 – Saint Francis 69, American 62
November 29, 2017 – Saint Francis 100, American 89
December 21, 2017 – Saint Francis 84, Lehigh 70
November 16, 2019 – Saint Francis 79, American 76
December 4, 2019 – Saint Francis 77, Lehigh 69
November 28, 2021 – Saint Francis 79, Lehigh 68
December 1, 2021 – Saint Francis 93, Bucknell 67
November 29, 2023 – Saint Francis 62, Lehigh 61
December 2, 2023 – Saint Francis 75, American 73
Big South
Game #9: December 1 Radford
Saint Francis vs. Big South:3-3 (Liberty [1-1], Longwood [2-0], UNC Greensboro [0-2])
Last Meeting vs. Big South:Saint Francis 83, Longwood 56(November 18, 2017)
Last Win vs. Big South:Saint Francis 83, Longwood 56(November 18, 2017)
Current Streak vs. Big South:Won 2
Krimmel vs. Big South:2-0
Krimmel wins vs. Big South:
November 23, 2016 – Saint Francis 87, Longwood 72
November 18, 2017 – Saint Francis 83, Longwood 56
Saint Francis vs. Radford
Series Record:First Meeting 12-1-24
Horizon League
Game #14: December 21 at Robert Morris
Saint Francis vs. Horizon League:5-10 (Duquesne [0-1], Robert Morris [0-3], Xavier [1-0], Youngstown State [4-6])
Last Meeting vs. Horizon League:Robert Morris 75, Saint Francis 73 (December 20, 2023)
Last Win vs. Horizon League:Saint Francis 66, Youngstown State 65(November 29, 2008)
Current Streak vs. Horizon League:Lost 7
Krimmel vs. Horizon League:0-5
Saint Francis vs. Robert Morris
Series Record:Robert Morris leads 54-38
Series Record in Moon Township:Robert Morris leads 25-17
Krimmel vs. Robert Morris:10-11
Current Streak:Lost 5
First Meeting:Saint Francis 84, Robert Morris 65 (February 11, 1977)
Last Meeting:Robert Morris 75, Saint Francis 73 (December 21, 2023)
Last Saint Francis Win:Saint Francis 86, Robert Morris 71 (February 18, 2020)
Non-Division I Opponents
Game #6:November 20 Penn State Schuykill; Game #10: December 4 Penn State Shenango; Game #13: December 19 Franciscan
Saint Francis vs. non-Division I under head coachRob Krimmel:
Bethany [1-0], Bloomsburg [1-0], Chatham [1-0], Franciscan [6-0], Keystone [1-0], Pitt Greensburg [1-0], Saint Vincent [1-0]), Westminster [1-0]
Saint Francis vs. Penn State Schuykill
Series Record:First Meeting 11-20-24
Saint Francis vs. Penn State Shenango
Series Record:First Meeting 12-4-24
Saint Francis vs. Franciscan
Series Record:Saint Francis leads 31-9
Series Record in Loretto:Saint Francis leads 19-3
Krimmel vs. Franciscan:6-0
Current Streak:Won 17
First Meeting:Saint Francis 71, Franciscan 36 (January 31, 1948)
Last Meeting:Saint Francis 107, Franciscan 54 (November 22, 2023)
Last Franciscan Win:Franciscan 64, Saint Francis 48 (January 21, 1967)
