View Complete 2024-25 Schedule
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (August 20, 2024) – Lumberjack hoops has set their goals on a Big Sky Championship in the 2024-25 season highlighted by 16 opportunities for Flagstaff to come out and watch its home team compete. Season tickets are now available to purchase
here. All home games prior to Dec. 30 with be held in Rolle Activity Center, from Dec. 30 on, fans can join NAU basketball at Findlay Toyota Court.
The last time NAU Men's Basketball played 16 contests in front of their home crowd was 2019-20 when the Jacks went 11-5 in Flagstaff, also marking the first season under head coach
Shane Burcar.
"Playing in Flagstaff is something we are proud to do every single chance we get, this community is important to NAU Basketball," head coach
Shane Burcar said.
Lumberjack fans will get an early opportunity to watch NAU Basketball in action as Oct. 21 will hold an exhibition between the Jacks and Justice College. The game will be held in Rolle Activity Center at 6 p.m. MST and is free for the public to attend. Fans can look forward to four newcomers, including three transfers in
Monty Bowser (Cal),
Dillan Baker (Pima), and
Leigh Rickwood-Pitt (East Arizona), set to hit the court alongside freshmen
Tyler Hutton.
Nov. 4 will officially kick start the 2024-25 campaign in Flagstaff as NAU hosts Park University-Gilbert in what will be NAU's first season opener at home since 2018 as the Lumberjacks would grab a 97-82 victory over Jacksonville. NAU will host back-to-back home games while Nelson University will head up the mountain on Nov. 8 for a Friday night tipoff. Nelson University was previously known as SAGU prior to the 2024-25 athletic seasons.
NAU's first battle on the road will be a big one as NAU heads to Palo Alto for a Nov. 12 matchup with the Stanford Cardinal. Dec. 17, 2008 marked the first and last time the Lumberjacks met with Stanford on the basketball court, as the Cardinal took a nine-point victory in California. Picking up one more contest on the road, NAU will head to Pacific, looking to extend the series to an undefeated 5-0 record, to take on the Tigers. NAU is coming off a 20-point victory over Pacific in Flagstaff during the 2023-24 slate.
The Lumberjacks return home for a Nov. 19 contest against Embry-Riddle before a Nov. 22 matchup with Incarnate Word. UIW marked one of three-consecutive buzzer-beater performances for NAU in the 2023-24 slate as
Trent McLaughlin sunk a contested three-pointer to lift the Jacks to a 76-75 victory. November play will wrap up on the road for the Lumberjacks as NAU will face back-to-back first-time opponents in Eastern Michigan with a neutral-site match in Houston, Texas, and Houston Christian on Nov. 26 and Nov. 27, respectively.
The Jacks will take on a new pair of opponents in the second season of the Big Sky-Summit League Challenge while taking on Oral Roberts on Dec. 4 in Oklahoma and bouncing right back to host South Dakota in Flagstaff on Dec. 7. Oral Roberts grabbed an 82-76 victory over Montana State before falling to Weber State by a five-point deficit in last year's challenge. South Dakota dropped both Big Sky-Summit Challenge matchups in the 2023-24 campaign, falling to Eastern Washington and Montana in back-to-back double-digit deficits.
Closing out non-conference road play, NAU basketball has sights set on snapping a three-game losing skid to Pepperdine on Dec. 14, with the last matchup coming in 2023 as NAU fell 88-69. NAU will then head to take on former Big Sky opponent, Southern Utah, on Dec. 21 ahead of the holiday break. The Thunderbirds suffered a two-point loss in Flagstaff last season as
Jayden Jackson grabbed the Jacks first win over SUU since 2020 with a buzzer-beating put-back.
Breaking in Findlay Toyota Court in the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome will feature NAU's final non-conference matchup with Benedictine Mesa on Dec. 30. The Lumberjacks league campaign to the Big Sky Championship will officially start with conference play on Jan. 2 for a matchup with the Idaho State Bengals before hosting the Weber State Wildcats on Jan. 4.
NAU's first conference road trip will take the Lumberjacks to Montana on Jan. 9 and Jan. 11 as NAU will face the Griz and Bobcats, respectively. Prior to the four-game road stint, the Jacks will host Sacramento State on Jan. 16, looking for a repeat of NAU's nine-point victory in Flagstaff last season. Portland State will face NAU in Flagstaff on Jan. 18, coming off a 19-point loss to the Lumberjacks on Jan. 18 of 2024.
The Jacks begin a four-game road streak at Eastern Washington on Jan. 23, stretching through Feb. 3 where NAU will face Weber State in Ogden. NAU will host Montana State on Feb. 6, and Montana on Feb. 8 before taking on Portland State and Sacramento State on the road on Feb. 15 and Feb. 20, respectively.
The last three opponents NAU is set to host in the regular season have suffered an upset loss to the Jacks in Flagstaff in the previous three seasons. Idaho is up first with a Feb. 20 matchup, followed by Eastern Washington on Feb. 22, and Northern Colorado on March 1. The Idaho and EWU matchups will feature NAU's alternate identity, The Astrojacks.
NAU will close out the regular season at Idaho State, a newfound rival of the Lumberjacks, as the pair went to double overtime in last season's Pocatello matchup where Northern Arizona earned the 92-88 advantage.
The 2025 Big Sky Basketball Tournament will be held March 8-12 in Boise, Idaho and hosted by Idaho Central Arena. To stay up to date with NAU Basketball, follow the Jacks on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
