SAN ANTONIO (SEPT. 30, 2024) – The 16th season for men's basketball at Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) begins on Oct. 25 against Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Texas. The team will play 30 games, including 24 Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) matchups. 

This season marks the beginning of a new era for the Saints, with Marcus Thompson stepping into the role of head coach and BJ Alzaid joining as the full-time assistant coach. Both bring a wealth of experience and a fresh perspective to the team. 

The Saints compete in the RRAC along with Huston-Tillotson University (HTU), Jarvis Christian University (JCU), Louisiana Christian University (LCU), LSU-Alexandria (LSUA), LSU-Shreveport (LSUS), North American University (NAU), Paul Quinn College, Texas A&M University-San Antonio (AM-SA), Texas A&M University – Texarkana (TAMUT), Texas College (TC), the University of the Southwest (USW) and Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA). NAU is not eligible for the postseason, but games against the team will count as conference games. 

2023-2024 Season Overview 

The Saints performed well in the 2023-2024 campaign, finishing with the most wins since 2017. They ended the season with a 14-15 record overall and 11-11 in conference, securing a fifth-place finish and reaching the quarterfinals in the postseason tournament. 

Preseason schedule (information in parenthesis is overall record against team) 

The Saints began their preseason at home with the annual alumni game on Sept. 22. The event was a great time to reconnect with alumni from the Saints' first season in 2009 through 2024. The current Saints topped the alumni 86-81 in a friendly yet fast-paced game against alumni. 

The Saints will travel to Plainview, Texas, to open their season against Wayland Baptist University (6-3) on Oct. 25. They'll return home to host Southern University at New Orleans (1-0) on Oct. 29. 

They'll begin November  the Southeastern Classic in Lakeland, Fla., from Nov. 8 to 9. The men will play Ave Maria University on Nov. 8 and Southeastern University (0-1) on the ninth. 

The Saints kick off their conference schedule on Nov. 14 in New Orleans against XULA (0-5). They'll continue their Louisiana trip with a game against LCU (2-3) on Nov. 16. The men will return home to host TAMUT (2-7) on Nov. 21 and JCU (20-7) on Nov. 23. 

On Nov. 26, the men travel to Tyler for a game against TC (18-10), followed by a nonconference game against Lamar University (0-1) in Beaumont, Texas, on Nov. 30. The Saints move on to December with a game against NAU (4-1) in Stafford, Texas, on Dec. 4. The Knights are part of the RRAC, but they are not yet eligible for the postseason. The Saints will follow with a game in Austin, Texas, against HTU (22-6) on Dec. 7.

OLLU returns home on Dec. 12 to host A&M-SA. The Jaguars are playing in their first season in basketball with former OLLU men's basketball head coach Chris Dial at the helm.  On Dec. 15, the Saints will play a nonconference game against the University of the Incarnate Word (1-6) on Dec. 15 in San Antonio, and then host LSUS (11-19) on Dec. 29 and LSUA (4-14) on Dec. 21. 

The Saints welcome the new year with a game in Hobbs, N.M., against the USW (20-10) on Jan. 2. They'll continue in Dallas with a game against PQC (23-5) on Jan. 4. 

OLLU returns for two home games against LCU on Jan. 9 and XULA on Jan. 11. The Saints will then head to Hawkins, Texas, for a match against JCU on Jan. 16 and to Texarkana, Texas, for a game against TAMUT on Jan. 18. 

The Saints will next host TC on Jan. 25, NAU on Jan. 28, and HTU on Feb. 1. They will travel to South San Antonio for a game against A&M-SA on Feb. 8. 

On Feb. 13, the Saints will travel to LSUA in Alexandria, La., followed by a game against LSUS in Shreveport, La., on Feb. 15. They will return home for their final two regular-season games on Feb. 20 against PQC and on Feb. 22 against USW. 

RRAC tournament 

The conference will prepare for the 2025 postseason, which will be held from Feb. 27 to March 1 at the Rapides Parish Coliseum in Alexandria, La. 

NAIA tournament 

The opening rounds of the NAIA Men's Basketball Championships will take place at campus sites March 14-15. The NAIA 87th Annual Men's Basketball National Championship will be held at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo., from March 20-25. 

Plans for home matches

The Saints will broadcast home matches on the OLLU Saints Network and feature live stats with links available on the men's basketball schedule page. 

The general admission charge for all home games is $10; free admission is available for OLLU faculty, staff and students. To inquire about joining the OLLU Halo Club and receiving free admission, go here.