MILLIGAN, Tenn. – The Milligan University men's basketball program, led by head coach Bill Robinson, announced their 2025-26 season schedule on Thursday.

Click HERE to view the full Milligan men's basketball slate for the upcoming campaign.

The Buffaloes' season gets going on Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. at Life University (Ga.) as Milligan plays the Running Eagles in Marietta, Ga. The following day, Oct. 25, the Buffs head to Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville to face the Grizzlies at 7:30 p.m..

On Nov. 1, Milligan takes a trip out to Winston-Salem, N.C. to play the Carolina University Bruins at 4 p.m. in another non-conference road battle.

A big-ticket NCAA Division I exhibition opponent for the Buffs in 2025-26 is Middle Tennessee State, as the Buffs go toe-to-toe with the Blue Raiders at 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT on Nov. 5.
The final pre-conference contest is a second meeting with the Running Eagles of Life, this time inside Steve Lacy Fieldhouse for the Buffaloes' first home battle of the season on Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m.

"Our schedule is LOADED," declared head coach Bill Robinson, "especially early in the year. We start our season at Life University and Georgia Gwinnett. Life advanced all the way to the Sweet 16 in 2024-25 and will be great again this year. GGC is a new program, but Coach Chase Teichman was 28-5 in his last season at Florida College and has had an entire year to build his program. They are going to be really good.  Then, we play a Carolina University team on the road that also advanced to the NAIA National Tournament last season. We will get the opportunity to play Life at home after the exhibition at MTSU before we start conference play.  It's important that we play a tough non-conference schedule to help with our overall power ranking."

For Milligan, the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) slate begins with a road tilt at the Reinhardt University (Ga.) Eagles. The Nov. 15 matchup will tip off at 4 p.m. That contest is followed by a pair of home games against the Bluefield University (Va.) Rams (Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m.) and the Union Commonwealth University (Ky.) Bulldogs (Nov. 22, 4 p.m.).

In the month of December, the Buffs hit the road to Knoxville, Tenn. for a Dec. 3 contest at the Johnson University Royals at 7:30 p.m. Columbia International University (S.C.) comes to Steve Lacy Fieldhouse on Dec. 6 at 4 p.m. to face Milligan, before two more road bouts for the Buffs at University of Pikeville (Ky.) (Dec. 10, 7:30 p.m.) and Montreat College (N.C.) (Dec. 13, 4 p.m.).

Three more games take place in the final month of 2025, as Milligan will head to the Christmas at the Wooden tournament on the Athletes in Action campus in Xenia, Ohio. The Buffaloes will face off with the Taylor University (Ind.) Trojans at 5 p.m. on Dec. 16. The Buffaloes will then play either St. Thomas University (Fla.) or St. Francis College (Ill.) on Dec. 17, based upon previous contest results. After the event concludes, the Buffs will have 13 days off before Dec. 30, when they play the University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) Patriots in Williamsburg.

"The AAC is going to be super competitive again in 2025-26," Robinson continued. "It's hard to start the year so early, especially with a long road trip to Reinhardt, but this is the third straight season our first conference game has been away so our guys should be used to it. I am excited about playing in the Athletes in Action tournament over Christmas break. I went on an AIA tour in the summer of 1990 to the Philippines, so I have a great love for Athletes in Action and all that they stand for.  After Christmas we get the opportunity to go back to the University of the Cumberlands where our season ended last year. Again, it's great to play great non-conference opponents to help us prepare for the conference slate."

Milligan starts the new year with a non-conference contest at home against Carolina on Jan. 3 at 4 p.m. It is their second meeting of the season.

The Buffs head to Union Commonwealth on Jan. 7 at 7:30 p.m. for their first AAC tilt of 2026. Next up is another game away from home against the Bryan College (Tenn.) Lions at 4 p.m. on Jan. 10. Returning home on Jan. 14 at 7:30 p.m. for a bout with the Truett McConnell University (Ga.) Bears, Milligan follows that up with a road battle at the Columbia College (S.C.) Koalas on Jan. 17 at 4 p.m. Four straight home games close out the month, with Pikeville (Jan. 21, 7:30 p.m.), Reinhardt (Jan. 24, 4 p.m.), Montreat (Jan. 28, 7:30 p.m.) and non-conference Georgia Gwinnett (Jan. 31, 4 p.m.) on the docket.

"Our second semester starts with a home game against Carolina," Robinson said. "I like to play a non-conference game or two to get ready for the long conference schedule. Once classes start, we only have one non-AAC school, as Georgia Gwinnett will return the game we went to Atlanta for earlier. Four straight home games will certainly help at the end of January."

Five more contests take place in February, as a road trip to Bluefield starts the string on Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m. The Tennessee Wesleyan University Bulldogs come to Milligan on Feb. 7 at 4 p.m. Then, on Feb. 11, the first ever AAC meeting between the Buffs and the Spartanburg Methodist College (S.C.) Pioneers get started at 7:30 p.m. in Spartanburg. Feb. 14 marks the second battle between Milligan and Johnson, this time inside Steve Lacy. The regular-season finale on Feb. 21 is on the road at Columbia International at 4 p.m.

The Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Men's Basketball Tournament will begin on Feb. 25 and conclude on Feb. 28. The tourney will be played at the MeadowView Marriott Resort and Convention Center in Kingsport, Tenn. Play-in games will be played for the No. 7-No. 10 seeds on Feb. 25 to decide the final eight squads. Then, Quarterfinals will be played on Feb. 26, Semifinals on Feb. 27 and the tournament final on Feb. 28.

"The league should be super competitive again this season," concluded Robinson. "UPIKE, Johnson, CIU and Montreat all have talented teams and will compete for the top spot. I expect Union and Columbia to be much better this year, too. It's an exciting time of year as everyone gets back on the court!"