Joey Motroni
The Merrimack Warriors men’s basketball team is just days away from tipping off its 2025-26 season. The Warriors will look just a little bit different on the floor to start the year. The Warriors had two of their mainstays from last season’s starting five transfer out of the program in star guard Budd Clark, who is now playing at Seton Hall, and big man Bryan Etumnu has taken his talents to Wright State. Head Coach Joe Gallo and his staff supplemented these departures by bringing in five transfers of their own, who will look to make an immediate impact and show they can contribute to a successful season for Joe Gallo’s group. The Warriors finished last season with an overall record of 18-15, with a 14-6 conference record, earning the No. 2 seed in the MAAC conference tournament, where they would be defeated by eventual conference champion Mount St. Mary’s in their semi-final matchup.
Now, let’s take a look at some of the notable matchups at the conference and non-conference level for the Warriors this season.
Non-Conference Games
Monday, Nov. 3, 2025: @ South Dakota State
This will be the first-ever meeting between the Warriors and Jackrabbits. This game will be a part of a six-game, all-day event on the first day of the 2025-26 college basketball season called The Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon.
Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025: @ Auburn University
The Auburn Tigers are the first of two SEC Basketball powerhouse teams that Merrimack will go up against in the first month of the season. Despite some NCAA Tournament struggles, Auburn has been a stellar regular-season team in recent years, boasting four consecutive 20+ win seasons. This will be Auburn’s first season under Steven Pearl, son of former Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl, after Bruce announced his retirement ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Friday, Nov. 21, 2025: @ University of Florida
The second leg of the SEC gauntlet for the Warriors is against the defending national champion Florida Gators. Last season, Florida finished the regular season with the best overall record in the SEC at 36-4, but had the No. 2 seed in the SEC tournament with a 14-4 conference record. The Gators would go on to win the SEC Tournament, earning themselves a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they would win their third national championship and their first since winning back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007. Florida had three players from its championship roster selected in the 2025 NBA Draft: Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin, and Will Richard.
Conference Games
Dec. 29, 2025 & Feb. 1, 2026: Sacred Heart University
Both of the regular-season matchups between the Warriors and the Sacred Heart University Pioneers were absolute thrillers. The two teams split the two regular-season matchups, with the winning narrowly escaping with 1-point victories. Merrimack would play Sacred Heart again in the opening round of the MAAC Tournament, coming away with a 66-62 OT victory. Budd Clark had 23 and 18 points, respectively, in the two games against Sacred Heart, so this year the Warriors will have to look for someone else to lead the offense, with Clark transferring to Seton Hall.
Jan. 2, 2026 & Feb. 5, 2026: Mount St. Mary’s
Merrimack would only play Mount St. Mary’s once in the regular season last year, losing that game 66-58 at home in North Andover. Mount St. Mary’s would get the last laugh, once again eliminating the Warriors in the semi-final of the MAAC conference tournament en route to punching their ticket to the NCAA tournament. The Warriors will have two chances this upcoming season to avenge those losses.
Jan. 17, 2026 & Feb. 15, 2026: Quinnipiac University
Quinnipiac is another conference opponent that Merrimack split with last year. The Warriors were just one win away from overtaking the Bobcats for the No. 1 seed in the conference. Quinnipiac took the first contest last season by an 81-76 final score, despite stellar shooting from Matt Becht, who has since graduated, and another 20-point game from Budd Clark. Merrimack would end its regular season with a 73-63 win over Quinnipiac on Merrimack’s home floor.
Head coach Joe Gallo and the Warriors will look to build on their success from last season. This year will be their second full season in the MAAC, and after a semi-final appearance a season ago, the Warriors will hope to continue making noise in the conference tournament with the ultimate goal of punching their ticket to their first Division I NCAA tournament in program history.
