The Lindenwood Lions will open the new men’s basketball season on November 4, with a game against No. 10 Texas Tech. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
The Ohio Valley Conference released its preseason men’s basketball poll for the upcoming 2025-26 season on Tuesday, and in it Lindenwood University was picked to finish fifth.
Lindenwood didn’t receive any first-place votes, but did finish with 100 total points, tied with Morehead State.
Little Rock, formerly known as Arkansas-Little Rock, received 12 first-place votes and 188 total points to finish first. Southeast Missouri State came in second, with six first-place votes and 177 points.
SIU-Edwardsville received one first-place vote and 163 points to come in third, followed by Tennessee State, which also got one vote and 135 total points to finish fourth. Tennessee Tech was seventh, Tennessee-Martin eighth, and Southern Indiana received the other two first-place votes and was picked ninth.
Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois rounded out the poll at 10th and 11th, respectively.
The OVC will once again include 11 teams, with each team playing every other team twice to comprise a 20-game conference schedule.
Lindenwood senior guard Anias Futrell was named in the OVC Preseason Player to Watch list. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
The Lions went 16-17 last season, which included an 11-3 record at Hyland Arena.
Lindenwood will begin its season on the road, on November 4, with a game against NCAA preseason No. 10 Texas Tech.
The Lions’ home opener will be a two days later, on November 6, against the University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy. That contest will tip off at 6 p.m.
Image courtesy: Ohio Valley Conference
2025-26 LINDENWOOD LIONS MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 29, 2025 (Wednesday) | 7:00 p.m. | Home | Southern Illinois (exhibition game) | Hyland Arena | |
| November 4, 2025 (Tuesday) | 7 p.m. | Away | #10 Texas Tech University | Lubbock, TX | |
| November 6, 2025 (Thursday) | 6:00 p.m. | Home | University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy | Hyland Arena |  |
| November 10, 2025 (Monday) | 7:00 p.m. | Away | Saint Louis University | St. Louis, MO | |
| November 14, 2025 (Friday) | 5:30 p.m. | Neutral | Charleston Southern | Huntsville, AL | |
| November 16, 2025 (Sunday) | 3:00 p.m. | Away | Alabama A&M | Huntsville, AL | |
| November 20, 2025 (Thursday) | 5:00 p.m. | Away | Indiana | Bloomington, IN |  |
| November 24, 2025 (Monday) | 6:00 p.m. | Home | Kansas City | Hyland Arena | |
| December 2, 2025 (Tuesday) | 7:00 p.m. | Away | Northern Illinois | DeKalb, IL | |
| December 6, 2025 (Saturday) | 7:00 p.m. | Away | Eastern Illinois | Charleston, IL | |
| December 9, 2025 (Tuesday) | 6:00 p.m. | Home | Culver-Stockton | Hyland Arena | |
| December 18, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Western Illinois | Hyland Arena | |
| December 20, 2025 (Saturday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | Harris-Stowe | Hyland Arena | |
| December 23, 2025 (Tuesday) | 2:00 p.m. | Away | Missouri State | Springfield, MO | |
| January 1, 2026 (Thursday) | 3:30 p.m. | Home | Morehead State | Hyland Arena | |
| January 3, 2026 (Saturday) | 3:30 p.m. | Home | Southern Indiana | Hyland Arena | |
| January 6, 2026 (Tuesday) | 7:30 p.m. | Away | SIU-Edwardsville | Edwardsville, IL | |
| January 10, 2026 (Saturday) | 3:30 p.m. | Home | Little Rock | Hyland Arena | |
| January 15, 2026 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Away | Southeast Missouri State | Cape Girardeau, MO | |
| January 17, 2026 (Saturday) | 3:30 p.m. | Away | Tennessee-Martin | Martin, TN | |
| January 22, 2026 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Tennessee Tech | Hyland Arena | |
| January 24, 2026 (Saturday) | 3:30 p.m. | Home | Tennessee State | Hyland Arena | |
| January 29, 2026 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Away | Southern Indiana | Evansville, IN | |
| January 31, 2026 (Saturday) | 2:30 p.m. | Away | Morehead State | Morehead, KY | |
| February 3, 2026 (Tuesday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | SIU-Edwardsville | Hyland Arena | |
| February 5, 2026 (Thursday) | 7:00 p.m. | Away | Little Rock | Little Rock, AR | |
| February 12, 2026 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Tennessee-Martin | Hyland Arena | |
| February 14, 2026 (Saturday) | 3:30 p.m. | Home | Southeast Missouri State | Hyland Arena | |
| February 19, 2026 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Away | Tennessee State | Nashville, TN | |
| February 21, 2026 (Saturday) | 3:00 p.m. | Away | Tennessee Tech | Cookeville, TN | |
| February 26, 2026 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Eastern Illinois | Hyland Arena | |
| February 28, 2026 (Saturday) | 3:30 p.m. | Away | Western Illinois | Macomb, IL | |
| March 4-7, 2026 | TBD | Away | Ohio Valley Conference Championships | Evansville, IN |