Reigning CACC Champion Men’s Basketball Opens New Season at Home Friday Night

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – With hoops seasons beginning all across the country, the defending CACC champion University of Bridgeport men's basketball team will begin its 2025-26 campaign this weekend with a pair of home matchups inside the newly updated Harvey Hubbell Gymnasium. The Purple Knights will host Franklin Pierce on Friday at 7 p.m. before taking on Southern Connecticut State on Sunday at 5 p.m.

THE OPENERS
For the second straight season, Harvey Hubbell Gymnasium will be the site of four men's basketball games to start the year. UB will host a pair of NE10 foes in Franklin Pierce and SCSU. Bridgeport defeated the Ravens twice last year in a home-and-home series while UB and SCSU will meet for the first time since 2023.

FPU's head coach is Mike Ruane, who won more than 400 career games as UB's head coach for 22 seasons. He led the Purple Knights to a remarkable 11 NCAA Tournaments during his Bridgeport tenure.

Fellow CACC member, Post, will also be playing Franklin Pierce and SCSU at UB this weekend. The full schedule is below:

Friday, Nov. 14
Post vs. Southern Connecticut State – 5 PM
Bridgeport vs. Franklin Pierce – 7 PM
Sunday, Nov. 16
Post vs. Franklin Pierce – 1 PM
UB Men's Basketball Alumni Game – 3 PM
Bridgeport vs. Southern Connecticut State – 5 PM

UB'S CACC SCHEDULE
Following three non-conference contests to start the year, UB will begin its CACC slate at home against Wilmington on Nov. 25. The Purple Knights will play all their conference foes twice (home and away) for a total of 20 CACC games.

Amongst the notable in-conference contests will be the two matchups between UB and Post, the two teams that met in last year's conference championship game in Philadelphia. UB will host the Eagles on Dec. 3 before returning the trip on Jan. 28.

Bridgeport's tilts against Dominican will also serve as highlights since the two teams met three times last season, including in the conference semifinals. UB's away encounter against the Chargers will be on Jan. 14 while the home matchup will take place on Feb. 17.

UB'S NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
After Franklin Pierce and SCSU, the Purple Knights will play four more games against NE10 squads this season. UB will make visits to Bentley (Nov. 30) and SNHU (Dec. 9) while playing host to Saint Anselm (Dec. 16) and Pace (Dec. 20).

An away game against Bloomfield (Nov. 19) and a home contest versus Queens (Dec. 31) will also serve as non-conference battles for UB.

LAST YEAR - A SEASON TO REMEMBER

NCAA DANCING
The Purple Knights earned a spot in the 2025 NCAA East Regional thanks to a 67-57 win over Post in the CACC Championship game. UB's triumph signified its first ever CACC title and the program's first conference championship since 2015 (which came as part of the ECC).

UB's sensational campaign a year ago, which featured a 19-13 overall record, ultimately ended with a loss at top-ranked and undefeated Daemen in the NCAA First Round.

THE CACC TOURNAMENT RUN
Bridgeport's journey to the CACC championship will be remembered for a long time at UB. The Purple Knights defeated a trio of higher-seeded teams, including wins over top-seeded Dominican (91-78) and second-seeded Post on back-to-back days in Philadelphia.

Additionally, UB's victories over the Chargers and Eagles featured a bit of revenge as both teams beat the Purple Knights twice during the regular season. Bridgeport's run also saw them tally an 85-81 win at Chestnut Hill in the quarterfinals.

MORE ABOUT LAST SEASON
Aliou Cisse, who is now at Merrimack, served a massive role in UB's success. He was named the CACC's Player of the Year and the CACC Tournament MVP. Cisse averaged 19.5 points per game while shooting over 53% from the floor.

UB utilized a lightning-fast offense last year that averaged 85.1 points per game which was the 22^nd highest output in the country. Additionally, the Purple Knights led the CACC in rebounds per game (44.2), offensive rebounds per game (16.0) and rebounding margin (+5.1).  

WHO'S BACK?
The Purple Knights return a total of 12 players from last year's championship squad. Seven of those returners played in UB's win over Post in the conference final last March, including Malikai Delgado and Jason Edokpayi who each scored double figures in that game.

Delgado was rewarded with being named to the CACC's All-Tournament Team. Edokpayi, meanwhile, served as UB's leader in both rebounding (6.5 rpg) and blocks (1.2 bpg) last year while also averaging 9.5 points per game.

Jayson Handy, Gabe Charleston, Gabriel Franklin, and Jaden Palmer are also back for UB after appearing in at least 30 games last year.  

WHO'S NEW?
Bridgeport adds a total of 10 players to the fold for 2025-26. The newest Purple Knights are composed of three freshmen, two sophomores, four juniors and a senior.

In terms of geography, UB's new crop of student-athletes are all extremely local. Four are in-state products, while three come from New York, two from Massachusetts and one from New Jersey.  

One newcomer, Shedrach Makanjuola, is a familiar addition for UB as he played against the Purple Knights last year as a member of Mercy University. He averaged 10.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game for the Mavericks during the 2024-25 campaign

PRESEASON COACHES POLL
The Purple Knights were picked fourth in the CACC's preseason coaches poll which was released on Oct. 21. With the league no longer divided into the North and South Divisions, Dominican was chosen as the conference favorites. UB was selected last in their division last year before ultimately winning the league.

COACH KRUNCH
Krunch Senadhi is back for his fourth season as UB's head men's basketball coach in 2025-26. He pushed all the right buttons a year ago as he returned the Purple Knights to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2020. During Krunch's three-year tenure, UB has improved its win total each season.

Prior to taking the helm, Coach Krunch learned from one of UB's all-time great coaches, Mike Ruane. As an assistant coach and then associate head coach under Ruane (2011-2020), Krunch helped UB squads to four NCAA Tournament selections and 203 total wins during his time on staff.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING (Quotes)

Kranthi "Krunch" Senadhi – UB Men's Basketball Head Coach, 4th Year

"We are excited and invested in taking the next steps as a program in our fourth season. Last year's CACC Championship and NCAA appearance has helped us gain priceless experience and assisted us in attaining valuable players and coaches in our new journey. 

We are built on empowering quality young men who understand the importance of hard work and accountability. Our program is embracing UB's rich tradition of excellence on the court, in the classroom and in the community. We are hoping to make everyone proud again!"

Jayson Handy – Team Captain

"Last year's championship run was something that we will never forget but that's in the past now. We have been dialed in and have been building great chemistry with our new additions who have been great for us thus far. We know when we are all on the same page and firing on all cylinders, we can be one of the best teams in the region. We're excited for the year to come to show what we have built thus far and do exactly what we did last year and even more."

Malikai Delgado – Team Captain

"Last year's success laid a strong foundation for everything we're building now. We came into this season with high hopes, big goals, and the drive to achieve even more. I couldn't be more excited for our team to showcase who we are and what we've worked for. While we lost some incredible players, we've gained new talent, energy, and heart. This group is hungry, focused, and ready to rise. One shot at a time, one play at a time, one game at a time. Let's make it count. #WildDogs #BK2BK"

FOLLOW ALONG
For all information regarding Bridgeport Athletics, visit www.UBKnights.com and follow UB Athletics on Facebook (UBPurpleKnights), X (@UBPurpleKnights) and Instagram (@UBPurpleKnights).