2025–26 Mercyhurst Lakers men's basketball team
| 2025–26 Mercyhurst Lakers men's basketball | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Northeast Conference |
| Record | 5–8 (0–0 NEC) |
| Head coach |
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| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | Owen McCormick Court |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Connecticut | 0 | – | 0 | – | 6 | – | 5 | .545 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LIU | 0 | – | 0 | – | 6 | – | 6 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wagner | 0 | – | 0 | – | 5 | – | 6 | .455 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Le Moyne * | 0 | – | 0 | – | 5 | – | 7 | .417 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Haven ** | 0 | – | 0 | – | 5 | – | 7 | .417 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mercyhurst * | 0 | – | 0 | – | 5 | – | 8 | .385 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fairleigh Dickinson | 0 | – | 0 | – | 3 | – | 9 | .250 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stonehill | 0 | – | 0 | – | 3 | – | 10 | .231 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chicago State | 0 | – | 0 | – | 2 | – | 11 | .154 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Francis | 0 | – | 0 | – | 2 | – | 11 | .154 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2026 NEC tournament winner * ineligible for the 2026 NCAA tournament due to transition from Division II ** ineligible for both the 2026 NEC tournament and the 2026 NCAA tournament due to transition from Division II As of December 22, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2025–26 Mercyhurst Lakers men's basketball team represents Mercyhurst University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Lakers, led by 24th-year head coach Gary Manchel, play their home games on Owen McCormick Court in the Mercyhurst Athletic Center in Erie, Pennsylvania as second-year members of the Northeast Conference.
Previous season
The Lakers finished the 2024–25 season 15–16, 9–7 in NEC play, in third place.[1] Due to their transition from Division II to Division I, the Lakers are ineligible to participate in the NEC tournament.[2]
Preseason
On October 27, 2025, the NEC released their preseason coaches poll. Mercyhurst was picked to finish fourth in the conference.[3]
Preseason rankings
| Place | Team | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LIU* | ||
| 2 | Central Connecticut | ||
| 3 | Stonehill | ||
| 4 | Mercyhurst | ||
| 5 | Fairleigh Dickinson | ||
| 6 | Chicago State | ||
| 7 | Saint Francis | ||
| 8 | Wagner | ||
| 9 | Le Moyne | ||
| 10 | New Haven | ||
| (*) Unanimous selection | |||
Source:[3]
Preseason All-NEC Team
| Player | Position | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Bernie Blunt III | Guard | Graduate Student |
Source:[4]
Roster
| 2025–26 Mercyhurst Lakers men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Schedule and results
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-conference regular season | |||||||||||
| November 3, 2025* 8:00 pm, B1G+ |
at Northwestern | L 47–70 | 0–1 |
Welsh–Ryan Arena (4,607) Evanston, IL | |||||||
| November 6, 2025* 9:00 pm, ESPN+ |
at Loyola Chicago | W 73–65 | 1–1 |
Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,016) Chicago, IL | |||||||
| November 8, 2025* 3:00 pm, NECFR |
Penn State New Kensington | W 93–43 | 2–1 |
Owen McCormick Court (118) Erie, PA | |||||||
| November 12, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ |
at Canisius | L 55–58 | 2–2 |
Koessler Athletic Center (815) Buffalo, NY | |||||||
| November 15, 2025* 4:00 pm, NECFR |
Morgan State | W 86–72 | 3–2 |
Owen McCormick Court (372) Erie, PA | |||||||
| November 20, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ |
at Miami (OH) Marshall MTE |
L 71–76 | 3–3 |
Millett Hall (1,633) Oxford, OH | |||||||
| November 23, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ |
at Marshall Marshall MTE |
L 60–69 | 3–4 |
Cam Henderson Center (3,433) Huntington, WV | |||||||
| November 30, 2025* 3:00 pm, ESPN+ |
at West Virginia | L 38–70 | 3–5 |
Hope Coliseum (10,319) Morgantown, WV | |||||||
| December 5, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ |
at Lafayette | L 71–79 | 3–6 |
Kirby Sports Center (1,144) Easton, PA | |||||||
| December 7, 2025* 2:00 pm, NECFR |
Bethany (WV) | W 80–51 | 4–6 |
Owen McCormick Court (321) Erie, PA | |||||||
| December 13, 2025* 2:00 pm, ESPN+ |
at Davidson | L 47–80 | 4–7 |
John M. Belk Arena (2,130) Davidson, NC | |||||||
| December 17, 2025* 7:00 pm, ACCNX |
at Syracuse | L 62−76 | 4−8 |
JMA Wireless Dome (12,258) Syracuse, NY | |||||||
| December 20, 2025* 2:00 pm, NECFR |
Binghamton | W 82−61 | 5−8 |
Owen McCormick Court (182) Erie, PA | |||||||
| NEC regular season | |||||||||||
| January 2, 2026 7:30 pm, NECFR |
Fairleigh Dickinson | Owen McCormick Court Erie, PA | |||||||||
| January 4, 2026 2:00 pm, NECFR |
Le Moyne | Owen McCormick Court Erie, PA | |||||||||
| January 8, 2026 7:00 pm, NECFR |
at LIU | Steinberg Wellness Center Brooklyn, NY | |||||||||
| January 10, 2026 1:00 pm, NECFR |
at Wagner | Spiro Sports Center Staten Island, NY | |||||||||
| January 17, 2026 2:00 pm, NECFR |
Stonehill | Owen McCormick Court Erie, PA | |||||||||
| January 19, 2026 2:00 pm, NECFR |
Central Connecticut | Owen McCormick Court Erie, PA | |||||||||
| January 23, 2026 11:30 am, NECFR |
at New Haven | Hazell Center West Haven, CT | |||||||||
| January 25, 2026 2:00 pm, NECFR |
Chicago State | Owen McCormick Court Erie, PA | |||||||||
| January 29, 2026 7:00 pm, NECFR |
New Haven | Owen McCormick Court Erie, PA | |||||||||
| January 31, 2026 2:00 pm, NECFR |
at Chicago State | Jones Convocation Center Chicago, IL | |||||||||
| February 5, 2026 7:00 pm, NECFR |
Saint Francis | Owen McCormick Court Erie, PA | |||||||||
| February 7, 2026 3:30 pm, NECFR |
at Fairleigh Dickinson | Bogota Savings Bank Center Hackensack, NJ | |||||||||
| February 12, 2026 7:00 pm, NECFR |
at Le Moyne | Ted Grant Court DeWitt, NY | |||||||||
| February 14, 2026 2:00 pm, NECFR |
at Saint Francis | DeGol Arena Loretto, PA | |||||||||
| February 19, 2026 7:00 pm, NECFR |
Wagner | Owen McCormick Court Erie, PA | |||||||||
| February 21, 2026 2:00 pm, NECFR |
LIU | Owen McCormick Court Erie, PA | |||||||||
| February 26, 2026 7:00 pm, NECFR |
at Central Connecticut | William H. Detrick Gymnasium New Britain, CT | |||||||||
| February 28, 2026 2:00 pm, NECFR |
at Stonehill | Merkert Gymnasium Easton, MA | |||||||||
References
- ^ "2025 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Field Set". NEC. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ "Mercyhurst University ascends to Division I, joins Northeast Conference". Mid-Major Madness. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ a b "Shark Hunt Begins: LIU Unanimously Named 2025-26 NEC Preseason Men's Basketball Favorite". NEC. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ "LIU All-Star Duo Highlights 2025-26 Preseason All-NEC Men's Basketball Team". NEC. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ "2025-26 Men's Basketball Schedule". Mercyhurst University Athletics. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ "Mercyhurst Lakers 2025-26 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved November 16, 2025.