BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Under second-year head coach Jeremy Luther, the Gardner-Webb men's basketball team is set to open the 2025-26 season at Minnesota on Monday, November 3.

The Nov. 3 game marks the second time the Runnin' Bulldogs and Golden Gophers have met with Gardner-Webb taking a 73-72 win on Nov. 28, 2005. In that contest, GWU's TJ McCullough scored a layup and the free throw with 3.2 seconds remaining to secure the win.

Gardner-Webb enters its second year under head coach Jeremy Luther. In his first campaign with the Runnin' Bulldogs, Gardner-Webb went 11-20 last season and finished 5-11 in Big South play. The Runnin' Bulldogs were voted to finish eighth in the 2025-26 Big South preseason poll. 

Gardner-Webb welcomes 11 newcomers to its roster as they join five returners from last year's squad. The Runnin' Bulldogs lost their top six scorers from last year's team. Jacob Hudson saw action in 27 games, while Colin Hawkins saw action in 20. Bolstering their roster are Ace Talbert, who played at St. Francis last season, and Curtis Williams III, who was at Northwest Florida State. DJ Jefferson played at Longwood and Tennessee, and also has local ties, having played at Minnesota Prep.

Following the opener against Minnesota, Gardner-Webb competes at Clemson on Nov. 7 and opens the home season hosting North Greenville on Nov. 10. 

Monday's contest is set to tip at 7 p.m. inside Williams Arena while live stats and video can be found on the men's basketball schedule page at www.gwusports.com.