SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The St. Bonaventure men's basketball team has added another marquee date to its 2023-24 non-conference schedule as the Bonnies will face Florida Atlantic in the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic Saturday, Dec. 16. The Bonnies and Owls will square off at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass.

Fresh off a remarkable run to the Final Four last year, Florida Atlantic finished last season with a 35-4 record and will move from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference this year.

"The Bonnies are excited to take part in the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic next season in Springfield," St. Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt said. "FAU had a terrific season and we anticipate them being really good again next year with everyone coming back. To play a Final Four team on a neutral court, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. These are the types of games that we want to play every season."

"We are excited to play in such a prestigious event against a storied program like St. Bonaventure," FAU head coach Dusty May added.

St. Bonaventure and Florida Atlantic have some recent history: the Bonnies won at FAU to capture the Boca Beach Classic Hall of Fame championship in 2019. That is the only prior meeting between the two programs.

Bona's game vs. FAU will be part of a doubleheader in Springfield that Saturday as fellow Atlantic 10 member UMass will take on West Virginia in the other contest.

The Basketball Hall of Fame Classic is one event in the Hall of Fame's series of collegiate events, which continues to grow in an effort to celebrate the game outside the museum walls.

Tickets for the 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame Classic will go on sale Friday, June 2, via massmutualcenter.com and the MassMutual Center Box Office. Game times and television broadcast details will be released at a later date. 

The Bonnies have played in several high-profile non-conference games hosted by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in recent seasons: last year, the Bonnies battled Iona in the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational at Barclays Center. The Hall of Fame also invited the Bonnies to play vs. Virginia Tech in Charlotte (2021), Rutgers in Toronto (2019) and the Boca Beach Classic where the Bonnies won on FAU's home court following a first round victory over San Diego.

SBU will continue its trend of playing in multiple marquee invitational events in the coming season. Along with the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, the Bonnies will also play in the 2023 Legends Classic presented by Old Trapper in the Barclays Center Nov. 16-17, joining a field including Auburn, Notre Dame and Oklahoma State.

For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, please visit hoophall.com.

About MassMutual Center

MassMutual Center is managed by the entertainment and hospitality industry leader, MGM Springfield, and owned by the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. MassMutual Center is Western Massachusetts' most diverse function space with over 100,000 sq. ft. of meeting space including a 40,000 sq. ft. flexible exhibit hall, five fully-functional meeting rooms, a 15,000 sq. ft. ballroom, and an 8,000-seat arena. The facility is the proud home to the AHL Springfield Thunderbirds and American International College D1 Men's Hockey team, in addition to hosting family shows, concerts, meetings, social and corporate functions, sporting events and more.

About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game's elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit hoophall.com, follow @hoophallU #BHOFClassic or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.

------
For the latest news on St. Bonaventure athletics, stay connected on social media. Follow the Bonnies on Twitter @GoBonnies and get men's basketball updates @BonniesMBB. Keep up with the Bonnies on Facebook /GoBonnies and on Instagram @GoBonnies.