Basketball Sneak Preview Event Set for Oct. 19

SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State fans will get their first glimpse of the 2024-25 Bears and Lady Bears basketball teams on Homecoming morning when the teams host a sneak preview event, beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Great Southern Bank Arena.
 
The free event is open to the public and will feature an open practice with the Bears at 10 a.m., followed by a Lady Bears intrasquad scrimmage at 10:30 a.m.
 
Due to street closures associated with the homecoming parade, fans are encouraged to enter campus from the west (Kimbrough to Madison, Bear Blvd. or Harrison) to access parking for the basketball event.
 
Head coach Beth Cunningham and the Lady Bears are coming off a 23-10 season that saw MSU earn a bid into the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament, marking the program’s seventh consecutive 20-win season and ninth straight postseason appearance. Missouri State returns six players from a season ago, including MVC Newcomer of the Year and All-MVC Second Team member Lacy Stokes, while adding a group of eight newcomers that is comprised of six transfers and two freshmen.
 
Bears’ head coach Cuonzo Martin returned to the Missouri State program in March and boasts a remarkable coaching resume that includes 264 career wins in 14 seasons at the Division I level. His coaching tenure features nine postseason appearances in that span, including four trips to the NCAA Tournament, four appearances in the NIT (including one in his first tenure with the Bears in 2011), and a CIT title in his first run with MoState in 2010. The MSU roster features 15 newcomers with five incoming freshmen joining a cast of three junior college transfers and seven transfers from four-year programs.
 
Season ticket information is also available at MissouriStateBears.com or by calling (417) 836-8899. Single-game ticket sale dates will be announced at a later time.