# 2019–20 Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2019–20 Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Gardner–Webb University in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Runnin' Bulldogs, led by seventh-year head coach Tim Craft, played their home games at the Paul Porter Arena in Boiling Springs, North Carolina as members of the Big South Conference. They finished the season 16–16, 11–7 in Big South play to finish in third place. They defeated UNC Asheville in the quarterfinals of the Big South tournament before losing in the semifinals to Winthrop.

## Previous season

The Runnin' Bulldogs finished the 2018–19 season 23–12 overall, 10–6 in Big South play to finish in a tie for second place. In the Big South tournament, they defeated High Point in the first round, upset top-seeded Campbell in the quarterfinals, to advance to the championship game, where they faced Radford, ultimately winning the game, marking Gardner–Webb's first ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament in school history. They received the Big South's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, where they were defeated in the first round by Virginia.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season ||||||
| November 5, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Furman | L 63–70 | 0–1 | Paul Porter Arena (2,475) Boiling Springs, NC |
| November 9, 2019* 12:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Western Carolina | L 59–71 | 0–2 | Ramsey Center (1,735) Cullowhee, NC |
| November 15, 2019* 9:00 pm, ACCN | | at No. 6 North Carolina | L 61–77 | 0–3 | Dean Smith Center (20,374) Chapel Hill, NC |
| November 19, 2019* 8:00 pm | | at Wichita State Cancún Challenge campus game | L 52–74 | 0–4 | Charles Koch Arena (10,004) Wichita, KS |
| November 22, 2019* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | | at South Carolina Cancún Challenge campus game | L 69–74 | 0–5 | Colonial Life Arena (10,022) Columbia, SC |
| November 26, 2019* 12:30 pm | | vs. UT Martin Cancún Challenge Mayan Division semifinals | W 81–64 | 1–5 | Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Convention Center (253) Cancún, Mexico |
| November 27, 2019* 3:00 pm | | vs. Northern Colorado Cancún Challenge Mayan Division | W 67–62 | 2–5 | Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Convention Center (107) Cancún, Mexico |
| December 3, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Coker | W 73–59 | 3–5 | Paul Porter Arena (970) Boiling Springs, NC |
| December 7, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Wofford | L 77–81 | 3–6 | Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium (1,389) Spartanburg, SC |
| December 13, 2019* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Kennesaw State | L 61–85 | 3–7 | KSU Convocation Center (953) Kennesaw, GA |
| December 15, 2019* 1:30 pm, ACCN Extra | | at Virginia Tech | L 46–73 | 3–8 | Cassell Coliseum (9,275) Blacksburg, VA |
| December 19, 2019* 11:00 am, ESPN+ | | Bob Jones | W 94–70 | 4–8 | Paul Porter Arena (2,049) Boiling Springs, NC |
| Big South Conference regular season ||||||
| January 2, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Campbell | W 67–65 | 5–8 (1–0) | Gore Arena (1,371) Buies Creek, NC |
| January 4, 2020 3:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Presbyterian | L 62–68 | 5–9 (1–1) | Paul Porter Arena (1,253) Boiling Springs, NC |
| January 8, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Radford | L 64–67 | 5–10 (1–2) | Paul Porter Arena (1,459) Boiling Springs, NC |
| January 11, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Winthrop | L 95–99 $^{3OT}$ | 5–11 (1–3) | Winthrop Coliseum (2,321) Rock Hill, SC |
| January 18, 2020 4:30 pm, ESPN+ | | USC Upstate | W 83–67 | 6–11 (2–3) | Paul Porter Arena (1,257) Boiling Springs, NC |
| January 20, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Hampton Suspended at Halftime due to shot clock malfunction. Makeup date 2/24/20 | Suspended 39–31 Halftime | Suspended 39–31 Halftime | Paul Porter Arena Boiling Springs, NC |
| January 23, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at High Point | W 79–76 $^{OT}$ | 7–11 (3–3) | Millis Center (1,094) High Point, NC |
| January 25, 2020 4:30 pm, ESPN+ | | Charleston Southern | L 83–92 $^{2OT}$ | 7–12 (3–4) | Paul Porter Arena (1,432) Boiling Springs, NC |
| January 30, 2020 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at UNC Asheville | W 70–56 | 8–12 (4–4) | Kimmel Arena (1,232) Asheville, NC |
| February 1, 2020 4:30 pm, ESPN+ | | Longwood | L 81–84 $^{OT}$ | 8–13 (4–5) | Paul Porter Arena (1,251) Boiling Springs, NC |
| February 6, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Presbyterian | L 61–65 | 8–14 (4–6) | Templeton Physical Education Center (279) Clinton, SC |
| February 8, 2020 4:30 pm, ESPN+ | | at USC Upstate | W 88–57 | 9–14 (5–6) | G. B. Hodge Center (815) Spartanburg, SC |
| February 10, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | High Point | W 86–55 | 10–14 (6–6) | Paul Porter Arena (1,150) Boiling Springs, NC |
| February 13, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | Winthrop | W 74–70 | 11–14 (7–6) | Paul Porter Arena (2,351) Boiling Springs, NC |
| February 20, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Hampton | L 77–87 | 11–15 (7–7) | Hampton Convocation Center (2,551) Hampton, VA |
| February 22, 2020 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Campbell | W 73–61 | 12–15 (8–7) | Paul Porter Arena (1,121) Boiling Springs, NC |
| February 24, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Hampton Resuming suspended game from 1/20/20 | W 81–67 | 13–15 (9–7) | Paul Porter Arena (988) Boiling Springs, NC |
| February 27, 2020 7:30 pm | | at Charleston Southern | W 83–74 | 14–15 (10–7) | CSU Field House (732) North Charleston, SC |
| February 29, 2020 4:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Radford | W 70–62 | 15–15 (11–7) | Dedmon Center (2,245) Radford, VA |
| Big South tournament ||||||
| March 5, 2020 2:00 pm, ESPN3 | (3) | vs. (6) UNC Asheville Quarterfinals | W 72–62 | 16–15 | Dedmon Center (1,052) Radford, VA |
| March 6, 2020 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | (3) | vs. (2) Winthrop Semifinals | L 66-78 | 16-16 | Dedmon Center Radford, VA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. ||||||
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