Conference USA announced the 2026‑27 men’s basketball schedule on July 9, laying out an 18‑game conference slate for its ten member schools.
Among the schools, Missouri State enters its second year in the league, a program that has already shown marked progress under head coach Cuonzo Martin.
The Bears will face each conference opponent twice, once at home and once on the road, a format that promises a dense and competitive schedule.
The season opens with a home‑and‑home series against Sam Houston, with the first meeting slated for December 31 in Huntsville, Texas, before the team travels to face the same opponent later in the month.
Missouri State’s first home game in conference play arrives on January 7, when it hosts both Delaware and Liberty in back‑to‑back contests that mark the program’s inaugural meetings with those teams.
January will be a busy month for the Bears, featuring an eight‑game stretch that includes road trips to FIU, Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee, as well as a showdown at New Mexico State on January 2.
February sees the Bears embark on a seven‑game run, beginning with visits to Liberty and Delaware before a series of home games that culminate in the regular‑season finale against New Mexico State and Sam Houston.
The Conference USA Tournament is set for March 9‑13 in Huntsville, Texas, where the Bears hope to build on their run to the semifinals a year ago, a run that included an upset of top‑seeded Liberty in the quarterfinals.
That upset, coupled with a seven‑win improvement in the 2025‑26 season, underscores the upward trajectory of the program under Martin, who now returns two key backcourt players — Trey Williams Jr. and Melakih Cunningham — for his third year at the helm.
Key Matchups to Watch
Fans will be particularly eager to see how the Bears handle the early test against Sam Houston and whether the home‑court advantage can translate into wins against traditional powers such as Western Kentucky and Liberty.