Saint John’s University revealed its 2026‑27 men’s basketball slate on August 27, a schedule that blends a demanding out‑of‑state road swing with a compact home stretch and a four‑year experiment in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC).
The non‑conference portion features nine opponents who combined for a 152‑93 record in the previous season, with four of those teams earning berths in the NCAA Division III Tournament. Eight of the nine games will take the Johnnies beyond Minnesota’s borders, while a single home contest against Buena Vista (Iowa) is slated for December 9.
The early portion of the road trip begins with a two‑game series at Wisconsin‑Superior, where the hosts include a matchup against Wisconsin‑La Crosse, the WIAC playoff champion and Sweet 16 participant. The Johnnies will also travel to face Western Connecticut State and Hartford in early November before returning to Collegeville for a three‑game homestand that includes contests against Hamline, St. Olaf and Buena Vista.
Mid‑season action sees the team venture back to Wisconsin to meet Wisconsin‑Stevens Point and Trine (Ind.), the 2023‑24 Division III national champion, before concluding the regular season with neutral‑site games in Naples, Florida against Transylvania (Ky.) and Olivet (Mich.). Both opponents captured conference tournament titles and NCAA tournament appearances in the previous year.
Conference play kicks off in January with a slate of games against Saint Mary’s, Carleton and Bethel, after which the Johnnies will alternate between home and away fixtures against the rest of the MIAC. The regular season wraps up with road games at Augsburg, Hamline and Bethel, setting the stage for the MIAC playoffs.
The MIAC playoffs, scheduled for late February, will determine the conference’s automatic NCAA Division III tournament berth. SJU, which finished second in the league with an 11‑5 record a year ago, is expected to retain roughly 98 percent of its scoring output, underscoring the team’s continuity and optimism.