Men's Basketball 8/11/2026 9:45:00 AM

2026-27 Men's Basketball Schedule Announced

Runnin' Rebels could face as many as eight teams that played in the postseason last year a combined 12 times during the regular season, including four NCAA Tournament teams.

LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV Athletics has announced its full 2026-27 men's basketball schedule, featuring 15 non-conference regular-season games and an 18-game Mountain West slate.

Home games will be played at the Thomas & Mack Center, with additional Las Vegas-area contests scheduled at Michelob ULTRA Arena on the World Famous Las Vegas Strip and Lee's Family Forum in Henderson.

The Runnin' Rebels could face as many as eight teams that played in the postseason last season, a combined 12 times during the regular season, including four teams that played in the NCAA Tournament. The schedule also includes multiple programs that finished near the top of their respective conferences in 2025-26.

"We have put together a very challenging schedule with a lot of quality teams, and that's exactly what we want for our program," head coach Josh Pastner said. "Our non-conference slate will test us in a number of different ways and prepare us for the new-look Mountain West that we know will be extremely competitive. Having 20 opportunities to play at home, including our exhibition games, is also extremely important for our program. We want the Thomas & Mack Center to be a place where our fans create a tremendous home-court advantage, and we're excited to play so many games in front of them this season."

UNLV will play three home exhibition games against Big 12 opponents Utah (Oct. 7) and BYU (Oct. 24), as well as Missouri out of the Southeastern Conference (Oct. 29), before opening the regular season.

The regular season begins on Tuesday, Nov. 3, against Northern Arizona at the Thomas & Mack Center. The opening homestand also includes Samford on Saturday, Nov. 7, and Stanford on Friday, Nov. 13. Samford tied for second in the Southern Conference last season. Stanford comes to Las Vegas for a return game after UNLV won on the road last year; the Cardinal finished 20-13 and participated in the College Basketball Crown.

UNLV then heads to the Players Era Eight at Michelob ULTRA Arena, opening Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 6:30 p.m. against Kansas. The Jayhawks finished 24-11 last season, tied for third in the Big 12 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. UNLV's next-round opponent will either be West Virginia or Auburn. West Virginia finished 21-14 and won the College Basketball Crown, while Auburn went 22-16 and captured the NIT championship. The Runnin' Rebels' final game of the event will be against Houston, Rutgers, Florida or Notre Dame. Houston went 30-7 and reached the NCAA Sweet 16, while Florida won the SEC regular-season title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament's second round; Rutgers also competed in the College Basketball Crown.

Following Players Era, UNLV returns to the Thomas & Mack Center to face Eastern Washington on Monday, Nov. 23, and UTRGV on Saturday, Nov. 28. Eastern Washington finished third in the Big Sky last season, while UTRGV placed third in the Southland.

December begins with consecutive road games at San Francisco on Wednesday, Dec. 2, and at San Diego State on Saturday, Dec. 5. The Aztecs, former MW members now competing in the Pac-12, finished 22-11 overall and second in the MW last season with a 14-6 league record.

The Runnin' Rebels will face Washington State in the Jack Jones Classic at Lee's Family Forum in Henderson on Saturday, Dec. 12, before meeting SMU in the Hall of Fame Phoenix on Saturday, Dec. 19. Washington State competed in the West Coast Conference last season and is now back in the Pac-12, while SMU went 20-14 and earned a NCAA Tournament First Four berth as a member of the ACC.

UNLV closes December with home games against Cal Poly on Tuesday, Dec. 22, and Westminster University on Tuesday, Dec. 29, then hosts North Dakota in its non-conference finale on Saturday, Jan. 2. North Dakota finished third in the Summit League last season.

The 2026-27 season marks the beginning of a new-look MW. The league's men's basketball membership includes Air Force, Grand Canyon, Hawai'i, New Mexico, San Jose State, UC Davis, UNLV, UNR, UTEP and Wyoming. UNLV will play a home-and-home series against each of its nine conference opponents for an 18-game league schedule.

MW play for UNLV begins on the road at Grand Canyon on Tuesday, Jan. 5, following a league bye on Jan. 2. Among the conference opponents, Grand Canyon went 20-12 last season, New Mexico finished 26-11 and reached the NIT semifinals, Hawai'i won the Big West Tournament and played in the NCAA Tournament, and Wyoming and UNR both advanced to the NIT, with the Wolf Pack reaching the third round.

The MW schedule listed below is the conference's base schedule. CBS Sports Network, FOX Sports and The CW have not completed their game selections, and several conference dates may shift for television. Game times and broadcast assignments will be announced after network selections are finalized.

MW+: Fans have a new way to follow the Runnin' Rebels through MW+, the Mountain West's direct-to-consumer digital subscription platform. Many UNLV men's basketball games not selected for national linear television are expected to be available on the service, along with live events across MW sports, on-demand replays, original programming and exclusive content. A majority of each subscription purchased through UNLV's dedicated MW+ page directly supports UNLV Athletics. Fans may subscribe by clicking here.

ROSTER NOTES: UNLV's 2026-27 roster includes 10 newcomers and two returning players.

Tyrin Jones and Issac Williamson are back after playing as freshmen in 2025-26. Jones earned Mountain West All-Defensive Team and honorable mention All-MW recognition after averaging 11.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and leading the league with 2.2 blocks per contest. Williamson averaged 8.6 points per game.

The newcomers are Terrance Ford Jr., Jeremy Foumena, Tyler Harris, Jackson Kiss, Moustapha Loum, Sebastian Mack, Cam Miles, Kota Suttle, MJ Thomas and Dontrez Williams.

PASTNER ENTERING SECOND SEASON: The 2026-27 campaign will be Pastner's second as head coach of the Runnin' Rebels. He led UNLV to the postseason in his first season, advancing to the second round of the NIT.

2026-27 SEASON TICKETS: Season tickets are on sale now, starting at just $115. To purchase or for additional information, visit UNLVtickets.com or call (702) 739-FANS (3267).

2026-27 UNLV MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

NON-CONFERENCE
Wed., Oct. 7 - Utah (Exhibition, Thomas & Mack Center)
Sat., Oct. 24 - BYU (Exhibition, Thomas & Mack Center)
Thurs., Oct. 29 - Missouri (Exhibition, Thomas & Mack Center)
Tues., Nov. 3 - Northern Arizona (Thomas & Mack Center)
Sat., Nov. 7 - Samford (Thomas & Mack Center)
Fri., Nov. 13 - Stanford (Thomas & Mack Center)
Tues., Nov. 17 - vs. Kansas (Players Era Eight - Michelob ULTRA Arena - 6:30 p.m.)
Wed., Nov. 18 - vs. West Virginia/Auburn (Players Era Eight - Michelob ULTRA Arena)
Thurs., Nov. 19 - vs. Houston/Rutgers/Florida/Notre Dame (Players Era Eight - Michelob ULTRA Arena)
Mon., Nov. 23 - Eastern Washington (Thomas & Mack Center)
Sat., Nov. 28 - UTRGV (Thomas & Mack Center)
Wed., Dec. 2 - at San Francisco (San Francisco, Calif.)
Sat., Dec. 5 - at San Diego State (San Diego, Calif.)
Sat., Dec. 12 - vs. Washington State (Jack Jones Classic - Lee's Family Forum, Henderson)
Sat., Dec. 19 - vs. SMU (Hall of Fame Phoenix - Phoenix, Ariz.)
Tues., Dec. 22 - Cal Poly (Thomas & Mack Center)
Tues., Dec. 29 - Westminster University (Thomas & Mack Center)
Sat., Jan. 2 - North Dakota (Thomas & Mack Center / MW bye)

MOUNTAIN WEST
Tues., Jan. 5 - at Grand Canyon
Sat., Jan. 9 - at San Jose State
Tues., Jan. 12 - New Mexico (Thomas & Mack Center)
Sat., Jan. 16 - UTEP (Thomas & Mack Center)
Tues., Jan. 19 - at UC Davis
Sat., Jan. 23 - Hawai'i (Thomas & Mack Center)
Tues., Jan. 26 - at Wyoming
Sat., Jan. 30 - UNR (Thomas & Mack Center)
Tues., Feb. 2 - at Air Force
Sat., Feb. 6 - San Jose State (Thomas & Mack Center)
Tues., Feb. 9 - Wyoming (Thomas & Mack Center)
Sat., Feb. 13 - at New Mexico
Tues., Feb. 16 - at UTEP
Sat., Feb. 20 - Grand Canyon (Thomas & Mack Center)
Tues., Feb. 23 - Air Force (Thomas & Mack Center)
Sat., Feb. 27 - at UNR
Tues., Mar. 2 - UC Davis (Thomas & Mack Center)
Sat., Mar. 6 - at Hawai'i

Note: Mountain West dates are subject to change for television selections. Times and broadcast information will be announced at a later date.

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Players Mentioned

#12 Issac Williamson: G; 6' 0"; Freshman

#6 Tyrin Jones: F; 6' 9"; Freshman

#0 Dontrez Williams: G; 6' 5"; Junior

#1 Jeremy Foumena: C; 6' 11"; Redshirt Senior

#2 Cam Miles: G; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#3 Terrance Ford Jr.: G; 6' 1"; Redshirt Junior

#8 Tyler Harris: F; 6' 7"; Senior

#9 Jackson Kiss: F; 6' 8"; Freshman

#10 MJ Thomas: F; 6' 8"; Junior

#24 Sebastian Mack: G; 6' 3"; Senior

#34 Moustapha Loum: F; 6' 10"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#12 Issac Williamson
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: G

#6 Tyrin Jones
: 6' 9"; Freshman
: F

#0 Dontrez Williams
: 6' 5"; Junior
: G

#1 Jeremy Foumena
: 6' 11"; Redshirt Senior
: C

#2 Cam Miles
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: G

#3 Terrance Ford Jr.
: 6' 1"; Redshirt Junior
: G

#8 Tyler Harris
: 6' 7"; Senior
: F

#9 Jackson Kiss
: 6' 8"; Freshman
: F

#10 MJ Thomas
: 6' 8"; Junior
: F

#24 Sebastian Mack
: 6' 3"; Senior
: G

#34 Moustapha Loum
: 6' 10"; Junior
: F