Missouri Valley
Tracking the 2025-26 Missouri Valley Conference non-conference schedules.
Conference Play Overview: The MVC is back to playing a double-round robin format to determine a true regular-season champion. With the league dipping to 11 teams, each squad will face the other 10 squads twice. This will be the league's fourth straight season with a 20-game format.
An early window of conference play between December 13th and 21st will challenge the league members with a road game and a home game.
Non-Conference Push: The MVC instituted a league-wide policy to play at least four Q1/Q2 opponents in non-conference play starting with the 2024-25 season. A list of forecasted eligible opponents was distributed early in the offseason to help each school ensure it could meet the new standard. The MVC has two new head coaches (Drake and Murray State) who received an exception to schedule only three such contests if they preferred not to play four. Overall, I remain excited about the approach to learn how high it can help raise the league’s chances of obtaining two-bid status in the coming seasons. The other good news is that there are a lot of quality home-and-home series coming, as you’ll see in the breakdown.
The “March to the Arch” has become one of the great regular-season league races across College Basketball over the past few decades.
League Schedule
Non-Conference Schedules
Belmont
Home
Nov. 3 vs. Air Force
Nov. 8 vs. Tennessee State
Nov. 19 vs. Lipscomb
Nov. 21 vs. Non-D1 (Fisk)
Dec. 3 vs. Richmond
Road
Nov. 15 at Oral Roberts
Nov. 30 at Charleston
Dec. 7 at Middle Tennessee
Dec. 19 at UC Irvine
Coconut Hoops Fort Myers, FL
Nov. 24 vs. Saint Francis
Nov. 26 vs. Troy or Toledo
Notes: The Bruins will host Charleston and play at Lipscomb as part of the 2026-27 season.
Bradley
Home
Nov. 8 vs. Central Michigan
Nov. 12 vs. UT Martin
Nov. 19 vs. UMass-Lowell
Dec. 2 vs. Washington State
Dec. 6 vs. Northern Illinois
Dec. 14 vs. Non-D1 (North Central)
Road
Nov. 15 at San Francisco
Field of 68 Tip-Off Marathon Rock Hill, SC
Nov. 3 vs. St. Bonaventure
ESPN Events Invitational Orlando, FL
Nov. 24 vs. Princeton
Nov. 25 vs. Temple or UC San Diego
Nov. 26 vs. Rhode Island, Towson, Liberty, or Vermont
Drake
Home
Nov. 6 vs. Robert Morris
Nov. 10 vs. Non-D1 (Simpson)
Nov. 14 vs. SIU-Edwardsville
Nov. 21 vs. Non-D1 (Buena Vista)
Dec. 2 vs. Western Illinois
Dec. 5 vs. UAB
Dec. 13 vs. North Dakota State
Road
Nov. 17 at Charleston
Field of 68 Opening Day Sioux Falls, SD
Nov. 3 vs. Northern Arizona
Emerald Coast Classic Destin, FL
Nov. 28 vs. LSU
Nov. 29 vs. DePaul or Georgia Tech
Note: The Bulldogs will host Charleston during the 2026-27 season.
Evansville
Home
Nov. 7 vs. Non-D1 (Calumet College)
Nov. 9 vs. Non-D1 (Oakland City)
Nov. 12 vs. Middle Tennessee
Nov. 18 vs. UT Arlington
Dec. 3 vs. Ball State
Road
Nov. 4 at Purdue
Dec. 6 at Western Kentucky
Dec. 9 at Notre Dame
Paradise Jam St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Nov. 21 vs. Oregon State
Nov. 22/23 vs. Akron or Iona
Nov. 24 vs. Green Bay, UMass, Charleston, or Yale
Illinois-Chicago
Home
Nov. 3 vs. Detroit Mercy
Nov. 11 vs. Non-D1 (St. Francis, IL)
Dec. 3 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Dec. 29 vs. Non-D1 (Illinois Tech)
Road
Nov. 7 at Oregon State
Nov. 15 at Chicago State
Nov. 26 at Robert Morris
Dec. 7 at Yale
Dec. 21 at Charlotte
Boardwalk Battle Daytona Beach, FL
Nov. 20 vs. High Point
Nov. 22 vs. Southern Indiana or Incarnate Word
Notes: Flames will host Chicago State, Charlotte, and Robert Morris as part of the 2026-27 season.
Illinois State
Home
Nov. 9 vs. Cornell
Nov. 20 vs. Non-D1 (Rockford)
Nov. 23 vs. Coastal Carolina
Dec. 3 vs. Eastern Kentucky
Dec. 6 vs. Chicago State
Road
Nov. 6 at Ohio U.
Nov. 16 at Long Beach State
Intuit Dome Game Inglewood, CA
Nov. 14 vs. USC
ESPN Events Invitational Kissimmee, FL
Nov. 27 vs. Charlotte
Nov. 28 vs. Richmond or Furman
Delta Center Game Salt Lake City, UT
Dec. 13 vs. Utah State
Notes: Redbirds will host Long Beach State during the 2026-27 campaign.
Indiana State
Home
Nov. 6 vs. Non-D1 (Illinois Tech)
Nov. 19 vs. Louisiana Tech
Nov. 22 vs. Ball State
Dec. 2 vs. Non-D1 (Eureka)
Dec. 7 vs. Southern Indiana
Road
Nov. 3 at Charlotte
Nov. 10 at SIU-Edwardsville
Nov. 14 at Duke
Nov. 26 at Louisiana Tech (MTE)
Dec. 14 at Milwaukee
Louisiana Tech MTE Ruston, LA
Nov. 28 vs. Alcorn State
Notes: The Sycamores will host Charlotte and Milwaukee as part of the 2026-27 season.
Murray State
Home
Nov. 7 vs. Mississippi Valley State
Nov. 15 vs. Nicholls
Nov. 18 vs. Little Rock
Dec. 2 vs. Morehead State
Dec. 6 vs. Bellarmine
Road
Nov. 11 at SMU
Field of 68 Opening Day Sioux Falls, SD
Nov. 3 vs. Omaha
Cayman Islands Classic Grand Cayman
Nov. 23 vs. Middle Tennessee
Nov. 24 vs. McNeese
Nov. 25 vs. George Washington
Jack Jones Classic Henderson, NV
Dec. 13 vs. Akron
Northern Iowa
Home
Nov. 6 vs. Cal State Northridge
Nov. 9 vs. South Dakota State
Nov. 14 vs. Furman
Nov. 18 vs. Northern Illinois
Dec. 1 vs. Non-D1 (Coe)
Dec. 6 vs. Wichita State
Dec. 13 vs. Oakland
Road
Nov. 22 at UC Irvine
Dec. 22 at Saint Mary’s
Acrisure Holiday Invitational Palm Desert, CA
Nov. 25 vs. Loyola-Chicago
Nov. 26 vs. San Jose State or Tulsa
Note: The Panthers will play at Furman and at Oakland during the 2026-27 season.
Southern Illinois
Home
Nov. 3 vs. Non-D1 (McKendree)
Nov. 7 vs. Kansas City
Nov. 29 vs. Little Rock
Dec. 10 vs. UT Martin
Road
Nov. 12 at Nevada
Nov. 17 at North Dakota State
Nov. 26 at Memphis
Dec. 3 at High Point
Dec. 13 at Richmond
Jacksonville Classic Jacksonville, FL
Nov. 23 vs. Delaware
Nov. 24 vs. UAB
Note: The Salukis will host High Point during the 2026-27 season. SIU will host Richmond as well.
Valparaiso
Home
Nov. 4 vs. Eastern Illinois
Nov. 12 vs. Nicholls
Nov. 16 vs. Bryant
Nov. 26 vs. Southern Indiana
Nov. 29 vs. Western Michigan
Dec. 6 vs. Non-D1 (Calumet)
Dec. 13 vs. UNC-Wilmington
Road
Nov. 7 at Kentucky
Nov. 19 at Cleveland State
Dec. 2 at Marquette
Dec. 16 at Northwestern
Note: The Beacons will travel to UNC-Wilmington as part of the 2026-27 season.