The UTEP men’s basketball will open its 2026-27 season in the Field of 68 24-Hour Opening Marathon against Northern Kentucky in Sioux Falls, S.D. as part of its 13-game non-conference slate before opening an 18-game Mountain West schedule that will include eight nationally televised games.
UTEP released its schedule Tuesday, Sept. 29, as late as the program has ever released its schedule, which features 17 games at the newly rechristened GECU Arena at the Don Haskins Center, starting with a Nov. 8 game against Incarnate Word and a Nov. 12 rivalry game against New Mexico State. The return trip to Las Cruces is set for Nov. 19.
New Mexico Lobos
UTEP still has one spot open on its schedule and is looking to add a game at an away or neutral site, presumably in the second week of December.
UTEP will spend Thanksgiving in the Cancun, Mexico area where it will play the Cancun Challenge against the College of Charleston and either Eastern Michigan or Kennesaw State.The power conference opponent on the schedule is the Big 12’s Colorado, where UTEP will play on Dec. 1 in Boulder.
The other highlight of the non-conference schedule is the WestStar Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational on Dec. 20 and 21, where UTEP will open against Howard and then play either Kent State or Omaha.
The Mountain West schedule, which begins Jan. 2 at home against New Mexico, was announced in August but UTEP now knows its national television schedule. Home games on national TV include that opener against New Mexico (FS1), Nevada (Jan. 12 on CW), Grand Canyon (Feb. 9 on CBSSN) and UNLV (Feb. 17 on CBSSN). Road games on national television include UNLV (Jan. 15 on CBSSN), Nevada (Jan 19 on CBSSN), New Mexico (Feb. 20 on CBSSN) and Grand Canyon (Feb. 23 on CW).
UTEP will face this schedule with a completely rebuilt 15-play roster that has no holdovers from last year’s 11-20 campaign.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
2026-27 UTEP Men’s Basketball Schedule
Home Games in Bold
+ Field of 68 24-Hour Opening Marathon
% Cancun Challenge
$ WestStar Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational
* Mountain West game
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: UTEP men’s basketball aims high in Mountain West. 2026-27 schedule
