Mountain West men’s basketball opens its 2026-27 regular season Monday with eight games, starting at 11 a.m. Pacific when UTEP faces Northern Kentucky in Sioux Falls. Air Force visits Wright State, New Mexico hosts Utah Tech and Hawai‘i closes the night against Seattle. UNLV and Wyoming open Tuesday.
UTEP’s roster has 15 newcomers. Joe Crispin begins his Air Force tenure with all five starters back. Seattle’s exhibition at Oregon and Hawai‘i’s shooting against Hawai‘i Pacific offer early clues before their meeting. Grand Canyon hosts Texas Southern, Reno meets Robert Morris and UC Davis faces North Alabama on Monday.
The opening slate at a glance
| Date | Time, Pacific | Matchup | Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon., Nov. 2 | 11 a.m. | UTEP vs. Northern Kentucky | Field of 68 (YouTube) |
| Mon., Nov. 2 | Noon | UTSA at San José State | MW+ |
| Mon., Nov. 2 | 4 p.m. | Air Force at Wright State | ESPN+ |
| Mon., Nov. 2 | 6 p.m. | Texas Southern at Grand Canyon | MW+ |
| Mon., Nov. 2 | 6 p.m. | Utah Tech at New Mexico | MW+ |
| Mon., Nov. 2 | 7 p.m. | Robert Morris at Reno | MW+ / Nevada Sports Net |
| Mon., Nov. 2 | 7 p.m. | North Alabama at UC Davis | MW+ |
| Mon., Nov. 2 | 9 p.m. | Seattle at Hawai‘i | K5 / MW+ |
| Tue., Nov. 3 | 5:30 p.m. | Regis at Wyoming | MW+ |
| Tue., Nov. 3 | 7 p.m. | Northern Arizona at UNLV | MW+ |
Monday, Nov. 2
11 a.m.: UTEP vs. Northern Kentucky
Site: Sanford Pentagon, Sioux Falls, S.D. Watch: Field of 68 YouTube.
Joe Golding took UTEP’s entire roster apart after an 11-20 season. His 15 newcomers played two August exhibitions in Mexico, but those games offered limited evidence about how the group will respond to Division I pressure. Evansville transfer Leif Moeller averaged 4.0 assists last season; former William & Mary scorer Reese Miller brings a different way to create a shot. Moeller stands 6-foot-7, giving Golding a tall primary passer. Their first shared possessions should reveal who actually runs this offense.
Northern Kentucky also rebuilt, losing its five leading scorers. Against UT Martin in an Oct. 14 exhibition, Northern Kentucky scored 79 and allowed 83, while La Salle transfer Eric Acker scored 24 on 8-of-12 shooting. Freshman Willie Foster supplied 13 in 16 minutes. Ethan Elliott returns after averaging 4.6 assists. Can UTEP’s unfamiliar guards stop Elliott from pushing the pace while keeping Acker away from favorable one-on-one looks?
Noon: UTSA at San José State
Site: Provident Credit Union Event Center, San Jose. Watch: MW+.
San José State allowed 102 points and 17 threes against Cal State Fullerton in an Oct. 17 exhibition, while scoring 74. Against Division II Cal State East Bay a week later, it forced 21 turnovers and finished ahead 82-52 after a 16-0 second-half run. Tulsa transfer KJ Martin Jr. contributed 10 points and 14 rebounds; freshman Oliver Kullamäe recorded seven assists. The Spartans can disrupt possessions. Kullamäe’s seven assists also offer a glimpse of his playmaking. They haven’t shown they can recover consistently once pressure is beaten.
UTSA’s schedule lists no public exhibition, leaving 14 newcomers without an official preseason measuring stick. Eastern Illinois transfer Preston Turner shot 44.8% from three last season, while Ohio transfer JJ Kelly adds size on the wing. Austin Claunch needs them to handle the ball before taking those shots. If UTSA gets through the first defender, San José State will have to guard without relying on steals.
4 p.m.: Air Force at Wright State
Site: Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio. Watch: ESPN+.
Air Force lost its last 25 games and averaged 61.5 points. Joe Crispin kept all five starters and 98% of last season’s scoring, including guard Kam Sanders and efficient finisher Caleb Walker. Six freshmen arrived, with Tre Keene and Diggy Griffin among the newcomers competing for minutes. The Falcons have not published an exhibition result; their promised faster offense gets its first public scoreboard test in Dayton.
Wright State’s Oct. 16 exhibition against Bellarmine finished 76-54 in the Raiders’ favor after a 14-0 opening run. Returning guard Dominic Pangonis scored 17 and the Raiders won the rebound count 40-26. Five transfers joined the Horizon League champions, including forward Nikola Djapa, who contributed five rebounds and three assists off the bench. A faster Air Force attack won’t help if Wright State controls the glass and forces Sanders to restart possessions.
6 p.m.: Texas Southern at Grand Canyon
Site: Global Credit Union Arena, Phoenix. Watch: MW+.
In its Oct. 27 exhibition against Western New Mexico, Grand Canyon scored 82 points to the Mustangs’ 59, piling up 52 in the paint but going 4-for-21 from three. New guard Tre Holloman missed five threes yet handed out six assists, including a lob to Amarion Dickerson. Returning guard Makaih Williams led the Lopes with 14. Holloman started at point guard because Dylan Darling missed the exhibition. Bryce Drew has found ways inside; the perimeter still needs to punish help defenders.
Texas Southern’s published schedule begins at GCU, so there is no listed exhibition result for comparison. Its roster includes 6-foot-10 transfers Josh Farmer from UTSA and Xander Wedlow from St. Bonaventure, plus former Bowling Green guard Jason Kimbrough. They give the Tigers a chance to contest GCU’s interior advantage. Lopes centers Efe Demirel and Tyler Behrend both fouled out during the exhibition. Who stays on the court against Texas Southern’s size?
6 p.m.: Utah Tech at New Mexico
Site: The Pit, Albuquerque, N.M. Watch: MW+.
New Mexico’s exhibitions at Oklahoma State, against Washington State and against Arizona State offered three looks at its reconstructed lineup. Jake Hall opened the Oklahoma State win by scoring the Lobos’ first 14 points; freshman Fynn Lastring added 16. But the Lobos made only 24 of 46 free throws in their final two exhibitions and allowed Oklahoma State 22 offensive rebounds. Eric Olen’s talented new group has unfinished defensive work.
Utah Tech is not arriving untested. In exhibitions, Utah Tech scored 92 against Utah Valley on Oct. 17 and 134 against West Coast Baptist a week later. Freshman Christian Gibson scored 23 against Utah Valley on 9-of-17 shooting, adding six rebounds and three assists, then 22 against West Coast Baptist. Transfer Mark Brown Jr. added 19 against Utah Valley, while returning forward Ethan Potter collected 10 rebounds. If the Trailblazers force New Mexico’s bigs to defend more than one action, the Lobos’ offensive production may not be enough.
7 p.m.: Robert Morris at Reno
Site: Lawlor Events Center, Reno. Watch: MW+ and Nevada Sports Net.
Reno trailed Portland State at halftime on Oct. 25 before holding the Vikings to 20.5% second-half shooting in an Oct. 25 exhibition that finished 77-71 in Reno’s favor. Elijah Price had 21, but the Wolf Pack went 0-for-12 from three and made 39 free throws. New guard Styles Phipps averaged 13.4 points and 5.2 assists at Pepperdine last season; Steve Alford needs that playmaking to produce shots without depending on whistles.
Robert Morris scored 87 to Canisius’ 74 in an Oct. 27 exhibition. Nicholls State transfer Jalik Dunkley scored 26 on 9-of-9 shooting, and the Colonials forced 24 turnovers for 27 points. Eleven newcomers include former UMBC guard Ace Valentine and Cal State Fullerton transfer KJ Garris Jr. Canisius still shot 60% against Robert Morris; the Colonials’ steals didn’t erase their half-court defensive flaws. Its guards will have to get into their sets without feeding Robert Morris’ pressure.
7 p.m.: North Alabama at UC Davis
Site: University Credit Union Center, Davis, Calif. Watch: MW+.
UC Davis begins its first Mountain West season with returning shooters Connor Sevilla and Isaiah Chappell and passer Brayden Fagbemi, who had 133 assists against 61 turnovers last year. New 6-foot-10 center Aleks Szymczyk arrives from CSUN and freshman forward Nnadalu Noble adds another frontcourt option. UC Davis has no listed public October exhibition result, so Jim Les’ combinations are still largely theoretical.
North Alabama has no listed public exhibition result either, but its roster turnover is more severe: only three returners and 12 newcomers after a 9-21 season. New guard Mike Evbagharu averaged 9.2 points and seven rebounds at Canisius, and junior-college All-American Ansar Osman brings another potential scorer. Davis should stretch the floor with Sevilla and Chappell, but if the Lions’ new wings recover to those shooters, Fagbemi must create a second advantage rather than settle.
9 p.m.: Seattle at Hawai‘i
Site: Bankoh Arena at Stan Sheriff Center, Honolulu. Watch: K5 and MW+.
Two exhibition results make this the best matchup Monday. Hawai‘i’s Oct. 25 exhibition against Division II Hawai‘i Pacific finished 89-60, with the Rainbow Warriors making 14 of 24 threes. Newcomer Chance Trujillo made five of them; freshman Tiger Cuff made four. Jaden Matingou scored 19 on 7-of-8 shooting, but the Rainbow Warriors did much of their damage during two long scoring runs against an overmatched opponent.
Seattle’s Oct. 15 exhibition at Oregon finished 71-65 in the Redhawks’ favor after a 19-2 second-half run. Seattle made only one of 17 first-half threes. Iowa State transfer Mason Williams finished with 19 points, freshman Amare Larane 11 and Holy Cross transfer Tyler Boston 10. Seattle forced 25 turnovers, while returning rim protector Will Heimbrodt helped collect 16 offensive rebounds. Hawai‘i’s ball movement now faces a more disruptive defense than it saw against Hawai‘i Pacific.
Tuesday, Nov. 3
5:30 p.m.: Regis at Wyoming
Site: Arena-Auditorium, Laramie, Wyo. Watch: MW+.
Wyoming’s three exhibitions produced scores of 94-68 against Northern Colorado, 76-61 against College of Idaho and 76-89 against TCU on Oct. 17. Nasir Meyer scored 24 against TCU on 9-of-13 shooting, including four threes, but Wyoming was outrebounded 34-22. Freshman Gavin Gores has already provided inside scoring; the Cowboys need more players finishing defensive possessions.
For Regis, this counts as an exhibition and is the first game on its published schedule. The Division II Rangers went 2-24 last year, but Rex Walters brought in 13 newcomers, including freshman center Nnamdi Ogali and guard Bryce Bennett. Returning Matt Yost averaged 5.4 rebounds. Regis will have to determine which freshman can handle Wyoming’s size at full speed. Wyoming should have an advantage; the useful measure is whether Gores, Meyer and the new rotation share the scoring while keeping the Rangers from getting second chances.
7 p.m.: Northern Arizona at UNLV
Site: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas. Watch: MW+.
After exhibitions against Utah and BYU, UNLV finished its preseason with a 90-81 score against Missouri on Oct. 29. New point guard Cam Miles found returning forward Tyrin Jones for a dunk in the comeback; Miles finished with 16 points and 10 assists, Jones with 21. Missouri transfer Sebastian Mack added 19. UNLV forced 20 turnovers, yet committed 17 itself. Josh Pastner still needs a cleaner offense when the first action fails.
Northern Arizona opens without a listed exhibition result after a 10-22 season. Four returners are joined by 11 newcomers, including seven-foot transfer Dylan Anderson, former North Dakota State guard Max Majerle and freshman wing Lucas Toukam. Ryan Abelman, a Bishop Gorman graduate who averaged 10.5 points last season, returns to Las Vegas. Injured point guard Brennan Peterson leaves Shane Burcar’s faster offense with an unsettled organizer. Anderson’s size and NAU’s early-clock pace will test whether Jones’ return actually makes UNLV more secure at both ends.
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