ESPN Events Announces 2026-27 College Basketball Schedule
- Nine events featuring 33 teams representing 12 conferences across Division I men’s and women’s college basketball
- Schedule includes 18 NCAA Tournament teams and 11 Top 25 men’s and women’s teams
ESPN Events today announced game times, matchups and network designations for its 2026-27 college basketball schedule, featuring nine events across men’s and women’s college basketball throughout the season.
Combining for more than 80 hours of programming across ESPN networks, ESPN Events will showcase 33 teams representing 12 conferences, including 18 NCAA Tournament teams and 11 teams in last season’s final AP Top 25 men’s and women’s rankings.
In all, 12 conferences will be represented across the nine events, including the ACC, American, Atlantic 10, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Horizon League, Ivy League, Mid-American Conference, Missouri Valley Conference, SEC and Sun Belt Conference.
ESPN Events’ men’s and women’s basketball schedule will feature 18 teams that earned NCAA Tournament berths last season. The men’s NCAA Tournament teams include Akron, Alabama, Duke, Georgia, Houston, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State, North Carolina, Saint Louis, South Florida, UCF and Wright State, while the women’s field features Kentucky, LSU, UConn and Virginia.
The schedule begins on November 10 with the 16th annual State Farm Champions Classic at United Center in Chicago, featuring No. 8 Michigan State vs. No. 2 Duke and No. 25 Kansas vs. No. 22 Kentucky, all ranked in ESPN’s men’s 2026-27 Way-Too-Early Top 25.. November action continues with the 18th annual Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic on November 20 and 22 at TD Arena in Charleston, S.C., followed by the 20th annual ESPN Events Invitational during Thanksgiving week at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Fla.
Thanksgiving week coverage also includes the second annual Dick Vitale Invitational presented by Belk on November 27. The event returns to Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C., featuring North Carolina and West Virginia. Two days later, on November 29, the inaugural Atlantic 10/American Showcase on ESPN takes place at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, with Memphis facing Dayton and South Florida taking on Saint Louis.
December is highlighted by the 32nd Jimmy V Men’s Classic presented by Modelo at Madison Square Garden on December 8. The annual doubleheader features No. 16 Alabama vs. No. 17 Houston and Georgia vs. No. 2 Duke in an ACC/SEC clash while continuing to support the V Foundation for Cancer Research. The Jimmy V Men’s Classic is part of ESPN’s annual V Week for Cancer Research, during which 100 percent of all funds raised for the V Foundation are directed to cancer research. Last year, ESPN raised $14.5 million for cancer research as part of V Week and has raised more than $116.3 million all-time. This year marks ESPN’s 20th V Week for Cancer Research.
The Sprouts Farmers Market espnW Invitational returns for its second year on December 20 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., featuring a heavyweight battle between No. 10 LSU and No. 2 UConn in ESPN’s women’s 2026-27 Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings. That matchup is followed by Virginia taking on No. 17 Kentucky in an ACC/SEC clash.
The ESPN Events college basketball schedule concludes on January 23 when No. 15 Louisville and Baylor meet in a late-season non-conference matchup.
ESPN Events – 2026-27 college basketball schedule
State Farm Champions Classic
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Where to Watch |
| Tue, Nov 10 | 7 p.m. | No. 8 Michigan State vs. No. 2 Duke | ESPN |
| 9:30 p.m. | No. 25 Kansas vs. No. 22 Kentucky | ESPN |
Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Where to Watch |
| Fri, Nov 20 | 12:30 p.m. | Oklahoma State vs. Minnesota | ESPN2 |
| 3 p.m. | Northwestern vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN2 | |
| 5:30 p.m. | Dayton vs. Utah | ESPN2 | |
| Sun, Nov 22 | 1 p.m. | Dayton vs. Northwestern | ESPN2 |
| 3:30 p.m. | Virginia Tech vs. Oklahoma State | ESPN | |
| 6 p.m. | Utah vs. Minnesota | ESPN2 |
ESPN Events Invitational – Adventure Group
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Where to Watch |
| Mon., Nov 23 | 11 a.m. | St. Bonaventure vs. Appalachian State | ESPN2 |
| 1:30 p.m. | Akron vs. Wright State | ESPNU | |
| 4 p.m. | Yale vs. Belmont | ESPNU | |
| Tue., Nov 24 | 10 a.m. | Wright State vs. St. Bonaventure | ESPN2 |
| 12:30 p.m. | Belmont vs. Akron | ESPN2 | |
| 3 p.m. | Appalachian State vs. Yale | ESPN+ | |
| Wed, Nov 25 | 10 a.m. | St. Bonaventure vs. Belmont | ESPN2 |
| 12:30 p.m. | Yale vs. Wright State | ESPN2 | |
| 3 p.m. | Akron vs. Appalachian State | ESPNU |
ESPN Events Invitational – Magic Group
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Where to Watch |
| Thu, Nov 26 | 11 a.m. | Georgia vs. Cincinnati | ESPN |
| 1:30 p.m. | Boston College vs. UCF | ESPN2 | |
| Fri, Nov 27 | 4:30 p.m. | Cincinnati vs. Boston College | TBD |
| 7 p.m. | UCF vs. Georgia | ESPN2 |
Dick Vitale Invitational presented by Belk
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Where to Watch |
| Fri, Nov 27 | 7 p.m. | West Virginia vs. North Carolina | ESPN |
Atlantic 10/American Showcase on ESPN
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Where to Watch |
| Sun, Nov 29 | 1 p.m. | Memphis vs. Dayton | ESPN |
| 3:30 p.m. | South Florida vs. Saint Louis | ESPN or ESPN2 |
Jimmy V Men’s Classic presented by Modelo
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Where to Watch |
| Tue, Dec 8 | 6:30 p.m. | No. 16 Alabama vs. No. 17 Houston | ESPN |
| 9 p.m. | Georgia vs. No. 2 Duke | ESPN |
Sprouts Farmers Market espnW Invitational (Women’s College Basketball)
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Where to Watch |
| Sun, Dec 20 | 1 p.m. | No. 10 LSU vs. No. 2 UConn | ABC |
| 3:30 p.m. | Virginia vs. No. 17 Kentucky | ESPN |
Baylor vs. Louisville
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Where to Watch |
| Sat, Jan 23 | TBD | Baylor vs. No. 15 Louisville | ESPN or ESPN2 |
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About ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In the 2026-27 academic year, the 35-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, nine college basketball events, two college volleyball events, the premier regular-season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events accounted for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.
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