 What 2 Watch 4
The 2026-27 NCAA men’s basketball season is here, and all 11 BIg West squads are ready to tip-off in a thrilling opening week slate showcasing 24 games from Monday, Nov. 2 through Sunday, Nov. 8.
Seven Big West teams will open the season on Monday, Nov. 2. Cal Poly, Sacramento State, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara and Utah Valley will open the season at home against non-Division I competition. Long Beach State will be the lone team from the league on the road, at Utah.
Three games are on Tuesday’s docket with Cal State Fullerton at San Diego State, North Florida at California Baptist and UC Irvine hosting a non-Division I team. CSUN will open its season on Wednesday at Wichita State.
Cal State Bakersfield will begin its 2026-27 journey on Thursday against a non-Division I squad. Cal Poly will play its second countable game of the season, on the road at Arizona.
Friday’s schedule will feature two road contests with CSUN at Kansas State and California Baptist at Oregon State.
Eight games fill out Saturday’s slate, four at home and four on the road. The Big West home contests are Oakland at UC Santa Barbara, Denver at UC Riverside, San José State at UC Irvine and Fresno State at UC San Diego. The road games are Cal State Fullerton at South Dakota, Long Beach State at Montana, Utah Valley at Weber State and Sacramento State at Santa Clara.
The lone contest on Sunday is North Dakota State at Cal State Bakersfield.
A total of 20 games are set to air live on ESPN+ this week. Please check the listings here to watch your favorite Big West squad in action!
2026 Big West Men's Basketball Schedule
Poll Position
The first iteration of the CollegeInsider Mid-Major Madness poll has UC Irvine ranked 13th and Cal Poly 23rd. UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara and Utah Valley are receiving votes.
CollegeInsider Mid-Major Rankings
Preseason Prognostications
UC Irvine is predicted to win The Big West, according to a poll of the league’s 12 head coaches ahead of the season. The coaches also voted for a six-member Big West Preseason Team.
The Anteaters garnered seven of 12 first-place votes for a total of 114 points. Last season, UC Irvine went 23-12 overall and won the conference’s regular-season crown with a 15-5 league record. The Anteaters made it to the title game of the 2026 Big West Championship and qualified for the NIT.
UC San Diego is predicted to finish second, receiving three first-place votes for a total of 105 points. Last year, the Tritons went 23-11 overall and finished 12-8 in conference play. The Tritons are expected to be led by senior forward Leo Beath, who was selected on the Preseason Team. In 2025-26, Beath was an All-Big West Honorable Mention selection averaging 12.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game in 34 games with 33 starts.
UC Santa Barbara garnered two first-place votes and finished third in the poll. The Gauchos were 18-14 overall and went 11-9 in league action last season. UC Santa Barbara placed two on the Preseason Team with senior guard Miro Little and sophomore guard CJ Shaw. Little played in and started 19 games last season, missing the months of December and February because of injuries, and averaged 11.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists per contest. Shaw earned All-Big West Honorable Mention accolades after averaging 12.2 points, shooting 51.4 percent from the floor and 43.6 percent from the arc, 2.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
CSUN was fourth in the poll with 86 points. Last season, the Matadors went 20-14 overall and had a 12-8 league record. Guard Josiah Davis, the reigning Big West Player and Newcomer of the Year, represents CSUN on the Preseason Team. Davis played and started 34 games, recording averages of 15.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists per contest. The Matador guard ranked fourth in the nation in total assists (253) and assists per game.
One point behind the Matadors in the poll is Big West newcomer Utah Valley, which earned 85 points. The Wolverines won the WAC regular-season title with a 14-4 conference record and went 25-9 overall.
Cal Poly is predicted to finish sixth with 75 points and sophomore guard Hamad Mousa was placed on the league’s preseason squad. An All-Big West First Team selection in 2025-26, Mousa led the league in scoring at 20.1 points per game, while also contributing 6.1 rebounds per contest.
Sacramento State, another Big West newcomer, came in seventh in the poll with 65 points and has Larry Hughes II on the Preseason Team. Hughes II is a transfer from CSUN and led the Matadors in scoring at 17.7 points per game, with 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists, en route to an All-Big West Second Team selection.
Cal State Fullerton (49), California Baptist (40), Cal State Bakersfield (28), UC Riverside (23) and Long Beach State (19) conclude the rest of the poll.
2025-26 Rewind
The 2025-26 Big West regular season was won by UC Irvine with a 15-5 league record. A game behind in second was Hawai‘i at 14-6. The trio of Cal State Fullerton, CSUN and UC San Diego tied for third with identical 12-8 conference marks.
No. 2 seed Hawai‘i claimed the 2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Men’s Basketball Championship over top-seeded UC Irvine by a final score of 71-64. The Rainbow Warriors earned the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and received a No. 13 seed.
UC Irvine received a bid into the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) for the fourth straight year and 10th time overall. The Anteaters hosted the first-round matchup of the 32-team national postseason tournament as a No. 4 seed.
In non-conference action, UC San Diego won the Terry’s Chocolates ESPN Events Invitational in November in dominant fashion and UC Santa Barbara claimed the title at the Resorts World Las Vegas Classic.
Five Big West men’s basketball players were named to the NABC All-Pacific District teams, with first-team honoree Isaac Johnson (Hawai‘i) headlining the listings. Second-team honors went to CSUN guard Josiah Davis, UC Irvine forward Kyle Evans, CSUN guard Larry Hughes II and Cal Poly guard/forward Hamad Mousa.
Watch Big West Men's Basketball
The Big West will deliver the most basketball coverage in conference history during the 2026–27 season, with nearly 400 men’s and women’s games available to fans through continued partnerships with ESPN and Spectrum SportsNet.
In addition to unprecedented access for audiences across the United States, select games will be distributed internationally through Big West International, bringing Big West basketball to fans around the world. The expansive coverage showcases all 12 member institutions throughout the regular season and postseason.
“The Big West is reaching more fans in more places than ever before,” Big West Commissioner Dan Butterly said. “Being bold means pushing boundaries, expanding our reach and creating new opportunities for our student-athletes to shine. With nearly 400 games on ESPN and Spectrum SportsNet and Big West International serving audiences around the world, we’re placing Big West basketball on a global platform. There has never been more Big West basketball available to our fans than there will be this season.”
ESPN+ and the ESPN App will once again serve as the national streaming home for Big West basketball. All men’s and women’s home games in 2026-27 will be available on the ESPN family of networks. A 19-game slate will also appear on Spectrum SportsNet, expanding The Big West’s linear coverage to its highest point in more than a decade. The advent of Big West International further expands the conference’s reach and visibility beyond U.S. borders.
Five men’s basketball regular-season telecasts are scheduled on ESPN2 or ESPNU beginning Thursday, January 21, 2027, followed by three consecutive Saturday dates on February 6, February 13 and February 20. The final regular-season linear contest is scheduled for Thursday, February 25. All matchups will be selected through a “wildcard” format and announced at least 10 days prior to each contest date. All games will feature a 7 p.m. PT tipoff. Specific networks to be announced later.
Postseason coverage continues at the 2027 Credit Union 1 Big West Basketball Championships, March 10–13 at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada. ESPN+/the ESPN App will carry 11 games in total, including all seven women’s contests and four early round men’s games. The two men’s semifinal games on March 12, 2027, and the men’s championship game on March 13, 2027, will appear on ESPN networks.
The Big West and Spectrum SportsNet will continue to provide linear coverage throughout California and Nevada, with a 19-game slate comprising ten men’s and nine women’s matchups featuring all 12 Big West programs. The schedule includes five dates when Big West women’s and men’s teams will be in action on Spectrum SportsNet on the same day.
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