Basketball season at BYU is less than 15 weeks away, and the Cougars now know what their pre-Big 12 slate will look like.
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BYU released its upcoming nonconference schedule on Monday, announcing the 14 games and two exhibition outings that will take place prior to conference play.
BYU’s 2026-27 nonconference schedule
- Oct. 16 — Nebraska (exhibition) | Marriott Center
- Oct. 24 — UNLV (exhibition) | Las Vegas, Nevada
- Nov. 2 — Ohio State | Delta Center
- Nov. 6 — Omaha | Marriott Center
- Nov. 10 — Queens | Marriott Center
- Nov. 12 — Montana State | Marriott Center
- Nov. 18 — Northern Colorado | Marriott Center
- Nov. 23-25 — Maui Invitational | Maui, Hawaii
- Three games against Arizona, Clemson, Ole Miss, Providence, Washington, VCU or Colorado State
- Dec. 5 — Northwestern | Delta Center
- Dec. 9 — Utah State* | Marriott Center
- Dec. 12 — Cal State Fullerton | Marriott Center
- Dec. 15 — Weber State | Marriott Center
- Dec. 19 — San Diego State | Palm Springs, California
- Dec. 22 — La Salle | Marriott Center
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE 🗓️ pic.twitter.com/LDoFJhCgAx
— BYU Men’s Basketball (@BYUMBB) July 20, 2026
BYU is guaranteed to face three teams that reached the NCAA Tournament in 2026 — Ohio State, Queens and Utah State — along with Omaha and San Diego State, who appeared in the 2025 edition of the Big Dance.
The Cougars are also part of an intriguing Maui Invitational field over Thanksgiving week, where they could match up with Big 12 foe and reigning Final Four participant Arizona, other Power programs Clemson, Ole Miss, Washington and Providence, two-time defending Atlantic 10 champion VCU as well as Colorado State.
Based on preseason expectations and recent history for BYU’s opponents, the Cougars should play six or seven Quad 1/2 matchups before Christmas, most likely being Ohio State, Northwestern, Utah State, San Diego State and three Maui games.
For comparison, during BYU’s especially ambitious nonconference gauntlet last year, Kevin Young’s crew finished with seven Quad 1/2 chances and six others in the Quad 3/4 range.
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Thus, while 2026-27 may not appear to have the same kind of nonconference intensity such as facing UConn in Boston or playing at Madison Square Garden, the Cougars will have plenty of opportunities to build an NCAA Tournament résumé prior to opening the Big 12 portion of its schedule.
Travel will be much less intensive for BYU this fall compared to last year’s nonconference action, when the Cougars made three separate trips to the East Coast to play four games.
BYU will only leave the state of Utah three times before Big 12 play — a preseason scrimmage in Las Vegas, three games during a week in Hawaii and another quick trip to Palm Springs.
There will be eight games at the Marriott Center — including a tilt with instate rival Utah State — and two contests at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
BYU’s Big 12 scheduling matrix for 2026-27
Home and away: Arizona, TCU, Utah.
Home only: Baylor, Cincinnati, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, West Virginia.
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Away only: Arizona State, UCF, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Texas Tech.