Ball State University Athletics
Photo by: Sam Findley/Ball State Athletics
Men's Basketball Announces 2026-27 Schedule Featuring Challenging Non-Conference Matchups and 22-Game MAC Slate
August 12, 2026 | Men's Basketball
The Ball State men's basketball team and head coach Chris Capko have announced the 2026-27 regular season schedule.
The Cardinals will tune up for Capko's first campaign in Muncie with exhibitions on Oct. 18 at Purdue and at home with Purdue Fort Wayne on Oct. 28 in advance of the regular season opener on Nov. 2 at Georgia Southern. The game in Statesboro, Ga., is part of the MAC-SBC Challenge which pits Mid-American Conference teams against Sun Belt Conference foes and is now in its fourth season.
Ball State is set to host Indiana State (Nov. 6) and Evansville (Dec. 9) for in-state battles at Worthen Arena and will play at Southern Indiana for the first time in series history on Nov. 28 in Evansville.
The Cardinals get a pair of chances against Atlantic Coast Conference foes when they take on SMU in Dallas on Nov. 13 and Florida State in Tallahassee on Nov. 17. Home games with Brescia University (Nov. 9) and East-West University (Dec. 29) are also on the calendar, while one more non-conference game will be announced at a later time in addition to the second round of the MAC-SBC Challenge on Feb. 6 against a yet-to-be-determined Sun Belt school.
"We're really excited about our non-conference schedule and the different challenges it presents," Capko said. "We'll have opportunities to compete against programs from the power conferences while also playing some important in-state matchups that mean a lot to our program and our fans.
"Our goals are to challenge ourselves, learn about our team and continue to grow throughout the non-conference portion of the season so we're prepared for MAC play."
New to MAC play this season is a 22-game slate, which features two games each against the other 11 league teams. Conference play tips off at Akron on Dec. 2 in what will be Ball State's earliest MAC game on the calendar since Nov. 22, 1998 when that year's team hosted Kent State.
The conference home opener is set for Dec. 5 against Eastern Michigan. The contest will be the first of six Saturday games to see the Cardinals in action at home including Jan. 9 vs Central Michigan, Jan. 30 vs Buffalo, Feb. 13 vs Miami and Feb. 27 vs Akron. The Feb. 6 MAC-SBC Challenge contest is also on a Saturday.
Ball State concludes the regular season on March 5 at Central Michigan. The MAC Tournament will take place at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio the following week.
"We're excited about the challenge our MAC schedule presents," Capko said. "With 22 conference games this season, we'll have the opportunity to play a true home-and-road series against every team in the league, which makes for a great test from start to finish.
"Year in and year out, the MAC is one of the most competitive conferences in the country, and I don't expect this season to be any different. We know every night will be a battle, and we'll be ready to embrace that challenge."
Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by clicking here or reaching the ticket office at (888) BSU-TICKET or bsutickets@bsu.edu.
Game dates and times are subject to change with television windows still to be determined. Any adjustments to the schedule will be announced on Ball State men's basketball social media and the schedule page.
2026-27 Ball State Men's Basketball Season Schedule
Oct. 18 at Purdue!
Oct. 28 vs Purdue Fort Wayne!
Nov. 2 at Georgia Southern^
Nov. 6 vs Indiana State
Nov. 9 vs Brescia University
Nov. 13 at SMU
Nov. 17 at Florida State
Nov. 28 at Southern Indiana
Dec. 2 at Akron*
Dec. 5 vs Eastern Michigan*
Dec. 9 vs Evansville
Dec. 16 vs Ohio*
Dec. 19 at Miami*
Dec. 29 vs East-West University
Jan. 2 at UMass*
Jan. 5 vs Kent State*
Jan. 9 vs Central Michigan*
Jan. 12 at Bowling Green*
Jan. 16 at Western Michigan*
Jan. 19 vs Toledo*
Jan. 23 at Eastern Michigan*
Jan. 26 at Kent State*
Jan. 30 vs Buffalo*
Feb. 2 vs Bowling Green*
Feb. 6 vs Sun Belt Opponent^
Feb. 9 at Toledo*
Feb. 13 vs Miami*
Feb. 16 vs UMass*
Feb. 20 at Ohio*
Feb. 23 vs Western Michigan*
Feb. 27 vs Akron*
March 2 at Buffalo*
March 5 at Central Michigan*
* - Mid-American Conference Game
^ - MAC-SBC Challenge
! - Exhibition
The Cardinals will tune up for Capko's first campaign in Muncie with exhibitions on Oct. 18 at Purdue and at home with Purdue Fort Wayne on Oct. 28 in advance of the regular season opener on Nov. 2 at Georgia Southern. The game in Statesboro, Ga., is part of the MAC-SBC Challenge which pits Mid-American Conference teams against Sun Belt Conference foes and is now in its fourth season.
Ball State is set to host Indiana State (Nov. 6) and Evansville (Dec. 9) for in-state battles at Worthen Arena and will play at Southern Indiana for the first time in series history on Nov. 28 in Evansville.
The Cardinals get a pair of chances against Atlantic Coast Conference foes when they take on SMU in Dallas on Nov. 13 and Florida State in Tallahassee on Nov. 17. Home games with Brescia University (Nov. 9) and East-West University (Dec. 29) are also on the calendar, while one more non-conference game will be announced at a later time in addition to the second round of the MAC-SBC Challenge on Feb. 6 against a yet-to-be-determined Sun Belt school.
"We're really excited about our non-conference schedule and the different challenges it presents," Capko said. "We'll have opportunities to compete against programs from the power conferences while also playing some important in-state matchups that mean a lot to our program and our fans.
"Our goals are to challenge ourselves, learn about our team and continue to grow throughout the non-conference portion of the season so we're prepared for MAC play."
New to MAC play this season is a 22-game slate, which features two games each against the other 11 league teams. Conference play tips off at Akron on Dec. 2 in what will be Ball State's earliest MAC game on the calendar since Nov. 22, 1998 when that year's team hosted Kent State.
The conference home opener is set for Dec. 5 against Eastern Michigan. The contest will be the first of six Saturday games to see the Cardinals in action at home including Jan. 9 vs Central Michigan, Jan. 30 vs Buffalo, Feb. 13 vs Miami and Feb. 27 vs Akron. The Feb. 6 MAC-SBC Challenge contest is also on a Saturday.
Ball State concludes the regular season on March 5 at Central Michigan. The MAC Tournament will take place at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio the following week.
"We're excited about the challenge our MAC schedule presents," Capko said. "With 22 conference games this season, we'll have the opportunity to play a true home-and-road series against every team in the league, which makes for a great test from start to finish.
"Year in and year out, the MAC is one of the most competitive conferences in the country, and I don't expect this season to be any different. We know every night will be a battle, and we'll be ready to embrace that challenge."
Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by clicking here or reaching the ticket office at (888) BSU-TICKET or bsutickets@bsu.edu.
Game dates and times are subject to change with television windows still to be determined. Any adjustments to the schedule will be announced on Ball State men's basketball social media and the schedule page.
2026-27 Ball State Men's Basketball Season Schedule
Oct. 18 at Purdue!
Oct. 28 vs Purdue Fort Wayne!
Nov. 2 at Georgia Southern^
Nov. 6 vs Indiana State
Nov. 9 vs Brescia University
Nov. 13 at SMU
Nov. 17 at Florida State
Nov. 28 at Southern Indiana
Dec. 2 at Akron*
Dec. 5 vs Eastern Michigan*
Dec. 9 vs Evansville
Dec. 16 vs Ohio*
Dec. 19 at Miami*
Dec. 29 vs East-West University
Jan. 2 at UMass*
Jan. 5 vs Kent State*
Jan. 9 vs Central Michigan*
Jan. 12 at Bowling Green*
Jan. 16 at Western Michigan*
Jan. 19 vs Toledo*
Jan. 23 at Eastern Michigan*
Jan. 26 at Kent State*
Jan. 30 vs Buffalo*
Feb. 2 vs Bowling Green*
Feb. 6 vs Sun Belt Opponent^
Feb. 9 at Toledo*
Feb. 13 vs Miami*
Feb. 16 vs UMass*
Feb. 20 at Ohio*
Feb. 23 vs Western Michigan*
Feb. 27 vs Akron*
March 2 at Buffalo*
March 5 at Central Michigan*
* - Mid-American Conference Game
^ - MAC-SBC Challenge
! - Exhibition
Wednesday, July 29
Monday, July 27
Monday, July 20
Thursday, July 16