Murray State University Athletics
Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics
2026-27 Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Slate Announced Thursday
9/17/2026 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MURRAY – The Murray State men's basketball team now knows its path through the Missouri Valley Conference, as the league announced its 2026-27 schedule on Thursday morning.
With the addition of Murray State's non-conference schedule, announced last Wednesday, the Racers are set to host 16 total contests inside new-look CFSB Center, which is in the final stages of an eight-figure renovation that completely reimagines the facility.
New season tickets for the 2026-27 Murray State men's basketball season are available now. Fans can secure their seats by calling the Murray State Ticket Office at (270) 809-3000, and find additional ticket information by visiting GoRacers.com/Tickets.
A limited number of loge boxes and courtside seats remain for the 2026-27 season, while ledge seating is completely sold out. For more information on how to purchase a loge box, CLICK HERE.
The Racers will open MVC play with four of their first six conference matchups at home, but close the year with four of their final six regular season contests on the road down the stretch in February. The slate begins with a home contest on December 17 against Illinois State before a quick trip to take on Indiana State on December 19. A pair of home games on December 29 and January 1 against UIC and Drake flip the calendar into 2026, followed by a January 4 visit to Bradley and a January 9 home date with Evansville.
Mid-January will see Murray State on the road three times in a four-game stretch, with visits to Southern Illinois (January 12), Northern Iowa (January 21) and Drake (January 24), with a January 16 home contest against Indiana State sandwiched in between. The Racers then have back-to-back home games to close the month of January, welcoming Bradley and Valparaiso on January 27 and 30, then heading to Chicago to open February against UIC on February 3.
Murray State will host Belmont on February 6 then head on the road again for contests at Evansville (February 9) and Illinois State (February 12). The Racers welcome Southern Illinois to town on February 15 to begin the final regular season push, then making the short trip to Belmont on February 20. The final regular season home contest comes February 24 against Northern Iowa before the finale on February 27 at Valparaiso. Arch Madness is set for March 3-7 in St. Louis.
OPPONENT INFO
Illinois State (Dec. 17, CFSB Center; Feb. 12, Normal, Ill.)
Illinois State ended 2025-26 with a 23-13 overall record and a 12-8 mark in the MVC, finishing the year in the NIT semifinals. Illinois State won both matchups last season but the Racers lead the short all-time series 8-6.
Indiana State (Dec. 19, Terre Haute, Ind.; Jan. 16, CFSB Center)
Indiana State finished with a 11-21 overall record and an 4-16 MVC record last season. Murray State won both contests a season ago, but the Racers trail in the all-time series 7-11 in a series that dates back to 1945.
UIC (Dec. 29, CFSB Center; Feb. 3, Chicago)
UIC was 19-16 overall in 2025-26 with a 12-8 MVC record, ending the year in the opening round of the NIT after playing in the MVC title game. Murray State won both regular season contests last season but UIC knocked the Racers out of the MVC Tournament. The Racers have won seven of the 10 all-time meetings in the short series.
Drake (Jan. 1, CFSB Center; Jan. 24, Des Moines, Iowa)
Drake ended 2025-26 with a 14-20 overall record and a 6-14 mark in the MVC, ending the year with a semifinal loss in the MVC Tournament. Murray State and Drake split the two meetings last season, with each winning at home, with the Racers trailing the all-time series 4-7 in a series that dates back to 1938.
Bradley (Jan. 4, Peoria, Ill.; Jan. 27, CFSB Center)
Bradley finished with a 21-13 overall record and a 13-7 MVC record last season, ending the year in the opening round of the NIT. Bradley and Murray State split last season's meetings, each winning at home, with Bradley holding a slight edge in the all-time series, 10-13.
Evansville (Jan. 9, CFSB Center; Feb. 9, Evansville, Ind.)
Evansville was 7-25 overall in 2025-26 with a 3-17 MVC record. The Racers won both matchups last season and now lead the all-time series 35-15 in a series that dates back to 1943.
Southern Illinois (Jan. 12, Carbondale, Ill.; Feb. 15, CFSB Center)
Southern Illinois ended 2025-26 with a 16-16 overall record and a 10-10 mark in MVC play. Murray State won both matchups last season to pull the all-time series even at 23-23.
Northern Iowa (Jan. 21, Cedar Falls, Iowa; Feb. 24, CFSB Center)
Northern Iowa finished with a 23-13 overall record and an 11-9 MVC record last season, winning the MVC title as the No. 6 seed before falling in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Murray State dropped both meetings last year and trails the short all-time series 2-5.
Valparaiso (Jan. 30, CFSB Center; Feb. 27, Chicago)
Valparaiso was 18-15 overall in 2025-26 with an 11-9 MVC record, ending the year in the quarterfinals of the MVC Tournament. Murray State won both matchups last season and leads the all-time series 9-3.
Belmont (Feb. 6, CFSB Center; Feb. 20, Nashville, Tenn.)
Belmont ended 2025-26 with a 26-6 overall record and a 16-4 mark in MVC play, ending the season in the opening round of the MVC Tournament. Belmont won a pair of nationally-televised matchups last season, and the Racers trail the all-time series 12-20.
With the addition of Murray State's non-conference schedule, announced last Wednesday, the Racers are set to host 16 total contests inside new-look CFSB Center, which is in the final stages of an eight-figure renovation that completely reimagines the facility.
New season tickets for the 2026-27 Murray State men's basketball season are available now. Fans can secure their seats by calling the Murray State Ticket Office at (270) 809-3000, and find additional ticket information by visiting GoRacers.com/Tickets.
A limited number of loge boxes and courtside seats remain for the 2026-27 season, while ledge seating is completely sold out. For more information on how to purchase a loge box, CLICK HERE.
The Racers will open MVC play with four of their first six conference matchups at home, but close the year with four of their final six regular season contests on the road down the stretch in February. The slate begins with a home contest on December 17 against Illinois State before a quick trip to take on Indiana State on December 19. A pair of home games on December 29 and January 1 against UIC and Drake flip the calendar into 2026, followed by a January 4 visit to Bradley and a January 9 home date with Evansville.
Mid-January will see Murray State on the road three times in a four-game stretch, with visits to Southern Illinois (January 12), Northern Iowa (January 21) and Drake (January 24), with a January 16 home contest against Indiana State sandwiched in between. The Racers then have back-to-back home games to close the month of January, welcoming Bradley and Valparaiso on January 27 and 30, then heading to Chicago to open February against UIC on February 3.
Murray State will host Belmont on February 6 then head on the road again for contests at Evansville (February 9) and Illinois State (February 12). The Racers welcome Southern Illinois to town on February 15 to begin the final regular season push, then making the short trip to Belmont on February 20. The final regular season home contest comes February 24 against Northern Iowa before the finale on February 27 at Valparaiso. Arch Madness is set for March 3-7 in St. Louis.
OPPONENT INFO
Illinois State (Dec. 17, CFSB Center; Feb. 12, Normal, Ill.)
Illinois State ended 2025-26 with a 23-13 overall record and a 12-8 mark in the MVC, finishing the year in the NIT semifinals. Illinois State won both matchups last season but the Racers lead the short all-time series 8-6.
Indiana State (Dec. 19, Terre Haute, Ind.; Jan. 16, CFSB Center)
Indiana State finished with a 11-21 overall record and an 4-16 MVC record last season. Murray State won both contests a season ago, but the Racers trail in the all-time series 7-11 in a series that dates back to 1945.
UIC (Dec. 29, CFSB Center; Feb. 3, Chicago)
UIC was 19-16 overall in 2025-26 with a 12-8 MVC record, ending the year in the opening round of the NIT after playing in the MVC title game. Murray State won both regular season contests last season but UIC knocked the Racers out of the MVC Tournament. The Racers have won seven of the 10 all-time meetings in the short series.
Drake (Jan. 1, CFSB Center; Jan. 24, Des Moines, Iowa)
Drake ended 2025-26 with a 14-20 overall record and a 6-14 mark in the MVC, ending the year with a semifinal loss in the MVC Tournament. Murray State and Drake split the two meetings last season, with each winning at home, with the Racers trailing the all-time series 4-7 in a series that dates back to 1938.
Bradley (Jan. 4, Peoria, Ill.; Jan. 27, CFSB Center)
Bradley finished with a 21-13 overall record and a 13-7 MVC record last season, ending the year in the opening round of the NIT. Bradley and Murray State split last season's meetings, each winning at home, with Bradley holding a slight edge in the all-time series, 10-13.
Evansville (Jan. 9, CFSB Center; Feb. 9, Evansville, Ind.)
Evansville was 7-25 overall in 2025-26 with a 3-17 MVC record. The Racers won both matchups last season and now lead the all-time series 35-15 in a series that dates back to 1943.
Southern Illinois (Jan. 12, Carbondale, Ill.; Feb. 15, CFSB Center)
Southern Illinois ended 2025-26 with a 16-16 overall record and a 10-10 mark in MVC play. Murray State won both matchups last season to pull the all-time series even at 23-23.
Northern Iowa (Jan. 21, Cedar Falls, Iowa; Feb. 24, CFSB Center)
Northern Iowa finished with a 23-13 overall record and an 11-9 MVC record last season, winning the MVC title as the No. 6 seed before falling in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Murray State dropped both meetings last year and trails the short all-time series 2-5.
Valparaiso (Jan. 30, CFSB Center; Feb. 27, Chicago)
Valparaiso was 18-15 overall in 2025-26 with an 11-9 MVC record, ending the year in the quarterfinals of the MVC Tournament. Murray State won both matchups last season and leads the all-time series 9-3.
Belmont (Feb. 6, CFSB Center; Feb. 20, Nashville, Tenn.)
Belmont ended 2025-26 with a 26-6 overall record and a 16-4 mark in MVC play, ending the season in the opening round of the MVC Tournament. Belmont won a pair of nationally-televised matchups last season, and the Racers trail the all-time series 12-20.
Tuesday, September 15
Sunday, September 13
Friday, September 11
Tuesday, September 08
