Bradley men's basketball's 2026-27 non-conference schedule features a slate highlighted by five Quadrant 1-2 matchups made up of five of the nation's top 135 of 365 teams, and three true road games at Pacific, North Texas and Davidson. The Braves will face teams from three of the nation's top 10 conferences in the Atlantic 10, American and West Coast Conference, while also participating in the "Showdown in St. Pete" against Atlantic 10 power George Mason. The Braves can also expect to see a pair of future return trips to Peoria, with North Texas and Davidson set to visit Carver Arena in 2027.

Preseason Exhibitions
The Braves will begin the non-conference portion of their season with two exhibitions in late October. Bradley will first travel south to St. Louis, Missouri, to take on Saint Louis on Oct. 23. The Billikens are coming off a second-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Bradley will then return home for an exhibition against SIUE and head coach Brian Barone. The Cougars are just two years removed from an NCAA Tournament berth. Barone is the son of former Bradley basketball assistant coach Tony Barone.

Let the Regular Season Begin!
Bradley's regular-season schedule will open with two straight home games, beginning with a matchup against Monmouth College on Monday, Nov. 2, followed by a game against Pacific on Saturday, Nov. 7. The matchup with Pacific will be the first of two meetings between the programs in 2026-27 and will mark just the fifth and sixth times the two programs have met on the hardwood. The Tigers are led by head coach Dave Smart, who is entering his third season at the helm of the program. Smart was recently inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame this past summer. He previously won 13 national titles in 19 years at Carleton University in Ottawa.

Following the brief two-game home stretch, BU will hit the road for three straight contests from Nov. 10-14, beginning with their first true road game at Atlantic 10 foe Davidson. The Wildcats are coming off their first 20-win season under head coach Matt McKillop, highlighted by notable victories over Boston College, St. Bonaventure, and Washington State. McKillop succeeded his father, Bob McKillop, who announced his retirement after 33 years on the Wildcats' bench.

The Showdown in St. Pete!
Bradley will then travel to St. Petersburg, Florida, for its multi-team event (MTE), "The Showdown in St. Pete," where the Braves will play two games. The Coppin State Eagles will await Bradley in the opening game. The Eagles and Braves have never previously met in men's basketball. Coppin State returns 10 players from last season, including its third-leading scorer, Hussain Williams.

In the second game, Bradley will see a familiar face in the George Mason Patriots. The two programs will square off for the third time in 10 years after a highly entertaining second-round matchup in the 2025 National Invitation Tournament. The Patriots are coming off their second straight season with a berth in the NIT and will welcome 11 newcomers to the squad in 2026-27. Tony Skinn is the head coach for the Patriots and owns a 70-31 career record. George Mason will look to lean on Jaion Pitt, who averaged 17.5 points per game off the bench and appeared in all 33 games last season.

The Holiday Season!
After returning from the Sunshine State, Bradley will be back inside Carver Arena for a mid-November matchup against Purdue Fort Wayne. The contest will be just the second all-time meeting between the Braves and Mastodons. The Mastodons are coached by John Coffman, who has won more than 200 games as a head coach and owns multiple postseason berths, including four CIT appearances, one NIT appearance, and one CBI appearance. Purdue Fort Wayne has won 97 games over the last five seasons and will return six players to its roster for 2026-27. Bradley will then head out west to take on Pacific in the return game of the teams' earlier regular-season meeting.

BU will then host Chicago State on Nov. 28 for the 18th all-time meeting between the programs. The Braves own a perfect 17-0 record in the series, dating back to the 1970-71 season, with 14 of those victories coming on their home court. The matchup will be the first between Bradley and Chicago State since the 2018-19 season, when the Braves earned an 86-70 victory on Nov. 24, 2018. It will also mark the fourth meeting between the programs during the Brian Wardle era. Chicago State enters its second season under head coach Landon Bussie.

As Bradley enters December, Loras College will await the Braves. This will be the first meeting between the two programs in a regular-season contest. Loras won 20 games in 2025-26 and claimed the American Rivers Conference Tournament title, punching its ticket to the NCAA Division III Tournament, where they saw their season end in a first-round loss to No. 21 Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Bradley's final true road game of the non-conference slate will come on Dec. 4, when the Braves travel to North Texas for the 31st all-time meeting between the programs and the first since the 1975-76 season. The Braves hold a 30-6 advantage in the all-time series, including a 13-5 mark in games played at North Texas. Bradley won the first 22 meetings between the schools before North Texas claimed six of the next 14 contests from February 1970 through February 1976. The two programs were conference rivals from 1958 through 1976.

North Texas enters its second season under head coach Daniyal Robinson after finishing 19-14 overall and 9-9 in American Conference play in 2025-26. North Texas returns five players this season, including leading scorer Je'Shawn Stevenson. Stevenson averaged 17.3 points per game last season while shooting 83.6% from the free-throw line (138-of-165). He also recorded 66 steals while averaging 32.2 minutes per game.

In Bradley's non-conference finale, the Braves will host the Green Bay Phoenix. The two sides have met just twice previously in the regular season or postseason, with the last meeting coming in the 2013 CollegeInsider.com Tournament. This marks the first time Brian Wardle will face off against Green Bay in the regular season since his departure in 2015.

The Phoenix are led by Doug Gottlieb, who is entering his third season and guided the program to a 14-win improvement from his first season to his second. Green Bay will be headlined by Marcus Hall, who returns as the team's second-leading scorer after averaging 13.9 points per game last season while shooting 40% from beyond the three-point line.

Season Tickets
Those interested in learning more or purchasing Bradley men's basketball season tickets can contact the Bradley Athletics Ticket Office at (309) 677-2625 or visit in person at 1600 West Main Street, Peoria, IL 61625, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or visit our Bradley MBB season ticket page located HERE.