BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Mahurin Family Foundation Head Coach Hank Plona announced WKU Hilltopper Basketball's 2026-27 nonconference schedule Monday.
"We have a group that we strongly believe in and we did all we could to challenge ourselves in November and December," said Plona. "We know that playing these high-level opponents will make us better and prepare us to make a run at a Conference USA championship, which is our ultimate goal. In today's college basketball world, the games end up being a mix of home, road and neutral, but we wanted to schedule games where our Hilltopper fans can support us all over, and for the most part we did that. We're looking forward to getting started and can't wait to see red and white in the stands cheering us on."
WKU will play two exhibition contests before the regular season, opening against Bowling Green on Oct. 20 at E.A. Diddle Arena before facing Indiana on Oct. 25 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.
The Hilltoppers will officially begin the 2026-27 campaign at home on Monday, Nov. 2, against Morehead State and will host eight nonconference matchups in total.
Following the regular-season opener against Morehead State, WKU will host Kentucky Wesleyan on Nov. 5 before traveling to Tennessee Tech on Nov. 8. The Hilltoppers return to Diddle Arena for a matchup against Campbellsville on Nov. 11 before a road contest at Tulsa on Nov. 16.
WKU heads to White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, for the Greenbrier Tip-Off, Nov. 20-22. The Hilltoppers will face Richmond on Nov. 20 and George Washington on Nov. 22 in the two-game event.
After the trip to The Greenbrier, the Hilltoppers travel to Champaign, Illinois, to face NCAA Final Four participant Illinois on Nov. 27 before returning home to host Belmont on Dec. 1. WKU then travels to Evansville on Dec. 5.
The Hilltoppers host UAB on Dec. 12 and Lipscomb on Dec. 16 inside Diddle Arena before traveling to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for a neutral-site matchup against Tulane on Dec. 22.
WKU concludes nonconference play at home against Bethel (Tenn.) on Dec. 28.
Conference USA action opens Dec. 31 at defending CUSA Tournament Champion Kennesaw State.
All-Time Records vs. Nonconference Opponents
Morehead State (73-32)
Kentucky Wesleyan (28-9)
Tennessee Tech (84-20)
Campbellsville (9-0)
Tulsa (1-6)
Richmond (0-0)
George Washington (1-0)
Illinois (1-2)
Belmont (4-8)
Evansville (42-20)
Tulane (6-0)
Bethel (Tenn.) (2-0)
Season tickets for WKU Hilltopper Basketball are on sale now for the 2026-27 season, with men's basketball season tickets starting at $75 per seat, plus an additional HAF donation. Fans can secure seats by purchasing HERE, calling 1-800-5-BIGRED or visiting the WKU ticket office at E.A. Diddle Arena.
How to follow WKU Hilltopper Basketball: For complete information on WKU Hilltopper Basketball, visit WKUSports.com or follow the program via social media @WKUBasketball on Instagram and X.
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