South Alabama Men’s Basketball Schedule Set: Jaguars Open vs. Ohio, Face SMU and UCF on the Road

MOBILE, Ala. — The South Alabama men’s basketball schedule for 2026-27 is now set, with the Jaguars filling in the final pieces by releasing a 14-game non-conference slate that includes a home opener against Ohio, road trips to Central Florida, North Texas and SMU, and a holiday-week tournament in New Orleans.

The announcement completes a 32-game regular-season schedule that will carry South Alabama from early November through late February, followed by the Sun Belt Conference tournament in Pensacola, Fla., in early March. Tip-off times have not yet been announced and will be released later.

Exhibition and Season Opener

Fans will get their first look at the 2026-27 Jaguars on Thursday, Oct. 29, when South Alabama hosts Mississippi Christian in an exhibition game.

The regular season tips off four days later, on Monday, Nov. 2, when Ohio visits Mobile. The game is part of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge, an interconference series that pairs teams from the Mid-American Conference and the Sun Belt Conference. South Alabama will play a second Challenge game later in the season, traveling to face a Mid-American Conference opponent on Saturday, Feb. 6. That opponent has not yet been determined.

The Jaguars’ football team also faced Ohio this fall, winning 41-36, giving the Bobcats’ basketball visit a familiar feel for Jaguars fans.

A Busy November

November will be the most demanding stretch of the non-conference schedule, with 11 regular-season games packed into the month. After opening against Ohio, South Alabama hosts Jacksonville State on Thursday, Nov. 5.

The Jaguars then hit the road for their first true road test of the season at Central Florida on Tuesday, Nov. 10. Two days later, on Thursday, Nov. 12, South Alabama plays Loyola Marymount at a neutral site in Pensacola, giving fans along the Gulf Coast a short drive to see the Jaguars take on a team from the West Coast. A trip to North Texas follows on Saturday, Nov. 14.

South Alabama returns home to face Spring Hill on Tuesday, Nov. 17, before traveling to Dallas to face SMU on Friday, Nov. 20. The Jaguars then close the month with back-to-back home games against West Florida on Sunday, Nov. 22, and Florida A&M on Tuesday, Nov. 24.

Thanksgiving week brings a trip to New Orleans for the Second Line Showcase, where South Alabama will face Fresno State on Friday, Nov. 27, and South Dakota State on Saturday, Nov. 28.

Local Flavor on the Schedule

The non-conference slate carries a strong regional feel. Three of South Alabama’s home opponents come from close to home:

• Spring Hill, the Mobile college located just a few miles from the South Alabama campus, visits on Nov. 17.
• West Florida, based in Pensacola, comes to Mobile on Nov. 22.
• Mobile, the University of Mobile, closes out non-conference home play on Monday, Dec. 28.

Those games, along with the neutral-site meeting with Loyola Marymount in Pensacola and the Second Line Showcase in New Orleans, give fans throughout the region several convenient opportunities to see the team before Sun Belt play heats up.

South Alabama also hosts Texas-San Antonio on Saturday, Dec. 5, its final non-conference game before the start of league action.

Sun Belt Play Begins Dec. 16

As previously announced, South Alabama opens Sun Belt Conference play on Wednesday, Dec. 16, at Arkansas State. The Jaguars’ first conference home game comes three days later, when Old Dominion visits on Saturday, Dec. 19.

After the Dec. 28 home game against Mobile, South Alabama rings in the new year on the road, playing at Marshall on New Year’s Eve, Thursday, Dec. 31, and at Appalachian State on Saturday, Jan. 2. January also includes home games against Georgia Southern, Coastal Carolina, Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss, and road trips to Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana, Troy and Louisiana Tech.

February opens with a home game against Arkansas State on Wednesday, Feb. 3, followed by the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge road game on Feb. 6. The regular season wraps up with a trip to Georgia State, a three-game homestand against Troy, Louisiana and Louisiana-Monroe, and the finale at Southern Miss on Friday, Feb. 26.

The Sun Belt Conference tournament is scheduled for Tuesday, March 2, through Monday, March 8, in Pensacola. The tournament winner earns the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Building on a Strong 2025-26 Season

South Alabama enters the new season off a successful 2025-26 campaign. The Jaguars finished 21-12 and tied for second place in the Sun Belt regular-season standings. That performance earned South Alabama a spot in the National Invitation Tournament, where the Jaguars lost in the first round to Auburn. The Tigers went on to win the NIT championship.

Counting the full 32-game regular season, South Alabama will play 16 games at home, 13 on the road and three at neutral sites, plus the October exhibition.

Full 2026-27 South Alabama Men’s Basketball Schedule

Home games are listed in capital letters. Tip-off times will be announced at a later date.

• Thursday, Oct. 29 — MISSISSIPPI CHRISTIAN (exhibition)
• Monday, Nov. 2 — OHIO (MAC-Sun Belt Challenge)
• Thursday, Nov. 5 — JACKSONVILLE STATE
• Tuesday, Nov. 10 — at Central Florida
• Thursday, Nov. 12 — vs. Loyola Marymount (Pensacola, Fla.)
• Saturday, Nov. 14 — at North Texas
• Tuesday, Nov. 17 — SPRING HILL
• Friday, Nov. 20 — at SMU
• Sunday, Nov. 22 — WEST FLORIDA
• Tuesday, Nov. 24 — FLORIDA A&M
• Friday, Nov. 27 — vs. Fresno State (Second Line Showcase, New Orleans)
• Saturday, Nov. 28 — vs. South Dakota State (Second Line Showcase, New Orleans)
• Saturday, Dec. 5 — TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO
• Wednesday, Dec. 16 — at Arkansas State*
• Saturday, Dec. 19 — OLD DOMINION*
• Monday, Dec. 28 — MOBILE
• Thursday, Dec. 31 — at Marshall*
• Saturday, Jan. 2 — at Appalachian State*
• Thursday, Jan. 7 — GEORGIA SOUTHERN*
• Saturday, Jan. 9 — COASTAL CAROLINA*
• Thursday, Jan. 14 — at Louisiana-Monroe*
• Saturday, Jan. 16 — LOUISIANA TECH*
• Thursday, Jan. 21 — at Louisiana*
• Saturday, Jan. 23 — SOUTHERN MISS*
• Wednesday, Jan. 27 — at Troy*
• Saturday, Jan. 30 — at Louisiana Tech*
• Wednesday, Feb. 3 — ARKANSAS STATE
• Saturday, Feb. 6 — at TBD (MAC-Sun Belt Challenge)
• Saturday, Feb. 13 — at Georgia State*
• Thursday, Feb. 18 — TROY*
• Saturday, Feb. 20 — LOUISIANA*
• Wednesday, Feb. 24 — LOUISIANA-MONROE*
• Friday, Feb. 26 — at Southern Miss*
• Tuesday, March 2 through Monday, March 8 — Sun Belt Conference tournament (Pensacola, Fla.)

* Denotes Sun Belt Conference game.

Tip-off times will be announced later by South Alabama. With the exhibition opener against Mississippi Christian less than two weeks away, the Jaguars’ 2026-27 season is nearly here.