HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University men's basketball team announced the full non-conference slate for the 2026-27 season on Thursday morning. After making a statement at the NCAA Tournament during the 2025-26 season, Head Coach Flynn Clayman has lined up quite the test for the Panthers for the upcoming season.

"We're excited to announce the most competitive and exciting non-conference schedule in High Point's Division I history," Coach Clayman stated. "This slate welcomes power-conference programs, launches home-and-home series with recent top-25 NCAA Tournament Round of 32 participants, and includes elite neutral-site opponents. We look forward to a memorable start to the season."
 
On the schedule, the Panthers will face a Power 4 opponent and three CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 teams from the 2025-26 season – No. 14 UNCW (exhibition), No. 2 Miami of Ohio, and No. 10 Liberty.
 
The Panthers open the season with two exhibition games against UNCW and ETSU, taking on the Seahawks on October 17 at the Qubein Center and the Buccaneers on October 25 at Freedom Hall (the host site for the 2026-27 Big South Tournament).
 
High Point returns for another year at the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon and kicks off the 2026–27 college basketball season with a historic midnight tip on Monday, November 2, 2026, at 12:00 a.m. ET, facing Liberty at the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center in Rock Hill, S.C. This game will be the first official tip of the 2026-27 season and marks the first scheduled midnight-season tip of the college basketball season since ESPN's last midnight tip on November 15, 2016. 
 
After playing the first game of the season at a neutral site, HPU hosts three home games through the first and second weeks of November.
 
The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) will play at the Qubein Center for the first time on November 4 for the home opener. The last matchup between the two teams was in 2015 in the CIT postseason tournament as the Panthers defeated Hawks 70-64 to advance to the next round.
 
Homecoming weekend on November 7 will be a game that fans do not want to miss. High Point hosts Washington State, who recently transitioned to the PAC-12 Conference, at the Qubein Center for the first time in program history. Washington State finished the 2025-26 season with an overall record of 12-20 and a 7-11 record in the West Coast Conference. The Cougars are coached by David Riley who will enter his third season at the helm.
 
On November 12, Southern Utah, Coach Clayman's old stomping grounds, will travel out to High Point for a first-time matchup. The Thunderbirds finished the 2025-26 season with a 10-22 overall record and a 6-12 record in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). The Thunderbirds recently rejoined the Big Sky Conference in July of 2026.
 
High Point will hit the road for its first true away game of the season after locking in one of the top mid-major programs in the country in a home-and-home series. The Panthers set a two-year agreement with Saint Louis to play on the road at Chaifetz Arena for the 2026-27 season on November 15 before playing at the Qubein Center in 2027-28. St. Louis posted a 29-6 overall record during the 2025-26 season in route to an appearance in the NCAA Tournament and defeated Georgia in the First Round before facing National Champion Michigan in the Round of 32.
 
On November 19, the Panthers return home to take on Montana State for the first time in program history. MSU finished 18-14 overall and 12-6 in the Big Sky Conference during the 2025-26 season.
 
Right before the Thanksgiving holiday, HPU travels down to Daytona Beach for the second consecutive season to play in a one-day game on November 24 versus Duquesne in the Sunshine Slam. The game will be played at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. HPU previously played Duquesne in 2008 on the road in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Dukes were 18-15 a season ago and 9-9 in the Atlantic 10 Conference, making it to the quarterfinals of the A-10 Championships.
 
After Thanksgiving, High Point hosts The Citadel on November 28 to close out the month of November and begin a four-game home stand. HPU is 3-4 against the Bulldogs all-time with the most recent matchup in 2018-19. The Citadel went 11-22 during the 2025-26 season and 7-11 in the Southern Conference, making it to the quarterfinals of the SoCon Championships.
 
On December 2, the Panthers welcome George Mason to the Qubein Center for the first time in program history, along with the first-ever matchup between the two teams. Like the St. Louis game, HPU and George Mason entered a two-year home-and-home series between the teams for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons. The Patriots boasted a 23-10 record with an 11-7 record in the A-10, falling in the A-10 Tournament Championship game. George Mason was invited to the NIT and faced Liberty in the first round.
 
Two days later, High Point hosts Wagner from the Northeast Conference (NEC) on December 4 for a first-time matchup. The Seahawks finished the 2025-26 season 14-17 overall and lost in the NEC Tournament semifinals to No. 1 seed LIU.
 
On December 6, the four-game home stand concludes with Division III William Peace for the second matchup between the two teams since 2014.
 
Traveling just down the street to Greensboro, the Panthers will take on Miami (OH) in a neutral site game at the Novant Health Fieldhouse at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. Miami (OH) capped its 2025-26 season with a 32-2 record, going undefeated 31-0 before falling to UMass in the MAC Championship. The Redhawks earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and picked up a play-in game win over SMU.
 
High Point will play N.C. Central at home on December 15, welcoming the Eagles back to the Qubein Center for the second time in three seasons. N.C. Central finished the 2025-26 season 14-18 overall and 8-6 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The Eagles fell to No.1 Howard in the MEAC Championship game.
 
One of the biggest games on the non-conference schedule is the game at LSU on December 18. The Panthers and Tigers will meet for the first-time in program history. LSU finished the 2025-26 season with an overall record of 15-17 and a 3-15 record in SEC play. Since the conclusion of the 2025-26 season, the Tigers hired former NC State coach Will Wade who recently served as LSU's Head Coach from 2017-22.
 
HPU caps the 2026-27 non-conference slate with two home games on December 21 versus Loyola (Md.) and December 28 versus Pfeiffer. To see the full schedule on our website click the link HERE.
 
Fans have 12 opportunities to see the Panthers in action on their home court before the Big South Conference season begins and after an exciting 2025-26 season, High Point continues to build on its fast-paced style of basketball with the addition of eight new transfers and three freshman.
 
Season-tickets are on sale NOW! Click the link HERE to purchase. Stay up to date with all things High Point Basketball by following us on X (@HPUMBB), Facebook (HPU Men's Basketball) and Instagram (@hpu_mbb).