Iowa State men's basketball releases 2026-27 non-conference schedule

Iowa State men's basketball on July 7 announced its non-conference schedule for the 2026-27 season.

The Cyclones' schedule features eight home games and one exhibition at Hilton Coliseum in Ames. Iowa State will play a pair of exhibition games, starting Oct. 18 at Hilton against Creighton, followed by an Oct. 25 exhibition at Northwestern.

The regular-season opener is slated for Nov. 2 against Memphis at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. It will be the first time the Cyclones have opened the season away from Hilton Coliseum since 2017.

The home opener is slated for Nov. 6 against Southern Miss, while Iowa State will also host Southern (Nov. 10) and Niagara (Nov. 15) in a nine-day stretch at Hilton Coliseum.

The Cyclones head back to Las Vegas for the Players Era Championship on Nov. 24-28. The Cyclones will open the tournament Nov. 24 against San Diego State. Iowa State will also play on Nov. 26 and Nov. 27 in Las Vegas. Should the Cyclones go 3-0 in the first three games, they would advance to the Players Era Championship Game on Nov. 28. The winner’s side of the tournament will be a bracketed event, with Tennessee, Maryland, St. John’s, Oregon, Louisville and Texas Tech joining Iowa State and San Diego State on the left half of the bracket. Gonzaga, Kansas State, Baylor, Alabama, Michigan, Creighton, TCU and Miami make up the other side of the bracket.

Iowa State will open December against Alcorn State at Hilton Coliseum (Dec. 2) before facing back-to-back Big Ten opponents. The Cyclones will face Purdue on Dec. 6 at Hilton Coliseum, marking the first trip to Ames for the Boilermakers. Iowa State will play the Hawkeyes in Iowa City on Dec. 10. The Cyclones will look for their fourth straight victory over the Hawkeyes, something that has never been done in program history.

The Cyclones return to Hilton Coliseum to face North Carolina Central on Dec. 13 before heading to Kansas City on Dec. 18 to face Missouri State in the NABC Hall of Fame Classic at the T-Mobile Center. Iowa State will close the non-conference season at Hilton Coliseum with games against Northern Arizona (Dec. 21) and New Hampshire (Dec. 29).

Times and television selections will be announced at a later date.

2026-27 Iowa State men’s basketball non-conference schedule

• Oct. 18 – Creighton (Exhibition) – Hilton Coliseum
• Oct. 25 – at Northwestern (Exhibition) – Evanston, Ill.
• Nov. 2 – vs. Memphis – Sioux Falls, S.D.
• Nov. 6 – Southern Miss – Hilton Coliseum
• Nov. 10 – Southern – Hilton Coliseum
• Nov. 15 – Niagara – Hilton Coliseum
• Nov. 24 – vs. San Diego State – Las Vegas, Nev.
• Nov. 26-28 – Players Era Festival – Las Vegas, Nev.
• Dec. 2 – Alcorn State – Hilton Coliseum
• Dec. 6 – Purdue – Hilton Coliseum
• Dec. 10 – at Iowa (Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series) – Iowa City, Iowa
• Dec. 13 – North Carolina Central – Hilton Coliseum
• Dec. 18 – vs. Missouri State – Kansas City, Mo.
• Dec. 21 – Northern Arizona – Hilton Coliseum
• Dec. 29 – New Hampshire – Hilton Coliseum

The Iowa State sports information department contributed this report.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State men's basketball releases 2026-27 non-conference schedule