UCF’s men’s basketball team now knows the road map for its 2026 non-conference slate, and it comes with plenty of variety: a five-game homestand to start, trips to two notable college basketball venues, a Thanksgiving stop at ESPN Wide World of Sports and three games against Florida opponents.
The Knights’ non-conference schedule includes 14 games in all, with nine of them at Addition Financial Arena. It also features two teams that played in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
The season opens Monday, Nov. 2, when UCF hosts FGCU to begin a five-game run at home. Yale comes to Orlando on Nov. 6, followed by South Alabama on Nov.
10, Georgia Southern on Nov. 13 and Mississippi State on Nov. 17.
After that stretch in Orlando, UCF heads to Nashville on Nov. 20 to face Vanderbilt. That game will be the Knights’ first at Memorial Gymnasium.
Thanksgiving week brings the ESPN Events Invitational on Nov. 25-26 at ESPN Wide World of Sports. The event features 10 teams split into two brackets, and UCF’s opponents will be revealed later.
December starts with another in-state visit, as Jacksonville comes to the City Beautiful. The Knights then host American on Dec. 6 before making their first trip to Indiana on Dec.
- That matchup will be the first meeting between UCF and Indiana.
UCF returns home on Dec. 16 for FIU, giving the Knights their third game against a Florida opponent. From there, UCF plays Virginia Tech at Rick Case Arena in a neutral-site game that also marks the first meeting between those programs. The non-conference schedule ends Dec. 22 against Towson.
Once that portion of the calendar wraps up, UCF turns to Big 12 play for its fourth season in the league. The Knights will play an 18-game conference schedule, with home-and-home series against Baylor, Texas Tech and West Virginia. They will meet the other 12 conference opponents once each, split evenly between home and road.
West Virginia stands out in that setup, since the two schools will play twice in the same season for the third time in four years.
UCF’s home-only Big 12 opponents are BYU, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas State and Utah. On the road, the Knights will visit Arizona, Arizona State, Cincinnati, Kansas, Oklahoma State and TCU.
Season tickets and anytime season tickets are on sale now, with the Knights set to open the season Nov. 2. Fans can buy tickets online or by calling the ticket office at (407) 823-1000.
In Other News...
UCF Fans Have Every Reason To Watch RJ Harvey In Denver
RJ Harvey has wasted little time making his presence felt in Denver, giving UCF fans plenty of reasons to keep one eye on the Broncos this fall. The rookie running back has become a meaningful part of Sean Paytons offense, working as a versatile option who can line up in different spots and contribute as both a runner and a receiver out of the backfield. Denver has clearly found ways to lean on his skill set, and Bo Nix has been open about how much Harvey brings with his hands and his feel for the game.
What makes Harvey especially interesting is the way he has already shown up in the biggest moments. He has turned into a player Denver trusts in pressure situations, and that kind of role tends to stick when a coach values intelligence and adaptability as much as raw production. For UCF followers, it is a reminder that Harvey is not just filling a roster spot in the NFL, he is becoming part of the Broncos late-game plans in a way that could keep paying off. [Read more 🡒]
Dylan Wade Is Chasing A Bigger UCF Role Than Stats Alone
UCFs tight end room spent the offseason trying to become harder to deal with at the point of attack, and coach Cooper Bassett said the group has come back with better physicality and cleaner blocking technique after the strength work. That matters most for Dylan Wade, the senior who already owns the programs receiving records but is still searching for the kind of complete game that keeps him on NFL radars and expands what he can do for the Knights this fall.
Wades pass-catching resume is already written, but the next layer of his value comes from how well he handles the less glamorous parts of the position. UCF is also sorting through other options at tight end, including Caden Piening, who profiles more as a complement than a direct challenger to Wade, which puts even more attention on whether Wade can turn his blocking into a real separator rather than just a checkbox. [Read more 🡒]
UCFs New Quarterback Is Bringing Expectations Scott Frost Cant Ignore
Alonza Barnett III arrives at UCF with the kind of rsum that immediately changes the conversation around a quarterback room. The Knights believe they have a leader who can settle into Scott Frosts offense and give the program a steadier edge, and the early buzz around campus has only grown since Barnett joined the team. Coaches and fans alike are looking at him as the player who can help set the tone for what UCF wants to be moving forward.
The expectations are not coming from nowhere. Barnett already proved he can steer a team into the College Football Playoff, and his profile has only risen since then with recognition on major preseason watch lists. For Frost, that creates a familiar kind of pressure: the kind that comes with having a quarterback whose ceiling is obvious and whose next step will be measured against the biggest stages he has already reached. [Read more 🡒]