Bucknell University Athletics
Men’s Basketball Schedule to Feature 16 Home Games, Six Non-League Games against 2026 NCAA Teams; Season Starts Nov. 2 at Maryland
8/11/2026 2:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NOTE: Bucknell basketball season tickets go on sale on Aug. 19, and single-game ticket sales will begin on Sept. 16.
2026-27 Bucknell Men's Basketball Schedule
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell head men's basketball coach John Griffin III '08 has assembled an exciting but challenging non-conference slate for the coming season. The Bison will open the 2026-27 campaign at Maryland on Monday, Nov. 2, and over the next two months they will square off against six teams that reached the NCAA Tournament and another that participated in the NIT last March.
Of the 14 non-league opponents, nine had winning records last season, including six 20-win teams. Bucknell's 13 Division I opponents combined for a 246-177 (.582) record a year ago. It is a potent lead-up to the Patriot League slate, which begins on Wednesday, Dec. 30 against Colgate.
Bison fans will get their first look at the team in game action on Saturday, Oct. 24, when Hall-of-Famer Kevin Bettencourt '06 – a former teammate of Griffin's on some of Bucknell's all-time greatest teams – brings his Endicott team to Sojka Pavilion for a preseason exhibition game. The contest is included in this year's season ticket package, with more details on a special charitable endeavor associated with the game to be announced soon. Bettencourt's Gulls team will be preparing to build on one of its finest seasons. Endicott finished 28-2 overall and 16-0 in the Conference of New England, won the CNE Tournament title, and then advanced to the third round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Bucknell's official home opener will be game No. 2 on the season, a date with Old Dominion on Saturday, Nov. 7. The Bison and Monarchs will be meeting for the first time since 2008, when Bucknell prevailed 83-82 in double-overtime at Sojka Pavilion to give former coach Dave Paulsen his first win on the Bison bench.
The ODU game will be sandwiched between a pair of Power Five matchups, as Bucknell opens at Maryland on Nov. 2 and then visits Virginia on Tuesday, Nov. 10. While the Terrapins are building for a bounce-back year under second-year head coach Buzz Williams, the Cavaliers are looking for more of the same after a 30-win season. Virginia went 30-6 overall and 15-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, with its season ending in a close loss to Tennessee in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Bison will then play three straight home games in the middle of November, all against strong mid-major opponents in Columbia (Nov. 13), Akron (Nov. 17), and Siena (Nov. 21). Columbia went 16-12 overall and 5-9 in the tough Ivy League, and early in the season the Lions defeated both Patriot League Tournament finalists in Lehigh and Boston University. Akron went 29-6 and 17-1 in the Mid-American Conference before downing Toledo in the MAC Tournament final. The Zips fell to Texas Tech in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Siena also earned an NCAA bid under coach Gerry McNamara, who has since returned to his alma mater as head coach at Syracuse. The Saints were 23-12 overall and 13-7 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, and they posted a 10-point win over top-seeded Merrimack in the MAAC Tournament title game before giving Duke a major scare in the NCAA first round. Siena built a 13-point lead early in the second half before the Blue Devils rallied and avoided becoming just the third No. 1 seed ever to lose a first-round contest.
Cornell finished 15-13 overall and 8-6 in the Ivy League last season, and the Bison will head to Ithaca on Tuesday, Nov. 24. The Big Red went 4-0 against the Patriot League in 2025-26, including a high-scoring win at Sojka Pavilion.
Just after Thanksgiving, the Bison will head to Philadelphia for the Cathedral Classic, where they will help celebrate the 100th anniversary of The Palestra, Penn's iconic arena. Bucknell will take on La Salle on Friday, Nov. 27, at 3:30 p.m., followed by a 6 p.m. date with the Quakers a day later. Penn is yet another reigning NCAA team, as the Quakers won an overtime classic against Yale in the Ivy League Tournament final before falling to Illinois in the NCAA first round.
Longtime Middle America Conference and East Coast Conference rivals Bucknell and Delaware will meet for the fourth year in a row, this time in Newark, Del., on Wednesday, Dec. 2. Three days later, the Bison will welcome a new foe to Sojka Pavilion for their first-ever meeting with St. Thomas. The Tommies made a successful leap from Division III to Division I five years ago, and they have won at least 19 games in each of the last four seasons. In 2025-26, St. Thomas went 24-10 overall and 12-4 in the Summit League. As the No. 2 seed in the Summit Tournament, the Tommies dropped a one-point game to North Dakota in the semifinals, but they earned an NIT bid in their very first season eligible for Division I postseason play. St. Thomas won the Division III national championship as recently as 2016, and it featured a prolific offense last season, shooting better than 50 percent from the field while averaging 81.8 points per game.
Bucknell's final game before the final exam break will be at UMBC on Tuesday, Dec. 8. The Retrievers came away with a close win in Lewisburg last season and went on to finish 24-9 and 14-2 in the America East. They posted three straight one-sided wins in the America East Tournament, capped by a 74-59 win over Vermont in the final, before falling to Howard 86-83 in the NCAA First Four in Dayton.
The Bison will come out of the 10-day hiatus with a home game against Division III Immaculata on Friday, Dec. 18, and then the final non-conference contest will be against yet another 2026 NCAA team – and another former ECC rival -- in Hofstra on Monday, Dec. 21. The Pride went 24-11 overall and 12-6 in the Coastal Athletic Association, and they defeated Monmouth in the CAA Tournament final before losing to Alabama at the NCAAs.
Bucknell's first four Patriot League games will come against the top four teams in last year's regular-season standings. After opening at home against Colgate, the Bison visit 2025-26 regular-season champion Navy and tournament finalist Boston University in succession, and then they host defending champion Lehigh on Saturday, Jan. 9.
The Patriot League Tournament tips off with two first-round games on Tuesday, March 2, with the championship tilt scheduled for Wednesday, March 10. Once again this season, all tournament games will be played at the home of the higher-seeded team.
Additional ticket information, game times, and promotional dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
Bucknell Men's Basketball Non-Conference Schedule
Game Times TBA
Sat., Oct. 24 ENDICOTT (exh.)
Mon., Nov. 2 at Maryland
Sat., Nov. 7 OLD DOMINION
Tue., Nov. 10 at Virginia
Fri., Nov. 13 COLUMBIA
Tue., Nov. 17 AKRON
Sat., Nov. 21 SIENA
Tue., Nov. 24 at Cornell
Fri., Nov. 27 vs. La Salle at Cathedral Classic
Sat., Nov. 28 vs. Penn at Cathedral Classic
Wed., Dec. 2 at Delaware
Sat., Dec. 5 ST. THOMAS
Tue., Dec. 8 at UMBC
Fri., Dec. 18 IMMACULATA
Mon., Dec. 21 at Hofstra
Wed., Dec. 30 COLGATE
Sat., Jan. 2 at Navy
Wed., Jan. 6 at Boston U.
Sat., Jan. 9 LEHIGH
Wed., Jan. 13 at Army
Sat., Jan. 16 LOYOLA
Wed., Jan. 20 HOLY CROSS
Sat., Jan. 23 at Colgate
Wed., Jan. 27 at American
Sat., Jan. 30 ARMY
Wed., Feb. 3 NAVY
Sat., Feb. 6 at Lehigh
Wed., Feb. 10 at Holy Cross
Sat., Feb. 13 LAFAYETTE
Mon., Feb. 15 BOSTON U.
Sun., Feb. 21 at Loyola
Wed., Feb. 24 AMERICAN
Sat., Feb. 27 at Lafayette
2026-27 Bucknell Men's Basketball Schedule
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell head men's basketball coach John Griffin III '08 has assembled an exciting but challenging non-conference slate for the coming season. The Bison will open the 2026-27 campaign at Maryland on Monday, Nov. 2, and over the next two months they will square off against six teams that reached the NCAA Tournament and another that participated in the NIT last March.
Of the 14 non-league opponents, nine had winning records last season, including six 20-win teams. Bucknell's 13 Division I opponents combined for a 246-177 (.582) record a year ago. It is a potent lead-up to the Patriot League slate, which begins on Wednesday, Dec. 30 against Colgate.
Bison fans will get their first look at the team in game action on Saturday, Oct. 24, when Hall-of-Famer Kevin Bettencourt '06 – a former teammate of Griffin's on some of Bucknell's all-time greatest teams – brings his Endicott team to Sojka Pavilion for a preseason exhibition game. The contest is included in this year's season ticket package, with more details on a special charitable endeavor associated with the game to be announced soon. Bettencourt's Gulls team will be preparing to build on one of its finest seasons. Endicott finished 28-2 overall and 16-0 in the Conference of New England, won the CNE Tournament title, and then advanced to the third round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Bucknell's official home opener will be game No. 2 on the season, a date with Old Dominion on Saturday, Nov. 7. The Bison and Monarchs will be meeting for the first time since 2008, when Bucknell prevailed 83-82 in double-overtime at Sojka Pavilion to give former coach Dave Paulsen his first win on the Bison bench.
The ODU game will be sandwiched between a pair of Power Five matchups, as Bucknell opens at Maryland on Nov. 2 and then visits Virginia on Tuesday, Nov. 10. While the Terrapins are building for a bounce-back year under second-year head coach Buzz Williams, the Cavaliers are looking for more of the same after a 30-win season. Virginia went 30-6 overall and 15-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, with its season ending in a close loss to Tennessee in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Bison will then play three straight home games in the middle of November, all against strong mid-major opponents in Columbia (Nov. 13), Akron (Nov. 17), and Siena (Nov. 21). Columbia went 16-12 overall and 5-9 in the tough Ivy League, and early in the season the Lions defeated both Patriot League Tournament finalists in Lehigh and Boston University. Akron went 29-6 and 17-1 in the Mid-American Conference before downing Toledo in the MAC Tournament final. The Zips fell to Texas Tech in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Siena also earned an NCAA bid under coach Gerry McNamara, who has since returned to his alma mater as head coach at Syracuse. The Saints were 23-12 overall and 13-7 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, and they posted a 10-point win over top-seeded Merrimack in the MAAC Tournament title game before giving Duke a major scare in the NCAA first round. Siena built a 13-point lead early in the second half before the Blue Devils rallied and avoided becoming just the third No. 1 seed ever to lose a first-round contest.
Cornell finished 15-13 overall and 8-6 in the Ivy League last season, and the Bison will head to Ithaca on Tuesday, Nov. 24. The Big Red went 4-0 against the Patriot League in 2025-26, including a high-scoring win at Sojka Pavilion.
Just after Thanksgiving, the Bison will head to Philadelphia for the Cathedral Classic, where they will help celebrate the 100th anniversary of The Palestra, Penn's iconic arena. Bucknell will take on La Salle on Friday, Nov. 27, at 3:30 p.m., followed by a 6 p.m. date with the Quakers a day later. Penn is yet another reigning NCAA team, as the Quakers won an overtime classic against Yale in the Ivy League Tournament final before falling to Illinois in the NCAA first round.
Longtime Middle America Conference and East Coast Conference rivals Bucknell and Delaware will meet for the fourth year in a row, this time in Newark, Del., on Wednesday, Dec. 2. Three days later, the Bison will welcome a new foe to Sojka Pavilion for their first-ever meeting with St. Thomas. The Tommies made a successful leap from Division III to Division I five years ago, and they have won at least 19 games in each of the last four seasons. In 2025-26, St. Thomas went 24-10 overall and 12-4 in the Summit League. As the No. 2 seed in the Summit Tournament, the Tommies dropped a one-point game to North Dakota in the semifinals, but they earned an NIT bid in their very first season eligible for Division I postseason play. St. Thomas won the Division III national championship as recently as 2016, and it featured a prolific offense last season, shooting better than 50 percent from the field while averaging 81.8 points per game.
Bucknell's final game before the final exam break will be at UMBC on Tuesday, Dec. 8. The Retrievers came away with a close win in Lewisburg last season and went on to finish 24-9 and 14-2 in the America East. They posted three straight one-sided wins in the America East Tournament, capped by a 74-59 win over Vermont in the final, before falling to Howard 86-83 in the NCAA First Four in Dayton.
The Bison will come out of the 10-day hiatus with a home game against Division III Immaculata on Friday, Dec. 18, and then the final non-conference contest will be against yet another 2026 NCAA team – and another former ECC rival -- in Hofstra on Monday, Dec. 21. The Pride went 24-11 overall and 12-6 in the Coastal Athletic Association, and they defeated Monmouth in the CAA Tournament final before losing to Alabama at the NCAAs.
Bucknell's first four Patriot League games will come against the top four teams in last year's regular-season standings. After opening at home against Colgate, the Bison visit 2025-26 regular-season champion Navy and tournament finalist Boston University in succession, and then they host defending champion Lehigh on Saturday, Jan. 9.
The Patriot League Tournament tips off with two first-round games on Tuesday, March 2, with the championship tilt scheduled for Wednesday, March 10. Once again this season, all tournament games will be played at the home of the higher-seeded team.
Additional ticket information, game times, and promotional dates will be announced in the coming weeks.
Bucknell Men's Basketball Non-Conference Schedule
Game Times TBA
Sat., Oct. 24 ENDICOTT (exh.)
Mon., Nov. 2 at Maryland
Sat., Nov. 7 OLD DOMINION
Tue., Nov. 10 at Virginia
Fri., Nov. 13 COLUMBIA
Tue., Nov. 17 AKRON
Sat., Nov. 21 SIENA
Tue., Nov. 24 at Cornell
Fri., Nov. 27 vs. La Salle at Cathedral Classic
Sat., Nov. 28 vs. Penn at Cathedral Classic
Wed., Dec. 2 at Delaware
Sat., Dec. 5 ST. THOMAS
Tue., Dec. 8 at UMBC
Fri., Dec. 18 IMMACULATA
Mon., Dec. 21 at Hofstra
Wed., Dec. 30 COLGATE
Sat., Jan. 2 at Navy
Wed., Jan. 6 at Boston U.
Sat., Jan. 9 LEHIGH
Wed., Jan. 13 at Army
Sat., Jan. 16 LOYOLA
Wed., Jan. 20 HOLY CROSS
Sat., Jan. 23 at Colgate
Wed., Jan. 27 at American
Sat., Jan. 30 ARMY
Wed., Feb. 3 NAVY
Sat., Feb. 6 at Lehigh
Wed., Feb. 10 at Holy Cross
Sat., Feb. 13 LAFAYETTE
Mon., Feb. 15 BOSTON U.
Sun., Feb. 21 at Loyola
Wed., Feb. 24 AMERICAN
Sat., Feb. 27 at Lafayette
Tuesday, August 11
Friday, August 07
Tuesday, August 04
Thursday, July 30