Wildcats Announce 2026-27 Non-Conference Schedule
9/23/2026 11:30:00 AM | Men's Basketball
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Davidson's non-conference schedule features 14 games with eight at home, three on the road, and three on a neutral floor. The Wildcats are set to open the 2026-27 campaign in Pullman, Wash. against Washington State on Monday, November 2.
Davidson's home opener is slated for Saturday, November 7 against Mercer.
"The changing rules and landscape of college basketball makes putting together a challenging schedule of quality games harder than ever," explained head coach Matt McKillop.
"We are very excited for what our non-conference slate looks like," added Coach McKillop. "We are playing teams that are coming off conference championships, NCAA tournament appearances, and NCAA wins in recent years. We believe our non-conference slate will have us prepared for A10 play and ready for anything."
Washington State is back in the Pac-12 this season. The Wildcats beat the Cougars inside Belk Arena 85-69 last season.
Mercer won 19 games last season, which ties the most wins for the program in a single campaign since 2013-14.
Davidson's four-game homestand in November continues with a matchup against the reigning MEAC Champions, Howard University, on Saturday, November 14.
The 'Cats host Bradley on Tuesday, November 10 in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The Braves finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference during the regular season last year (21-13, 13-7). They also qualified for the NIT Postseason Tournament.
The Battle For The Hornets' Nest Trophy against Charlotte is set for Tuesday, November 17 inside Belk Arena. The 'Cats beat the 49ers in the thriller last season down in Halton Arena (W, 62-55).
Davidson hits the road for three contests in late November during the holidays. The first two are part of the Fort Myers Tip-Off against Northern Iowa (November 23) and Tulane (November 25) on a neutral floor. Northern Iowa ranked third in the nation in scoring defense last season (61.8 PPG) and won the 2026 Missouri Valley Tournament Championship.
The 'Cats conclude competition in the month of November with a true road matchup against Florida Atlantic on Sunday the 29th. This will only be the second meeting between the Wildcats and Owls. The first one was back on November 24, 2008 and Stephen Curry dropped 39 points.
The non-conference menu in December features four games at home and two on the road.
Davidson hosts Dartmouth on Wednesday, December 2. The other home games are against Campbell (Wednesday, December 9), USC Upstate (Saturday, December 12), and UT Martin (Tuesday, December 22).
UT Martin went 22-11 overall and 13-7 in the Ohio Valley Conference last season. The Skyhawks ranked fourth nationally in scoring defense (63.2 PPG).
Davidson's first road game in the final month of the year is on Sunday, December 6. The 'Cats face College of Charleston. The Cougars went 21-11 overall and finished second in the CAA with a 14-4 conference record last year.
The Wildcats hit the road only one more time across non-conference play with the Hall of Fame Classic against Drake on Friday, December 18 in Kansas City, Mo.
Stay tuned for single-game ticket information, which will be announced soon.
Season tickets can be purchased using this LINK
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE LIST
BOLD Font - Home
Regular Font - Away
Italic Font - Neutral
November
2 at Washington State (TBA)
7 MERCER (7pm)
10 BRADLEY (7pm)
14 HOWARD (7pm)
17 CHARLOTTE (7pm)
FORT MYERS TIP-OFF (Fort Myers, Fla.)
23 vs. Northern Iowa 11 a.m.
25 vs. Tulane 1:30 p.m.
29 at Florida Atlantic (TBA)
December
2 DARTMOUTH (7pm)
6 at College of Charleston (3:30pm)
9 CAMPBELL (7:30pm)
12 USC UPSTATE (4pm)
HALL OF FAME CLASSIC (Kansas City, Mo.)
18 vs Drake (TBA)
22 UT MARTIN (2pm)
Davidson's home opener is slated for Saturday, November 7 against Mercer.
"The changing rules and landscape of college basketball makes putting together a challenging schedule of quality games harder than ever," explained head coach Matt McKillop.
"We are very excited for what our non-conference slate looks like," added Coach McKillop. "We are playing teams that are coming off conference championships, NCAA tournament appearances, and NCAA wins in recent years. We believe our non-conference slate will have us prepared for A10 play and ready for anything."
Washington State is back in the Pac-12 this season. The Wildcats beat the Cougars inside Belk Arena 85-69 last season.
Mercer won 19 games last season, which ties the most wins for the program in a single campaign since 2013-14.
Davidson's four-game homestand in November continues with a matchup against the reigning MEAC Champions, Howard University, on Saturday, November 14.
The 'Cats host Bradley on Tuesday, November 10 in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The Braves finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference during the regular season last year (21-13, 13-7). They also qualified for the NIT Postseason Tournament.
The Battle For The Hornets' Nest Trophy against Charlotte is set for Tuesday, November 17 inside Belk Arena. The 'Cats beat the 49ers in the thriller last season down in Halton Arena (W, 62-55).
Davidson hits the road for three contests in late November during the holidays. The first two are part of the Fort Myers Tip-Off against Northern Iowa (November 23) and Tulane (November 25) on a neutral floor. Northern Iowa ranked third in the nation in scoring defense last season (61.8 PPG) and won the 2026 Missouri Valley Tournament Championship.
The 'Cats conclude competition in the month of November with a true road matchup against Florida Atlantic on Sunday the 29th. This will only be the second meeting between the Wildcats and Owls. The first one was back on November 24, 2008 and Stephen Curry dropped 39 points.
The non-conference menu in December features four games at home and two on the road.
Davidson hosts Dartmouth on Wednesday, December 2. The other home games are against Campbell (Wednesday, December 9), USC Upstate (Saturday, December 12), and UT Martin (Tuesday, December 22).
UT Martin went 22-11 overall and 13-7 in the Ohio Valley Conference last season. The Skyhawks ranked fourth nationally in scoring defense (63.2 PPG).
Davidson's first road game in the final month of the year is on Sunday, December 6. The 'Cats face College of Charleston. The Cougars went 21-11 overall and finished second in the CAA with a 14-4 conference record last year.
The Wildcats hit the road only one more time across non-conference play with the Hall of Fame Classic against Drake on Friday, December 18 in Kansas City, Mo.
Stay tuned for single-game ticket information, which will be announced soon.
Season tickets can be purchased using this LINK
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE LIST
BOLD Font - Home
Regular Font - Away
Italic Font - Neutral
November
2 at Washington State (TBA)
7 MERCER (7pm)
10 BRADLEY (7pm)
14 HOWARD (7pm)
17 CHARLOTTE (7pm)
FORT MYERS TIP-OFF (Fort Myers, Fla.)
23 vs. Northern Iowa 11 a.m.
25 vs. Tulane 1:30 p.m.
29 at Florida Atlantic (TBA)
December
2 DARTMOUTH (7pm)
6 at College of Charleston (3:30pm)
9 CAMPBELL (7:30pm)
12 USC UPSTATE (4pm)
HALL OF FAME CLASSIC (Kansas City, Mo.)
18 vs Drake (TBA)
22 UT MARTIN (2pm)
Friday, August 07
Tuesday, June 23
Tuesday, June 09
Tuesday, June 09
