Big 12 announces 2025-26 conference schedule; Kansas to visit UCF for third straight year
The Big 12 has officially released the 2025-26 men’s basketball schedule, and for the third consecutive season, Kansas will be UCF’s conference home opener.
While UCF played 20 conference games last season, the Big 12 has adjusted the format to 18 games for the upcoming year. UCF will play three teams twice—Cincinnati, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia—while facing the other 12 teams once.
The Knights’ home slate is especially fan-friendly this season: Of the nine Big 12 home games, six fall on weekends (five Saturdays and one Sunday), with just three weekday contests.
One of those weekend games is a Sunday showdown against Cincinnati on Jan. 11. That matchup adds a layer of intrigue with former UCF center Moustapha Thiam and former assistant coach Mamadou N’Diaye now part of the Bearcats program.
UCF’s home opener against Kansas will once again serve as an early highlight. While official tip times and television designations have not yet been released by the Big 12, an early leak suggests the Kansas game will tip off at 4 p.m. and be streamed on Peacock. Under a new agreement, the NBC platform will carry 20 Big 12 games this season.
The conference did UCF a favor on the travel front by pairing the road trips to Utah and BYU. Much like last year’s Arizona swing, this setup allows the Knights to make one long trip out west instead of two separate ones.
UCF will close out the regular season on the road at West Virginia, a Friday tip that gives both teams a slight advantage in prep time before heading to Kansas City for the Big 12 Tournament. All other Big 12 teams wrap up the regular season on Saturday.
Meanwhile, preseason practice is officially underway in Orlando in what will be Johnny Dawkins’ 10th season with the Knights. UCF’s revamped roster is loaded with newcomers—Poohpha Warakulnukroh, a walk-on, is the only returning player with game experience in a Knights uniform.
Tip-off times and television assignments for the full schedule will be announced at a later date.
2025-26 UCF Men’s Basketball Schedule
| Day | Date | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | Oct. 21 | at Duke (exhibition) |
| Sunday | Oct. 26 | LSU (exhibition) |
| Monday | Nov. 3 | Hofstra |
| Saturday | Nov. 8 | Vanderbilt |
| Tuesday | Nov. 11 | Florida A&M |
| Friday | Nov. 14 | at Texas A&M |
| Monday | Nov. 17 | Oakland |
| Thursday | Nov. 20 | vs. Pitt (Daytona Beach) |
| Tuesday | Nov. 25 | Quinnipiac |
| Saturday | Nov. 29 | VMI |
| Sunday | Dec. 7 | Towson |
| Wednesday | Dec. 17 | Mercer |
| Saturday | Dec. 20 | Florida Gulf Coast |
| Tuesday | Dec. 23 | vs. FAU (neutral site TBA) |
| Saturday | Jan. 3 | Kansas* |
| Tuesday | Jan. 6 | at Oklahoma State* |
| Sunday | Jan. 11 | Cincinnati* |
| Wednesday | Jan. 14 | at Kansas State* |
| Saturday | Jan. 17 | Arizona* |
| Tuesday | Jan. 20 | at Iowa State* |
| Saturday | Jan. 24 | at Colorado* |
| Tuesday | Jan. 27 | Arizona State* |
| Saturday | Jan. 31 | Texas Tech* |
| Wednesday | Feb. 4 | at Houston* |
| Sunday | Feb. 8 | at Cincinnati* |
| Saturday | Feb. 14 | West Virginia* |
| Tuesday | Feb. 17 | TCU* |
| Saturday | Feb. 21 | at Utah* |
| Tuesday | Feb. 24 | at BYU* |
| Saturday | Feb. 28 | Baylor* |
| Tuesday | Mar. 3 | Oklahoma State* |
| Friday | Mar. 6 | at West Virginia* |
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