The college basketball preseason continues Thursday, October 29, with eight men's exhibition games scheduled across the country. The slate is smaller than Wednesday's busy schedule, but several programs have important opportunities to complete their preparations before the 2026-27 regular season. Missouri visits UNLV in the evening's most prominent game, while Auburn hosts in-state opponent Samford.
Boise State, Northern Iowa, Evansville and South Alabama also take the floor, giving fans several opportunities to follow teams from different conferences. Most of Thursday's exhibitions involve Division I programs facing opponents from outside the classification, although Missouri-UNLV and Auburn-Samford bring together Division I teams. With the regular season only days away, these contests represent some of the final opportunities for coaches to evaluate their rotations.
Thursday, October 29 college basketball exhibition schedule
All times Eastern.
The eight games are listed on the HoopsHD exhibition schedule and confirmed on the participating Division I schools' athletic schedules. Broadcast availability varies considerably, with several exhibitions offering radio or live statistics rather than television coverage. Fans planning to follow a particular game should consult the host school's athletic department for any additional coverage announcements.
Missouri and UNLV headline Thursday's action
Missouri travels to Las Vegas for a 10 p.m. ET exhibition against UNLV at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Tigers are coming off a 71-67 victory at Kansas State, where freshman Jason Crowe Jr. scored 21 points and added three steals. Missouri also received an important defensive contribution from Bryson Tiller, who finished with nine rebounds and five blocked shots.
UNLV enters Thursday after losing exhibitions against Utah and BYU. The Runnin' Rebels fell 79-69 against Utah before suffering an 89-77 defeat against BYU, although Sebastian Mack provided impressive offensive production. Mack scored 25 points against Utah and 26 against BYU, making him one of the most interesting players to watch Thursday.
The game also offers a reunion for Mack, who played at Missouri last season before transferring to UNLV. His performance against his former program provides an intriguing storyline beyond the exhibition result. The contest will stream on MW+, with Missouri looking to build on its victory at Kansas State.
Auburn looks to finish its preseason with a victory
Auburn hosts Samford at Neville Arena for an 8 p.m. ET exhibition, giving the Tigers another opportunity to prepare for their regular-season opener. Auburn lost its first two exhibitions, falling against Florida State and Alabama, but the narrow 87-85 defeat against the Crimson Tide provided several encouraging individual performances.
Kevin Overton scored 26 points against Alabama and made six three-pointers, demonstrating his ability to provide significant offensive production. Auburn also received contributions from its interior rotation, including Narcisse Ngoy and Bukky Oboye. The Tigers will attempt to turn those individual positives into a complete team performance against Samford.
The Bulldogs enter Thursday after defeating Alabama A&M 71-61 and Jacksonville State 80-75 in their previous exhibitions. Auburn's game will not be televised or streamed, although radio coverage will be available locally on 94.3 FM and through the Auburn Tigers app. The exhibition provides both programs with one final opportunity to make adjustments before November.
Boise State and Northern Iowa continue their preparations
Boise State welcomes Bismarck State to ExtraMile Arena for a 9 p.m. ET exhibition. The Broncos have already defeated Idaho 82-72 and Washington 109-91 during preseason competition, providing encouraging offensive results before their regular-season opener. Thursday's game offers another opportunity to evaluate the roster before Boise State begins official competition November 4 against West Coast Baptist.
Northern Iowa hosts Upper Iowa at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls for an 8 p.m. ET exhibition. The Panthers will use the game to continue developing their rotation before opening regular-season play November 3 against Cornell College. Live statistics are available for the exhibition, although no video broadcast has been confirmed on the school's schedule.
Four more exhibitions complete the schedule
Evansville hosts Wabash at 7 p.m. ET, giving the Purple Aces another opportunity to prepare for Missouri Valley Conference competition. Evansville previously faced Austin Peay and Southeast Missouri State in exhibition play. Thursday's game will have radio coverage through WJPS 107.1 FM.
South Alabama welcomes Mississippi Christian to the Mitchell Center at 7 p.m. ET. The Jaguars have undergone significant roster changes and will use the exhibition to evaluate their team before opening the regular season November 2 against Ohio. Radio coverage will be available through the Jags Radio Network and Varsity Network app.
Radford hosts Ferrum at 7 p.m. ET, while Delaware State welcomes Holy Family at the same time. Both games provide additional opportunities for those programs to prepare before beginning official competition. Neither host school has confirmed a video broadcast on its published game schedule.
Thursday's eight-game slate makes another step toward the regular season, which begins for most Division I programs on Monday or Tuesday. Missouri-UNLV and Auburn-Samford should attract the most attention, but the smaller exhibitions also provide important opportunities for player development. The countdown to meaningful college basketball is nearly complete.
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