College basketball fans have a busy Thursday ahead as several major programs continue preparing for the 2026-27 season. Eight men's exhibition games are scheduled for October 15, including a pair of intriguing SEC matchups and several opportunities to watch teams from the Big Ten, ACC and Big 12.
Tennessee hosts Xavier in Knoxville, while Alabama and Ole Miss meet in Birmingham. Wisconsin travels to Green Bay, Minnesota welcomes Omaha and Oregon opens its exhibition schedule against Seattle.
Wake Forest and South Carolina also meet in Rock Hill, while Houston hosts Montana Tech and Oakland welcomes Grand Valley State.
Although these games won't count toward regular-season records, they provide important opportunities for coaches to evaluate rotations, test offensive combinations and identify areas that need improvement.
Here is Thursday's complete schedule, with all tipoff times listed in Eastern time.
Men's college basketball exhibition schedule for Thursday, October 15
All times Eastern. Exhibition games do not count toward regular-season records.
Xavier visits Tennessee in one of Thursday's biggest matchups
Tennessee opens its exhibition schedule at Food City Center against Xavier. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, with streaming coverage available through SEC Network+.
Rick Barnes enters another season with substantial expectations after leading Tennessee to 25 victories and a fourth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance.
The Volunteers also reached the Elite Eight for the third straight season. However, Tennessee must replace its entire starting lineup from last year.
That creates an important opportunity for Barnes to evaluate the team's new combinations before the regular season begins.
Xavier enters the season under second-year coach Richard Pitino. The Musketeers finished 15-18 last season and were selected sixth in the Big East preseason poll.
Junior forward Jovan Milicevic is the team's leading returning scorer after averaging 12.4 points last season.
Thursday's matchup should provide both programs with useful information about their offensive execution and defensive communication.
Tennessee will also face Duke in another exhibition on October 20.
Alabama and Ole Miss meet in Birmingham
Alabama and Ole Miss will meet at Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham as part of the Ballin in Boutwell exhibition event.
Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
The game provides an opportunity for two familiar SEC opponents to evaluate their rosters before conference competition begins.
Alabama is coming off another successful season under Nate Oats.
The Crimson Tide finished 24-10 and reached the Sweet 16 while averaging more than 91 points per game.
Alabama also has exhibition experience this preseason.
The Crimson Tide defeated Furman 111-83 on October 8.
Ole Miss enters the season attempting to rebound from a disappointing 15-20 campaign.
Chris Beard's team won only four SEC games last season, although the Rebels demonstrated their potential by defeating Alabama 80-79 in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
That result adds an interesting element to Thursday's exhibition.
The Crimson Tide will have an opportunity to respond to their postseason defeat, while Ole Miss can evaluate its progress against an established conference opponent.
Wisconsin heads to Green Bay
Wisconsin continues its exhibition schedule with a trip to the Resch Center to face Green Bay.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
The game will not be streamed online, but fans can follow the action through the Badger Radio Network.
Wisconsin opened its preseason with a 94-71 victory over UW-Parkside on October 10.
The Badgers will attempt to build on that performance against a Green Bay program entering another season under Doug Gottlieb.
The Phoenix were selected third in the Horizon League preseason poll.
Green Bay also has an important returning contributor in Marcus Hall, who averaged 13.9 points and 5.2 rebounds last season.
The exhibition provides an opportunity for Wisconsin to evaluate its rotation against Division I competition.
Green Bay will also host Marquette in another exhibition on October 19.
Wake Forest and South Carolina meet in Rock Hill
Wake Forest and South Carolina will face each other at the Rock Hill Sports & Events Center in South Carolina.
The game begins at 6 p.m. ET and will be available through Spiideo.
Wake Forest is preparing for another season under Steve Forbes.
The Demon Deacons opened their exhibition schedule with a 94-77 loss to Georgetown on October 4.
Thursday's matchup gives Wake Forest another opportunity to evaluate its defensive execution and improve its offensive chemistry.
South Carolina enters the season under Lamont Paris.
The Gamecocks are attempting to establish a more consistent identity after a difficult previous campaign.
Both teams have important questions to answer before their regular-season schedules begin.
Thursday's exhibition provides a useful opportunity to identify areas requiring additional attention.
Minnesota welcomes Omaha
Minnesota begins its exhibition schedule against Omaha at The Barn.
Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, with the game available on Big Ten Plus.
The Golden Gophers are attempting to build momentum under head coach Niko Medved.
Thursday's matchup gives Minnesota an opportunity to evaluate its rotation against an opponent preparing for Summit League competition.
The Gophers will also travel to Creighton for another exhibition on October 23.
That contest will be streamed on Creighton's YouTube channel.
For Minnesota, the exhibition schedule provides important preparation before the regular season begins November 2 against North Dakota.
Houston hosts Montana Tech
Houston opens its exhibition schedule against Montana Tech at Fertitta Center.
Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, with streaming coverage available through ESPN+.
The matchup carries an interesting personal connection for Houston coach Kelvin Sampson.
Sampson previously coached Montana Tech during the early stages of his career.
He served as an assistant during the 1980-81 season before becoming head coach in 1981.
Sampson eventually led the program to three consecutive 22-win seasons and earned conference coaching honors.
Montana Tech's home court now carries his name.
Thursday's exhibition therefore represents more than a typical preseason matchup.
It also provides an opportunity for Sampson to reconnect with a program that played an important role in his coaching development.
Houston enters the season after winning 30 games in 2025-26.
The Cougars will face defending national champion Michigan in another exhibition on October 25.
Oakland hosts Grand Valley State
Oakland begins its preseason against Grand Valley State at the OU Credit Union O'rena.
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Greg Kampe's Golden Grizzlies are preparing for another Horizon League season after finishing 16-16 overall and 12-8 in conference competition last year.
Oakland was selected fourth in the league's preseason poll.
The Golden Grizzlies return only a small percentage of last season's scoring production, creating an important opportunity for newcomers to establish themselves.
Thursday's exhibition will provide an early look at how Kampe plans to distribute minutes and offensive responsibilities.
Oakland opens its regular season November 2 against defending national champion Michigan.
Oregon opens exhibition play against Seattle
Oregon begins its exhibition schedule Thursday night against Seattle at Matthew Knight Arena.
Tipoff is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET on Big Ten Plus.
The Ducks are preparing for another demanding season in the Big Ten under Dana Altman.
Oregon's exhibition schedule also includes a trip to Utah on October 21 and a home game against Stanford on October 25.
Those contests provide opportunities to evaluate the team's development before the regular season begins November 2 against Montana.
Seattle will attempt to provide an early challenge as both teams work toward establishing their preferred rotations.
The late start also gives college basketball fans another viewing option after several of Thursday's earlier exhibitions have concluded.
Which college basketball exhibition should fans watch?
Tennessee-Xavier and Alabama-Ole Miss provide two of the most interesting options.
The Volunteers are attempting to establish chemistry with a substantially different roster, while Xavier hopes to show improvement under Pitino.
Alabama and Ole Miss bring an additional level of familiarity because the programs recently met in the SEC Tournament.
Wisconsin-Green Bay should also attract attention, particularly because the Badgers are making an unusual exhibition trip to face another Division I program on the road.
For fans looking to watch multiple games, Thursday provides options throughout the evening.
The schedule begins at 6 p.m. ET with Wake Forest-South Carolina and concludes with Seattle-Oregon at 10 p.m. ET.
The regular season is approaching quickly, and Thursday's exhibitions should offer another valuable look at how several recognizable programs are developing.
Add us as a preferred source on Google