College basketball fans have another opportunity to see some of the nation's most interesting programs on Wednesday, October 14.
The 2026-27 regular season is approaching, and exhibition games are giving coaches their first opportunities to evaluate rotations, test offensive combinations and identify areas that need improvement.
UT Martin at Northern Kentucky
- Tipoff: 5:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Truist Arena, Highland Heights, Kentucky
- TV/Streaming: No confirmed broadcast
Drexel at St. John's
- Tipoff: 6 p.m. ET
- Location: Carnesecca Arena, Queens, New York
- TV/Streaming: ESPN+
Florida State vs. Auburn
- Tipoff: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Boutwell Auditorium, Birmingham, Alabama
- TV/Streaming: YouTube
- Radio: Seminole Sports Network and Auburn Sports Network
UCF at LSU
- Tipoff: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- TV/Streaming: SEC Network+
- Radio: LSU Sports Radio Network
Wednesday's schedule features four confirmed Division I exhibition matchups.
St. John's opens its preseason against Drexel, while Auburn and Florida State meet in Birmingham. LSU hosts UCF in another intriguing matchup, and Northern Kentucky welcomes UT Martin.
Several of these games feature programs with significant roster changes or important questions entering the new season.
Here is the complete verified schedule, with all tipoff times listed in Eastern time.
Wednesday, October 14 men's college basketball exhibition schedule
St. John's opens an important preseason against Drexel
St. John's begins its exhibition schedule with an intriguing matchup against Drexel at Carnesecca Arena. The Red Storm are coming off another outstanding season under Rick Pitino.
St. John's won the outright Big East regular-season championship and conference tournament title for the second consecutive year. The program also reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999.
Those accomplishments have created enormous expectations entering the new season.
Pitino has assembled a roster featuring several important additions, including Tounde Yessoufou and Keyshawn Hall.
Yessoufou averaged 17.8 points during his freshman season at Baylor, while Hall averaged 19.3 points and 7.1 rebounds at Auburn.
The Red Storm also added experienced international guard Quinn Ellis, who received NCAA eligibility clearance this week. Wednesday's exhibition provides an opportunity to evaluate how those players fit alongside returning contributors such as Ian Jackson.
Drexel finished 17-16 last season, including a 10-8 record in CAA competition.
The Dragons should provide a useful early test for a St. John's team attempting to develop chemistry before its regular-season opener against Monmouth on November 2.
Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Auburn and Florida State meet in Birmingham
Auburn and Florida State face each other Wednesday in the Ballin' in Boutwell exhibition event. The matchup takes place at Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham, with tipoff scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
Auburn enters the season under second-year coach Steven Pearl after winning 22 games and capturing the NIT championship last season.
The Tigers return eight players from that team while introducing several newcomers. Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton provide important experience, while Auburn has added several frontcourt and perimeter contributors.
Pearl will use the exhibition to evaluate how those pieces fit together before the Tigers begin regular-season competition.
Florida State is also attempting to establish consistency under coach Luke Loucks. The Seminoles had another exhibition scheduled against Mississippi State earlier this month, but that contest was canceled because of severe weather concerns.
Wednesday's game therefore becomes an important opportunity for Florida State to evaluate its rotation against SEC competition.
Fans can watch the matchup on Hibbett's YouTube channel.
The Auburn Sports Network will provide radio coverage, including local broadcasts on 94.3 FM and streaming through the Auburn Tigers app.
The Seminole Sports Network will also carry the game.
LSU hosts UCF in a matchup with plenty of questions
LSU welcomes UCF to the Pete Maravich Assembly Center for an 8 p.m. ET exhibition. The Tigers are beginning another era under Will Wade, who returned to Baton Rouge after previously leading the program from 2017 through 2022.
LSU already has one exhibition victory this preseason.
The Tigers defeated McNeese 63-60 on October 8, with Divine Ugochukwu scoring 18 points and Mo Dioubate adding 16.
Donovan Dent contributed 12 points, while Michael Ruzic recorded 11 points and 16 rebounds.
Those performances provided encouraging signs, but LSU struggled with its overall shooting efficiency. The Tigers made just 34.6 percent of their field-goal attempts against McNeese, demonstrating that offensive consistency remains an important concern.
Wednesday's matchup offers another opportunity to evaluate the team's progress.
UCF enters the season after winning 22 games and reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
Johnny Dawkins is beginning his 11th season leading the Knights.
UCF will also face Kentucky in an exhibition on October 28, making Wednesday's contest the first of two preseason matchups against SEC opponents.
The LSU-UCF game will stream on SEC Network+.
Radio coverage will be available through the LSU Sports Radio Network, including Eagle 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge.
Admission to the exhibition is free.
Northern Kentucky welcomes UT Martin
Northern Kentucky begins its exhibition schedule against UT Martin at Truist Arena.
The game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET.
Northern Kentucky is preparing for another season in the Horizon League, while UT Martin competes in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Both programs have an opportunity to evaluate their rotations before regular-season competition begins in November.
The Skyhawks are coming off a 22-win season, giving them an established foundation entering the new campaign.
Northern Kentucky also has a challenging early schedule, including games against UTEP, South Dakota and Texas A&M.
Wednesday's exhibition provides an opportunity for both teams to identify areas that need improvement before those games arrive.
No video broadcast has been confirmed through the official schedules.
One previously listed exhibition will not take place
Queens was originally scheduled to host Catawba on Wednesday.
However, Queens announced on October 9 that the exhibition had been canceled and rescheduled for the 2027-28 season.
The Royals will instead host Johnson C. Smith on October 26.
That means Wednesday's verified schedule contains four games rather than the five listed on some earlier exhibition trackers.
Which exhibition should fans watch?
St. John's and Auburn provide two particularly interesting options.
The Red Storm are attempting to defend their Big East championships with a substantially different roster. Wednesday's matchup against Drexel offers an early look at how Pitino plans to distribute offensive responsibility.
Auburn and Florida State present another compelling matchup because both programs have important questions about their rotations.
LSU-UCF might provide the most interesting opportunity to evaluate two teams from major conferences.
The Tigers are attempting to establish chemistry under Wade, while UCF hopes to build on its NCAA Tournament appearance.
Exhibition results won't count toward regular-season records.
But Wednesday's games could provide important clues about how several programs will approach the 2026-27 season.
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