RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Friday the 2026-27 season schedule for the Vaqueros men's basketball team, which is set to open Nov. 2 against Texas A&M-Kingsville at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. 
 
The Vaqueros are coming off back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1988-90 and won a program-record 14 conference games in 2025-26 as they earned the No. 3 seed in the Southland Conference (SLC) Tournament. They'll play a competitive schedule in 2026-27 under first-year head coach Brandon Chambers.  
 
The new era of Vaqueros men's basketball starts with three consecutive home games at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. UTRGV will host Prairie View A&M on Nov. 7 – the Panthers won a First Four game in the 2026 NCAA Tournament before falling to No. 1 seed Florida in the first round. New Pac-12 program Texas State visits the UTRGV Fieldhouse on Nov. 10. 
 
"I feel really good about the schedule. We were very intentional with the approach and what we wanted to get accomplished," Chambers said. "The first three being at home, I think it's going to be really special for the Valley and for our guys. It's the grand reveal of our program and I couldn't be more excited about it. This is going to be a team that is really exciting to watch. There will be a lot of high-flying, exciting plays that are made, so please come out and support the team. Let's #RallyTheValley and pack the UTRGV Fieldhouse."
 
The Vaqueros will play their first road game of the season Nov. 14 at UT Arlington. On Nov. 18, UTRGV hosts College of Biblical Studies before embarking on a six-game road stretch. 
 
UTRGV plays at Austin Peay on Nov. 21 before heading to UNLV on Nov. 28 to face a Rebels squad that reached the second round of the 2026 National Invitational Tournament (NIT). The Vaqueros will open SLC play on the road at Nicholls on Dec. 3 and at LSU New Orleans on Dec. 5. UTRGV will have a rematch with Texas State in San Marcos on Dec. 8 before heading to Dayton on Dec. 15 to battle a team that reached the NIT Quarterfinals. 
 
"We have a stretch of six games in non-conference when we're on the road and that was intentional because we wanted that challenge. It's a teaching point for us and we can really test our group as we prepare for Southland play. We wanted to make sure that we scheduled really, really tough road games to be ready for the Southland Conference tournament," Chambers said. 
 
The Vaqueros return to the UTRGV Fieldhouse for a big weekend with conference games against Stephen F. Austin on Dec. 19 and Lamar on Dec. 21. They will go back on the road to play at Arkansas, the reigning SEC Tournament Champion and a 2026 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 team, on Dec. 29. 
 
Three of the first four games of 2027 will be at home as the schedule turns to SLC-only in the new year. The Vaqueros host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union, on Jan. 2 before a quick trip to UIW on Jan. 4. UTRGV hosts East Texas A&M and Northwestern State Jan. 9-11. 
 
The Vaqueros will play three consecutive conference road games from Jan. 16-23 at McNeese, Southeastern and Houston Christian University. Then, they'll have four of five at home. The Vaqueros will play UIW on Jan. 26 and Houston Christian University on Jan. 30 at the UTRGV Fieldhouse before heading to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for a South Texas Showdown rematch on Feb. 1. UTRGV hosts LSU New Orleans and Nicholls on Feb. 6 and 8, respectively. 
 
The last three weeks of the season will follow a two away, two home pattern. UTRGV plays at Stephen F. Austin and Lamar Feb. 13-15 before hosting Southeastern on Feb. 20 and McNeese on Feb. 22 in the last home contests of the regular season. The Vaqueros close the regular season on the road at East Texas A&M on Feb. 27 and Northwestern State on March 1. 
 
"The nature of Southland Conference basketball, it's strong, physical, gritty, blue-collar type basketball. The conference is going to continue to get better and better and be more competitive. I like the fact that we went to 22 games because, playing each team, it gives us a true champion. As we get into conference play, you're really going to see the fabric of our team come out," Chambers said. 
 
The SLC tournament is scheduled for March 7-10 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The NCAA Tournament begins March 16-17 and the national championship game is set for April 5 in Detroit. 
 
Fans can secure seats for UTRGV men's basketball games by purchasing multi-sport passes at UTRGVTickets.com or by contacting the UTRGV Ticket Office over the phone at (956) 665-8849 or via email at tickets@utrgv.edu. Single-game and season ticket information will be released at a later date.