WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. – Head Coach Matt Daniel and the University of the Cumberlands men's basketball program have announced their 2025-26 schedule, a slate that features 14 home games inside the O. Wayne Rollins Center and Randy Vernon Court and a full 12-game Mid-South Conference schedule. The Patriots look to build off last season's success and win their third straight MSC regular-season title while advancing to the NAIA National Tournament once again.
 
Daniel believes the schedule sets up UC for another postseason push. "We've tried to prioritize putting ourselves in a good position to be in the national tournament discussion through our schedule," said Daniel. "Obviously, our conference schedule does us a lot of favors with the quality of teams in our league, but we've been intentional about our non-conference as well. You look at teams like Dalton, Milligan, Rio, Shawnee — those are national tournament-level teams from quality conferences. We want our strength of schedule and RPI in a good position when March gets here."
 
The season tips off in Williamsburg on Friday, October 24, when the Patriots host Simmons College of Kentucky at 7:30 PM during UC's Homecoming weekend. Four days later, UC welcomes Union Commonwealth University on October 28 to Randy Vernon Court. "The Simmons game is going to be really unique since it's part of Homecoming," Daniel noted. "Hopefully we'll have a good crowd with alumni back on campus. Then Union is always a big one. We know them really well, and it'll be a good, tough opponent right out of the gate."
 
UC then heads to Shawnee State on November 1 before returning home for the first of three classics, beginning with the Cumberlands Classic on November 6–7, where the Patriots face WVU Tech at 11 AM and IU Southeast the next evening at 5 PM. The first road swing of the month continues with Johnson (TN) on November 10 before UC competes in the Campbellsville Classic on November 14–15, playing Brescia and Truett McConnell. On November 16, UC takes on NCAA Division I opponent Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, KY for an exhibition matchup. The month closes with another road test at Alice Lloyd on November 18.
 
December begins with a trip to IU Southeast on December 1 before UC returns home for their final Classic of the year at home on December 5–6. The Patriots take on Saint Mary-of-the-Woods on Friday night and Midway on Saturday afternoon. The following week features road trips to Rio Grande on December 12 and Pikeville on December 16 before UC wraps up the calendar year back in Williamsburg against Milligan on December 30.
 
Coach Daniel talked about the benefit behind three different classics in the non-conference schedule this season saying, "that's one of the beautiful things about the classics, they give you an opening-round type of feel."  "You have to play back-to-back games on short prep, which really simulates postseason play. Having two of those classics at home is also a big benefit for us."
 
UC opens 2026 at home on January 3 against Dalton State before diving into conference play. The Mid-South slate begins with back-to-back road games at Bethel on January 8 and Freed-Hardeman on January 10. "Our conference schedule is a little unbalanced this year," Daniel explained. "Opening league play on the road is a challenge, especially with those long trips. But with only 12 conference games, it really is a sprint to the finish. Every one of those games matters if you're trying to compete for a title and national tournament positioning."
 
The Patriots then settle in for a critical home stretch with Cumberland on January 15, Georgetown on January 22, Campbellsville on January 24, Bethel on January 29, and Freed-Hardeman on January 31 all visiting Williamsburg. "You've got to take care of home court," said Daniel. "When you're competing for a conference championship, you can't drop those at home. We've done a good job of that the last couple of years, but every game counts even more in a league like this." UC have done a great job at defending their home court over the last two seasons, compiling a 27-3 home record over the last 30 games.
 
February then opens with three straight road contests. Lindsey Wilson on February 5, Georgetown on February 7, and Cumberland on February 12. The Patriots then travel to Campbellsville on February 19 before closing the regular season at home against Lindsey Wilson on February 21 for Senior Day.
 
Daniel emphasized the importance of finishing strong heading into the postseason: "The conference tournament is something we'd love to capture; it's been a long time for our program. Making the national tournament is always a huge accomplishment, but hosting the opening rounds gives you the best chance to get to Kansas City. We want to put ourselves in that position again."
 
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