Tennessee State, the defending OVC Tournament Champion, was picked the preseason favorites for the 2026 – 27 season. Southeast Missouri was tabbed second, with a three-way tie for third — Morehead State, SIUE and UT Martin, with Lindenwood, Southern Indiana, Eastern Illinois, and Western Illinois. rounding out the nine team league, which plays a 16-game conference schedule. The season concludes with the 2027 OVC Basketball Championships March 3 – 6), at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana for the 10th – straight season. The Championship will be held at that venue through at least 2032.
The TSU Men’s Basketball team will play in the NBA HBCU Classic at 2027 All-Star Weekend, which features the Howard University and Tennessee State University men’s basketball teams on Saturday, Feb. 20, at Hardwood Central within Jam Session (Phoenix Convention Center), as part of NBA All-Star 2027 in Phoenix. The Classic will air on ESPN and NBA TV at 12 p.m. MT / 1 p.m. CT.
“I am very excited for my players first and foremost,” said Nolan Smith, Tennessee State University Head Men’s Basketball Coach. “They have an opportunity to play on a big stage, one set up by the NBA, and it will be a special moment for them all. To represent Tennessee State on a national platform puts our university, our city, and our alumni in the spotlight – and our school deserves that opportunity. I cannot wait for us to go to Phoenix and represent Tennessee State University. I am incredibly thankful to my NBA family for making this opportunity possible.”
TSU Men’s Basketball will compete in the third annual Toyota Chris Paul HBCU Classic December 4-5 at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C. The two-day event, organized by the Chris Paul Family Foundation and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, will be held in the nation’s capital for the first time. Tennessee State will open the event against Grambling on Friday, December 4, before facing Florida A&M on Saturday, December 5.
TSU defeated Oakland University, 89 – 75, Saturday, October 24 in Detroit.
The Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon is a 24 – hour college basketball tip – off event featuring 16 mid – major programs across eight games on Monday, November 2. Sanford Pentagon (Sioux Falls, SD) hosts 2 games, beginning with the TSU vs. Murray State at 10:30 AM CST. The event revives the classic 24-hour format and will be streamed live on the Field of 68 YouTube channel and X (Twitter) feed.
TSU returns home to host East-West University Thursday, Nov 5 at 7:00 PM in Gentry Center. Monday, Nov 9 at 7:00 PM, Fisk University visits for the annual Battle of Jefferson Street. The Tigers visit the University of Tennessee Friday the 13 th at 6:00 PM CT. TSU visits the University of South Florida in Tampa, Tuesday, Nov 17 at 6:00 PM. Sunday, Nov 29 at 2:00 PM TSU visits Oklahoma State University.
TSU faces Grambling State Friday, Dec 4 at 5:00 PM and Florida A&M at 5:00 PM Saturday, Dec 5, both in Washington, D.C.’s CareFirst Arena. Future games include: Oakwood Dec 9 (Wed) / 7:00 PM Gentry Center; at Western Illinois Dec 11 (Fri) / 6:30 PM; Alabama A&M Dec 19 (Sat) / 3:30 PM Gentry Center; at Southern Indiana Dec 31 (Thu) / 7:30 PM; and at Eastern Illinois Jan 2 (Sat) / 3:30 PM.
(For a more in -depth version of this article, see it on the urbanjournalnews.com website)
