MACOMB, IL - The Men's basketball team is gearing up for the 2026-27 season as the Ohio Valley Conference officially announced its men's and women's basketball conference schedules Friday.

Western Illinois will compete in a nine-team OVC this season alongside Eastern Illinois, Lindenwood, Morehead State, Southeast Missouri, SIUE, Southern Indiana, Tennessee State and UT Martin. The Leathernecks will play a 16-game round-robin conference schedule.

Western Illinois opens conference play at home on Dec. 11, hosting Tennessee State in a men's-only matchup. The Leathernecks then return to action following the holiday break with SIUE visiting Macomb on Jan. 2.

The Leathernecks hit the road on Jan. 7 to face Tennessee State before returning home to host Eastern Illinois on Jan. 14 and UT Martin on Jan. 16.

Western Illinois closes out the first half of January with a pair of road contests, traveling to Morehead State on Jan. 21 and Southern Indiana on Jan. 23.

The Leathernecks return to Macomb on Jan. 28 to host Southeast Missouri before heading to SIUE on Jan. 30. Western Illinois then travels to UT Martin on Feb. 4 before returning home to host Lindenwood on Feb. 11.

Western Illinois continues its February slate with a trip to Morehead State on Feb. 13 before traveling to Eastern Illinois on Feb. 18. The Leathernecks return home to host Southern Indiana on Feb. 25 before closing out the regular season on the road at Lindenwood on Feb. 27.

The 2027 OVC Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament is scheduled for March 3-6 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. The 2027 tournament will mark the 10th consecutive year the event has been held at the Ford Center, with the OVC contracted to host the tournament at the venue through 2032.

All OVC conference games and home non-conference contests will be available on ESPN networks, with the majority of games streaming on ESPN+. Additional games on ESPNU and ESPN2 will be announced at a later date.

All dates are subject to change.
 

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