The West Virginia University men’s basketball team released its 2025-26 non-conference schedule Friday, Aug. 17, per a WVU Athletics release.

The schedule features four matchups against Power Five opponents and a five-game home stretch to open the season.

Before the regular season begins, WVU will play its first game under head coach Ross Hodge against Wheeling University, a Division II opponent, in an exhibition on Sunday, Oct. 26.

WVU opens its season against Mount St. Mary’s University on Tuesday, Nov. 4. The Mountaineers and Mountaineers have faced off six times, with all six matchups won by WVU.

Mount St. Mary’s went 23-13 last season, winning the MAAC Tournament and making it to the Round of 64 in the NCAA Tournament.

WVU hosts Campbell University on Thursday, Nov. 6, for the pairing’s first matchup.

The Fighting Camels finished 15-17 last season and went 10-8 in CAA contests.

On Sunday, Nov. 9, Lehigh University comes to Morgantown to face off against WVU.

WVU owns a 5-0 record against Lehigh all-time, with their last meeting coming in 2018.

The Mountaineers host the Backyard Brawl this year, taking on the University of Pittsburgh on Thursday, Nov. 13.

WVU and Pitt played last season, with the Mountaineers dropping the game 86-62.

Lafayette College rounds out WVU’s home stretch to open the season, with a matchup set for Monday, Nov. 17.

On Friday, Nov. 21 and Sunday, Nov. 23, WVU plays in the 2025 Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic at TD Arena in Charleston, South Carolina.

The Mountaineers’ first-round matchup is Clemson University, as the University of Georgia and Xavier University face off in the other game. The matchup winners will play each other in the championship game, and the losers will play in the third-place game.

WVU returns home to play Mercyhurst University Sunday, Nov. 30. The teams faced off for the first time in 2024, with WVU winning 67-46.

The Mountaineers play Coppin State University for the first time since 2017 on Wednesday, Dec. 3. Coppin State has trekked to the Coliseum three times and has yet to leave victorious.

WVU heads south to Charleston, West Virginia, to take on Wake Forest University in the Holiday Hoopfest on Saturday, Dec. 6 at the Charleston Coliseum. This is the first game of a two-game neutral site series set to be played this season and the 2026-27 season.

Hodge said the series “made sense” for WVU in a release on July 16.

“We are thrilled to be able to play a really good Wake Forest team in front of our fans in southern West Virginia,” Hodge said. “It’s been a long time since the men’s basketball team played in Charleston and when we were presented with this two-game neutral site series against Wake Forest, it certainly made sense for us.”

WVU leads the all-time series 7-3, and the teams haven’t squared off since 2005.

The Mountaineers take on the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Tuesday, Dec. 9. Little Rock finished the 2024-25 season with a 19-14 overall record.

WVU plays the Ohio State University in the Cleveland Hoops Showdown Saturday, Dec. 13 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

Hodge called the matchup “exciting” in a release on Aug. 11.

“This is another exciting early season matchup that we are looking forward to playing against a really solid team from the Big Ten Conference,” Hodge said. “…It also gives our team the opportunity to play in an NBA arena with the likelihood of playing on national television in December.”

The Mountaineers round out the non-conference schedule with a matchup against Mississippi Valley State Monday, Dec. 22.