Conference USA (CUSA) tips off its 2026-27 men’s basketball season in November and runs through the CUSA Championships, March 9-13, 2027, at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The 10-team league sends its tournament champion to the NCAA Tournament with an automatic bid. Here are the teams, the tournament details and a free printable standings tracker.
2026-27 Conference USA: Quick Facts
| Teams | 10 |
| Season | November 2026 to March 2027 |
| Conference tournament | CUSA Championships, March 9-13, 2027 |
| Host | Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama |
| NCAA bid | Automatic bid to the tournament champion |
2026-27 Conference USA Teams
CUSA fields 10 programs across the South and Southwest. Printable individual team schedules are being added for each school.
| Team | Location |
| Delaware Blue Hens | Newark, Delaware |
| FIU Panthers | Miami, Florida |
| Jacksonville State Gamecocks | Jacksonville, Alabama |
| Kennesaw State Owls | Kennesaw, Georgia |
| Liberty Flames | Lynchburg, Virginia |
| Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders | Murfreesboro, Tennessee |
| Missouri State Bears | Springfield, Missouri |
| New Mexico State Aggies | Las Cruces, New Mexico |
| Sam Houston Bearkats | Huntsville, Texas |
| Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | Bowling Green, Kentucky |
CUSA Championships: The Conference USA Tournament
The league crowns its champion at the CUSA Championships, played March 9-13, 2027 at Propst Arena inside the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The men’s final is set for Saturday, March 13 on CBS Sports Network, and the winner takes Conference USA’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid. See the full bracket, schedule and how to watch on our 2027 CUSA Tournament guide.
Printable CUSA Standings Tracker
Track the CUSA race all winter with a free one-page standings sheet: all 10 teams with blank columns for conference and overall records.
Download the printable 2026-27 CUSA standings tracker (PDF)
How Conference USA Earns NCAA Tournament Bids
Conference USA is guaranteed one NCAA Tournament spot through its automatic bid, awarded to the CUSA Championships winner. Recent years have made the league a real bracket story: programs such as Western Kentucky, Liberty and Kennesaw State have pushed for March relevance, and with the NCAA Tournament field expanding to 76 teams, a strong regular season gives CUSA a better shot at a second bid. That raises the stakes on every non-conference result in November and December.
Related
- 2027 CUSA Championships: bracket, schedule and how to watch
- 2026-27 Men’s College Basketball Schedule Hub (all conferences)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many teams are in Conference USA?
Ten: Delaware, FIU, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Liberty, Middle Tennessee, Missouri State, New Mexico State, Sam Houston and Western Kentucky.
When are the 2027 CUSA Championships?
March 9-13, 2027 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama, with the final on CBS Sports Network. The champion earns the automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
When does the 2026-27 CUSA season start?
Non-conference games begin in early November 2026, with league play opening around the turn of the year.
Who is the CUSA preseason favorite?
Western Kentucky was picked first in the 2026-27 CUSA preseason coaches poll, ahead of Kennesaw State and Liberty.
