CULLOWHEE, N.C.  – Nine teams that participated in postseason action, highlighted by Final Four participant Duke, headline Western Carolina's 2025-26 Catamount men's basketball schedule announced Tuesday by second-year head coach Tim Craft. In conjunction, the Southern Conference unveiled its 18-game, home-and-home league schedule, which begins on Dec. 31, 2025.

WCU's 29-game seasonal schedule includes 13 home dates on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. Official tipoff times, game day promotions, and all broadcast information will be announced closer to the season, though WCU's home games are slated to air on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) if not selected for national or regional broadcast. 

All told, the Catamounts face 12 teams throughout the 2025-26 season that recorded 19 or more victories a season ago, including five squads that eclipsed the 25-win plateau. Five opponents appeared in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, three schools made the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), including conference foe Chattanooga, which won the Tournament, and one team appeared in the newest postseason tournament, the College Basketball Crown.

WCU begins the season with the second annual Basketball on the Boundary set for October 22nd from Peaches Squirrell Sports and Recreation Complex in Cherokee. The Catamounts first on-court action in Cullowhee is slated for Wednesday, Oct. 29, with exhibition action as WCU welcomes in local NCAA Division II foe Brevard to Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.

Craft and company open the regular-season slate with a pair of marquee power four opponents. WCU heads to the Queen City on Monday, Nov. 3, to battle Big 12 foe Cincinnati to begin the 2025-26 season. WCU's opening road swing continues on Saturday, Nov. 8, with a trip to the Bull City to battle Final Four participant Duke, as the Catamounts make their first trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium in 29 years.

WCU opens its home schedule on Thursday, Nov. 13, tipping off the longest homestand of the season by hosting NAIA opposition Voorhees. WCU continues the homestand on Sunday, Nov. 16, with a doubleheader with Catamount women's basketball as the men's squad hosts Stetson in the front end of the SoCon-ASUN scheduling alliance. The final home contest of the opening month is three days later with a mountain rivalry doubleheader against UNC Asheville, as the women's team also hosts the Bulldogs.

The Catamounts close November with a pair of road matchups against a pair of defending conference champions. Beginning in the Music City as part of the SoCon-ASUN tilts, WCU battles ASUN tournament champ Lipscomb on Saturday, Nov. 22. The month concludes the following Saturday with a post-holiday tilt against the winner of the Big South, High Point, on Nov. 29.

December opens with the final home nonconference matchup of the season for the Catamounts on Tuesday, Dec. 2, with a contest against NCCAA opposition Virginia-Lynchburg. The Catamounts then open a three-game road swing with a trip down I-26 to Spartanburg to battle USC Upstate (Dec. 6). The nonconference slate wraps up with a pair of matchups against power-four opponents beginning on Thursday, Dec. 11 with a showdown against ACC foe Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, before traveling to Athens the following Thursday to close out the pre-SoCon slate against SEC opposition Georgia.

For the fourth time in the last five seasons, Western Carolina pulls the curtain back on league play with a home showdown against SoCon tournament champion Wofford as the Catamounts ring in the New Year on Wednesday, Dec. 31, hosting the Terriers.

WCU quickly continues SoCon play in the New Year with its most extended road trip of the league season beginning on Saturday, Jan. 3, against chromatic rival Furman before making the long trek to Birmingham, Ala. on Wednesday, Jan. 7, to meet Samford. The three-game road swing concludes on Saturday, Jan. 10, with a trip to the Holy City to battle The Citadel in Charleston, S.C.

The Catamounts' return to the friendly confines of the Ramsey Center on Wednesday, Jan. 14, for a matchup against mountain rival ETSU before hosting Chattanooga (Jan. 17). A rematch of last year's quarterfinal matchup against Mercer is slated for Wednesday, Jan. 21, before WCU closes out the month with two of the final three contests at home, beginning with a visit from VMI (Jan. 24) and Samford (Jan. 31), with a road contest in between against ETSU (Jan. 29).

February commences with a pair of road bouts against UNCG (Feb. 4) and Wofford (Feb. 7) followed by a home matchup against The Citadel (Feb. 11). The Catamounts continue the road portion of February with a matchup in the Scenic City against Chattanooga (Feb. 14) before returning home to face UNCG (Feb. 18). The final regular season road matchup is slated for Saturday, Feb. 21 against VMI.

The final two contests of the regular season feature back-to-back home matchups against Mercer (Feb. 25) before playing host to chromatic rival Furman (Feb. 28) to close out the 2026 regular season schedule.

The 2026 Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Championship at the Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville is scheduled for March 5-9.

Season tickets for Catamount basketball at Ingles Court in the Ramsey Center will go on sale later this fall. For more information, contact the Catamount Ticket Office at (828) 227-2401. Fans will also be able to purchase or renew their season tickets online at CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets.

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