Maryland Men’s Basketball’s 2026-27 Schedule Set as Terps Prepare for Challenging Big Ten Slate

The Maryland men’s basketball schedule is officially set for the 2026-27 season, giving the Terrapins a challenging path that includes traditional Big Ten powers, West Coast trips and several intriguing nonconference matchups.

The Big Ten announced its complete conference schedule Wednesday, Sept. 16, finalizing Maryland’s 20-game league slate. The Terrapins will open Big Ten play on the road against Ohio State on Sunday, Dec. 6, before returning to College Park to host Michigan State on Wednesday, Dec. 9.

Maryland’s complete schedule also features nonconference games against Georgetown, Virginia, Tennessee and South Carolina, along with participation in the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas. The Terps will begin the regular season against Bucknell on Nov. 2 after playing two October exhibitions.

It creates a schedule with plenty of opportunities for Maryland to test itself before postseason play begins.

Big Ten schedule presents major challenges

The Big Ten will once again use a 20-game conference schedule. Each of the conference’s 18 programs will face three opponents twice — once at home and once on the road — while playing the other 14 schools once. Seven of those single-play games will come at home and seven on the road.

Maryland’s conference schedule begins Dec. 6 at Ohio State.

That will be followed three days later by the conference home opener against Michigan State at XFINITY Center.

The early Big Ten games will provide an interesting test because Maryland will then step back outside conference play. The Terps host Morgan State on Dec. 15 before facing South Carolina on Dec. 19 at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore.

After Christmas, Maryland hosts Radford on Dec. 29 before beginning the primary portion of its Big Ten schedule.

UCLA and USC visit College Park

One of the most interesting stretches of Maryland’s schedule comes immediately after the calendar turns to 2027.

The Terps host UCLA on Saturday, Jan. 2, before USC visits XFINITY Center on Tuesday, Jan. 5. Maryland will therefore get both Los Angeles programs at home rather than having to make a West Coast trip to face them this season.

Maryland then travels to Iowa on Jan. 9 and Indiana on Jan. 12.

The Terps return home for games against Illinois on Jan. 16 and Rutgers on Jan. 19 before traveling to Purdue on Jan. 23. Wisconsin comes to College Park on Jan. 26, and Maryland closes January at Penn State on Jan. 30.

That stretch gives Maryland eight Big Ten games in January alone.

February brings Maryland’s West Coast trip

The travel challenge increases in February.

Maryland opens the month at Michigan State on Feb. 2 before hosting Nebraska on Feb. 9 and Indiana on Feb. 13.

The Terps then head west.

Maryland visits Oregon on Wednesday, Feb. 17, before traveling to Washington for a Saturday, Feb. 20 matchup. It will be Maryland’s longest conference road trip of the regular season and gives the Terps two games on the West Coast during the same swing.

Maryland returns to College Park to host Minnesota on Feb. 24 before traveling to Rutgers on Feb. 28.

The regular season concludes in March with a road game at Michigan on March 4 and a home finale against Northwestern on March 7.

Maryland has several major nonconference games

The Big Ten schedule is only part of Maryland’s challenging 2026-27 slate.

Maryland will play two exhibitions before beginning the regular season. The first comes Oct. 11 against former ACC opponent Georgia Tech at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena on the UMBC campus. That game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

West Virginia then visits XFINITY Center for Maryland’s second exhibition on Oct. 18.

The games begin counting on Nov. 2 when Bucknell visits College Park.

Maryland will not have much time to settle into the season before facing one of its regional rivals. The Terps meet Georgetown on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. It will be the second game of the four-game series between the programs.

Virginia then visits XFINITY Center on Friday, Nov. 13.

Maryland follows that game with home contests against Alcorn State on Nov. 16 and Wagner on Nov. 20.

Players Era Championship adds another major test

Thanksgiving week will send Maryland to Las Vegas for the Players Era Championship.

The Terps are scheduled to face Tennessee and will also play either Iowa State or San Diego State as part of the event. Those games give Maryland an opportunity to face high-profile nonconference competition at a neutral site before Big Ten play begins.

Maryland returns home to play American on Dec. 2 before opening Big Ten competition at Ohio State four days later.

After facing Ohio State and Michigan State, the Terps briefly return to nonconference competition.

Morgan State visits XFINITY Center on Dec. 15.

Four days later, Maryland heads to Baltimore for one of the more intriguing games on the schedule.

Terps return to Baltimore against South Carolina

Maryland will face South Carolina on Saturday, Dec. 19 at CFG Bank Arena.

The programs have not played since March 29, 2005, when they met in the NIT semifinals at Madison Square Garden. Maryland holds a 31-27 advantage through the first 58 meetings between the programs.

Bringing the Terrapins to Baltimore also gives Maryland fans outside the immediate College Park and Washington area an opportunity to see the program in person.

Maryland closes its nonconference schedule Dec. 29 against Radford at XFINITY Center before turning its attention completely toward Big Ten competition.

Complete Maryland 2026-27 schedule

Here is Maryland’s full announced schedule. Tip times and television assignments remain to be announced for many games.

Date	Opponent	Location
Oct. 11	Georgia Tech — Exhibition	Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena
Oct. 18	West Virginia — Exhibition	XFINITY Center
Nov. 2	Bucknell	XFINITY Center
Nov. 7	Georgetown	Capital One Arena
Nov. 13	Virginia	XFINITY Center
Nov. 16	Alcorn State	XFINITY Center
Nov. 20	Wagner	XFINITY Center
Thanksgiving Week	Tennessee — Players Era Championship	Las Vegas
Thanksgiving Week	Iowa State or San Diego State — Players Era Championship	Las Vegas
Dec. 2	American	XFINITY Center
Dec. 6	at Ohio State*	Columbus, Ohio
Dec. 9	Michigan State*	XFINITY Center
Dec. 15	Morgan State	XFINITY Center
Dec. 19	South Carolina	CFG Bank Arena, Baltimore
Dec. 29	Radford	XFINITY Center
Jan. 2	UCLA*	XFINITY Center
Jan. 5	USC*	XFINITY Center
Jan. 9	at Iowa*	Iowa City, Iowa
Jan. 12	at Indiana*	Bloomington, Indiana
Jan. 16	Illinois*	XFINITY Center
Jan. 19	Rutgers*	XFINITY Center
Jan. 23	at Purdue*	West Lafayette, Indiana
Jan. 26	Wisconsin*	XFINITY Center
Jan. 30	at Penn State*	University Park, Pennsylvania
Feb. 2	at Michigan State*	East Lansing, Michigan
Feb. 9	Nebraska*	XFINITY Center
Feb. 13	Indiana*	XFINITY Center
Feb. 17	at Oregon*	Eugene, Oregon
Feb. 20	at Washington*	Seattle, Washington
Feb. 24	Minnesota*	XFINITY Center
Feb. 28	at Rutgers*	Piscataway, New Jersey
March 4	at Michigan*	Ann Arbor, Michigan
March 7	Northwestern*	XFINITY Center
March 9-14	Big Ten Tournament	Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis

*Big Ten game.

The Players Era Championship format means the exact date and opponent assignment for Maryland’s second Las Vegas game is not yet fully represented as a conventional dated matchup in Maryland’s announcement. Tip times, television assignments and game promotions for the conference schedule will also be announced later.

Big Ten Tournament returns to Indianapolis

The regular-season finale against Northwestern will give Maryland little time before postseason basketball begins.

The 30th Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament is scheduled for March 9-14 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

The expanded Big Ten tournament format begins March 9 with games involving the No. 15 through No. 18 seeds. The next round brings seeds No. 9 through No. 14 into the tournament before the higher seeds join later.

Maryland will therefore have plenty riding on its 20 conference games when it comes to postseason positioning.

2002 championship team will be celebrated

The upcoming season will also carry additional historical significance for Maryland.

The program will hold a season-long celebration marking the 25th anniversary of Maryland’s 2002 NCAA national championship. Maryland plans special promotions, giveaways, appearances and autograph sessions throughout the season honoring the championship team and one of the greatest eras in program history.

That should make the home schedule particularly interesting as Maryland combines its current team with celebrations of the program’s past.

MSB Take

Maryland will have no shortage of opportunities to prove itself during the 2026-27 season.

Georgetown, Virginia, Tennessee and South Carolina make the nonconference portion much more interesting than a schedule filled exclusively with home games against smaller programs. The Players Era Championship also gives Maryland an early neutral-site test before the heart of Big Ten play arrives.

Conference play is where the schedule becomes especially difficult. Maryland has road games at Purdue, Indiana, Michigan State and Michigan, plus the February trip to Oregon and Washington. The Terps will need to handle extensive travel while competing in a Big Ten that once again stretches from the East Coast to the Pacific Northwest.

The home schedule provides plenty for Maryland fans as well. Michigan State, UCLA, USC, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Nebraska are among the conference programs coming to College Park.

The combination gives Maryland a schedule that should tell us plenty about this team long before March arrives. With the 25th anniversary of the 2002 national championship serving as a backdrop throughout the year, the 2026-27 season should be an especially memorable one at XFINITY Center.