SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference will feature a modern-era high of 15 regular-season men’s basketball games on ESPN networks and CBS Sports Network this season, marking the league’s most robust national television coverage in at least two decades.
All 11 SoCon teams will appear in at least one contest, with each game taking place after students return to campus to create the most exciting atmosphere for fans and viewers. Seven contests are scheduled for January, while the other eight will take place in February.
“We are incredibly proud to showcase Southern Conference men’s basketball on a record 15 national linear television games this upcoming regular season. With five games on ESPN2 and ESPNU combined and 10 games on CBS Sports Network, this unprecedented level of exposure reflects the strength of our programs, the quality of our student-athletes and coaches, and the excitement surrounding SoCon basketball,” SoCon Interim Commissioner Geoff Cabe said. “These national platforms provide an outstanding opportunity to elevate our member institutions, connect with fans across the country and continue to grow the profile of our conference.”
SoCon athletic departments and longtime partners at ESPN and CBS Sports worked together to identify unique scheduling windows that will attract more viewers than ever before to the league’s product. SoCon games this year will air on six different days of the week and at eight different times. The league’s flexibility and the network’s creativity will set a new record for ESPN2 exposure and maximize games played when audiences will find the product.
The first nationally televised game will be on Monday, Jan. 11, as Samford visits Mercer at 7 p.m. in a game that will air on ESPN2. The two squads finished the 2025-26 season with an 11-7 conference record, tying for second in the league standings alongside Wofford. The first game to air on CBS Sports Network will be on Saturday, Jan. 16, when The Citadel and VMI face off in Lexington, Virginia.
Two in-state tussles are next to be featured. Tennessee Tech will play at Chattanooga on Monday, Jan. 18, on ESPNU, before Wofford travels to Greenville, South Carolina, to take on rival Furman on CBS Sports Network one day later. The Paladins represented the SoCon in the NCAA Tournament a season ago, falling to UConn, 82-71, in the opening round.
ETSU will play in the next two ESPN showcases as the Buccaneers travel to Wofford on Sunday, Jan. 24, then head to Furman a week later. The Bucs won the 2025-26 regular season crown, going 13-5 in SoCon play and 23-11 overall. Chattanooga heads to UNCG on Saturday, Jan. 30, and the game will air on CBS Sports Network.
On Feb. 7, both platforms will carry the conference. Western Carolina at Samford will take place at 4 p.m. on CBS Sports Network, followed by Wofford at Chattanooga on ESPN2 at 6 p.m.
Beginning on Thursday, Feb. 11, six SoCon matchups will air on CBS Sports Network over the following 16 days. Chattanooga at Furman begins that stretch, with Samford traveling to ETSU concluding the slate on Saturday, Feb. 27.
The Ingles SoCon Basketball Championship will feature four broadcasts on national linear outlets. The women’s championship game and men’s semifinals will air on ESPNU on Sunday, March 7. Either ESPN or ESPN2 will carry the men’s title game on Monday, March 8.
2026-27 Southern Conference Men’s Basketball games on ESPN2/ESPNU (all times Eastern)
Monday, Jan. 11 Samford at Mercer; 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Monday, Jan. 18 Tennessee Tech at Chattanooga; 8:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Sunday, Jan. 24 ETSU at Wofford; 4 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPNU)
Sunday, Jan. 31 ETSU at Furman; Noon (ESPN2)
Sunday, Feb. 7 Wofford at Chattanooga; 6 p.m. (ESPN2)
2026-27 Southern Conference Men’s Basketball games on CBS Sports Network (all times Eastern)
Saturday, Jan. 16 The Citadel at VMI, 10 a.m.
Tuesday, Jan. 19 Wofford at Furman, 6 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 30 Chattanooga at UNCG, Noon
Sunday, Feb. 7 Western Carolina at Samford, 4 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 11 Chattanooga at Furman, 5 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 13 Furman at Western Carolina, 10 a.m.
Sunday, Feb. 14 Wofford at ETSU, 2 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 17 Chattanooga at Samford, 6 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 20 Furman at Wofford, 4 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 27 Samford at ETSU, 10 a.m.
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
The Southern Conference is headquartered in Spartanburg, South Carolina, consisting of 11 full-member schools across six states in 19 sponsored sports. Six other institutions serve as affiliate members in the SoCon-sponsored sport of wrestling. The SoCon is celebrating its 105th anniversary in 2026. The fifth-oldest NCAA Division I college athletic association, the SoCon contested the first-ever collegiate conference basketball tournament in 1921, tackled freshman eligibility in 1922, became the first conference to adopt the 3-point field goal in basketball in 1980 and developed women’s championships in 1984.