Men's Basketball 8/18/2026 11:15:00 AM

Men’s Basketball Announces 2026-27 Non-Conference Schedule

2026-27 NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE | BUY/RENEW SEASON TICKETS

A pair of games against Big 4 rivals, a road game at Syracuse and the return of the Queen City Classic at the Koessler Athletic Center highlight the Canisius men's basketball 2026-27 non-conference schedule, released today by head coach Jim Christian.

In all, the Golden Griffins are set to play 12 non-league games before opening Metro Conference play the weekend of Dec. 4-6. The 123rd season in program history officially tips off Nov. 2 when the Blue and Gold travel to play at Penn State in University Park, Pa.

Season tickets for the combined home men's and women's basketball schedule are on sale now through the Canisius Ticket Office by CLICKING HERE. Fans can also purchase their season ticket plans, which cost $240 for reserved and $140 for general admission, by calling the ticket office during normal business hours at (716) 888-TIXX.

Canisius' 2026-27 home opener will be on Nov. 7, when the Griffs play host to long-time rival St. Bonaventure at the Koessler Athletic Center. The meeting between Canisius and St. Bonaventure will be the 174th in series history, dating back to the 1903-04 season, and it also marks the 10th time in series history that the Blue and Gold and the Bonnies have met on the hardwood inside the Koessler Athletic Center. On Nov. 9, Canisius will host Division III member Hiram before taking to the road to play at Brown (Nov. 12) and at crosstown rival Buffalo (Nov. 15). The game at Buffalo will be the 56th meeting in the series and it will serve as the Griffs' 15th game between the programs at UB's Broadview Arena (formerly Alumni Arena) since 1996-97.

For the second-straight year, Canisius will host the Queen City Classic, a multi-team event (MTE) at the Koessler Athletic Center. This year's Queen City Classic will feature four schools – Canisius, UAlbany, Mercyhurst and Western Illinois. This year's edition of the Queen City Classic will feature two games each day from Nov. 20-22. A full schedule of events for Queen City Classic with game times will be announced when it becomes available.

After closing out the month of November on the road at UIC in Chicago on Nov. 29, Canisius will return home to play host to its first two games on the Metro Conference schedule on the weekend of Dec. 4-6. Game times and the full 2026-27 Metro Conference schedule will be released in the near future. As was the case in each of the previous two seasons, the Metro slate will feature an unbalanced 20-game schedule. The 2027 Metro Men's Basketball Championship tournament will be held March 4-9 at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

Canisius will close out non-league play with three straight road games through December, starting Dec. 12 at Duquesne in Pittsburgh, Pa. On Dec. 16, the Griffs will travel east on the New York State Thruway to play at Syracuse. That game at the JMA Wireless Dome will be the 72nd all-time meeting between Canisius and Syracuse in a series that dates back to 1944-45. The Blue and Gold's final non-league game will be on Dec. 22 when the team returns to Chicago to take on Big East member DePaul. That game will serve as the first meeting between the two schools since Dec. 26, 1963.

NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE NOTES
• The Nov. 2 start date is the earliest in program history.
• Canisius will open the schedule in the state of Pennsylvania for the first time since 2018-19, when the Griffs started that year with a road victory at Bucknell.
• The season-opener at Penn State will serve as Canisius' first season-opener against a Big Ten Conference member school since the 1984-85 campaign when the Griffs opened that year at Michigan State.
• Canisius has played more games (173) against St. Bonaventure than any other non-league rival.
• Canisius' game at Brown will be the 10th in series history, and it will be the first meeting between the schools since the 2019-20 campaign.
• Western Illinois will be the 73rd different Division I school to play Canisius at the Koessler Athletic Center since the building opened in 1968.
• With games at both UIC (Nov. 29) and DePaul (Dec. 22), the 2026-27 season will mark the first time in program history where the Griffs have played multiple games in Chicago.
• Including this coming season, each of the last four contests between Canisius and Duquesne have been played in Pittsburgh.
• The 2026-27 season will mark the third-straight year where the Griffs have played multiple non-league games against Atlantic 10 Conference member schools. Last season, Canisius played four A-10 schools, and all of those were road games.
• The game at Syracuse will be the 13th time in series history where the two teams have met on the court inside the JMA Wireless Dome (formerly the Carrier Dome).
• Canisius and DePaul are set to meet for the fourth time in series history, a series that began in 1957-58. Two of the previous three contests between the Griffs and the Blue Demons have been played in Buffalo.

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