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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri men’s basketball unveiled its 2025-26 nonconference schedule on Wednesday, lining up another home-heavy slate of lesser-profile programs before Southeastern Conference play begins.

It’s a similar schedule to past ones Mizzou has played under coach Dennis Gates, with marquee rivalry games in December but few games of significance otherwise.

Based on last season’s final NET rankings, the Tigers would have nine Quad 4 matchups this season, one in Quad 3, one in Quad 2 and two in Quad 1. That means MU’s NCAA Tournament resume will rely heavily on the strength of the SEC and, ideally, a near-perfect run through these nonconference games

As previously announced, Missouri will open the season at Howard on Nov. 3, the second meeting in a three-year series. Mizzou’s home opener will come Nov. 7 against Southeast Missouri State.

Two days later, the Tigers will face the Virginia Military Institute on Nov. 9, with a football game against Texas A&M sandwiched on the day between the SEMO and VMI games.

On Nov. 12, Minnesota will visit MU in the return leg of a series that started in 2023. Prairie View A&M will come to town on Nov. 17, followed by South Dakota on Nov. 20 and South Carolina State on Nov. 25.

Missouri will host Cleveland State Nov. 28 in a game that will be a reunion on many fronts: between Gates and the school that gave him his first head coaching job, where former Mizzou assistant Rob Summers is now the coach.

As part of a crossover challenge between the SEC and Atlantic Coast Conference, the Tigers will visit Notre Dame — which plays basketball in the ACC, not as independent — on Dec. 2.

This year’s matchup with Kansas will take place Dec. 7 in Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center.

Missouri will host Alabama State on Dec. 11 and Bethune-Cookman on Dec. 14 before heading to the Enterprise Center for this year’s Braggin’ Rights showdown against Illinois, scheduled for Dec. 22.

SEC play will begin in the new year.

Mizzou will play Arkansas, Oklahoma and Mississippi State both home and away. The Tigers have the Razorbacks and Sooners as permanent twice-a-year opponents, and the league’s rotation pits them twice against the Bulldogs.

While dates won’t be released until closer to the season, MU will also face Florida, Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and Vanderbilt at home. Missouri gets Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana State, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas A&M on the road.