Buckeye revenge
We are just a little over 3 months away from the start of the Notre Dame basketball season. On Wednesday, the Irish released the full out of conference schedule.
From the ND press release:
Irish Announce 2025-26 Non-Conference Schedule
Includes trips to Columbus and Fort Worth and hosting the ACC/SEC Challenge
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – On Wednesday, the Notre Dame men’s basketball program released its 2025-26 non-conference slate, which features eight games inside Purcell Pavilion, two new home-and-home series against P4 opponents and a return to Las Vegas for the highly competitive 2025 Players Era Festival.
First, mark your calendars for November 3 because that’s when the Fighting Irish will kickstart their 2025-26 campaign when they host LIU Brooklyn inside Purcell Pavilion. It’s also not the first time men’s hoops will begin a season against the Sharks, for they did so at the start of the 2007-08 season, which marked the last time these two squared off. LIU Brooklyn finished second in the Northeast Conference last year and returns three starters from that squad.
Notre Dame will stay at home for the next two games, hosting Detroit Mercy on November 7 and then Eastern Illinois on November 11. It’ll mark the first ever meeting against the Panthers.
The Blue & Gold then hit the road for the first time, traveling to Columbus to take on Ohio State on Nov. 15. This marks the start of a home-and-home series, with the Buckeyes traveling to South Bend for the 2026-27 season. Last season, OSU went 17-15 overall and 9-11 in Big Ten play.
Next, Notre Dame makes a quick pit stop back home to challenge Bellarmine on Nov. 19 before jetting off to Las Vegas for the 2025 Players Era Men’s Championship.
Returning to the MGM Grand Garden Arena for the second consecutive year, the Irish will commence Players Era Festival play with Kansas on Nov. 24. ND and KU have not clashed since January of 1988. The Irish own a 9-3 advantage in the all-time series.
The very next day, the Irish will seek revenge against an opponent from last year’s Players Era – Rutgers. In a game in which All-ACC guard Markus Burton went down with an injury, the Scarlet Knights edged the Irish in overtime, 84-85.
Notre Dame’s third opponent in Vegas will be determined off of win-losses and point differential.
The ACC/SEC Challenge kickstarts December basketball, and for the first time in its three-year history, the Irish will get to play this game inside Purcell Pavilion. Notre Dame will look to garner its first Challenge win when it hosts Mizzou on Dec. 2.
The last road non-con will see Notre Dame head jet south to TCU on December 5, beginning another home-and-home with the Horned Frogs returning the trip to Purcell for 2026-27. It’ll be the program’s first trip to Fort Worth with a 5-0 mark in the all-time series. The year prior, TCU achieved a 16-16 record with a 9-11 mark in Big 12 play.
The Fighting Irish will conclude their non-conference slate with three straight home games, starting with Idaho on December 10, followed by Evansville on December 13, and then Purdue Fort Wayne on December 21.