Montana Western Men’s Basketball Announces 2026-27 Schedule

DILLON, Mont. — The Montana Western men’s basketball team will play 28 regular-season games during its 2026-27 campaign, head coach JC Isakson announced Tuesday.

The Isakson era begins Oct. 23 with an exhibition game against NCAA Division I and Big Sky Conference member Idaho State in Pocatello.

Montana Western opens its 13-game home schedule Oct. 30-31 with the Western Classic. The Bulldogs will face Park Gilbert on Friday before playing College of Idaho on Saturday.

Conference Play Begins at Home

The Bulldogs open Frontier Conference play with three consecutive home games against Montana Tech on Nov. 27, Mayville State on Dec. 4 and Valley City State on Dec. 5.

Their remaining home opponents are Bismarck State, Dickinson State, Rocky Mountain College, Carroll College, Providence, MSU-Northern, Dakota State and Bellevue.

Montana Western begins conference road play Dec. 12 at Montana Tech.

Bulldogs Set for Two Early Tournaments

Following the Western Classic, the Bulldogs will travel to Butte for the Best Western Tipoff Classic. They are scheduled to face Lewis-Clark State on Nov. 6 and Westcliffe on Nov. 7.

Montana Western then travels to Lewiston, Idaho, for the LC State Classic. The Bulldogs will play Eastern Oregon on Nov. 19 and tournament host Lewis-Clark State on Nov. 20.

Frontier Tournament Set for Butte

The Frontier Conference men’s basketball tournament will take place Feb. 26 through March 1 in Butte.

The regular-season conference champion and tournament champion will earn automatic bids to the NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship. If the same team wins both titles, the second berth will go to the regular-season runner-up.

2026-27 Montana Western Men’s Basketball Schedule

• Oct. 23: at Idaho State — Pocatello, Idaho — exhibition

• Oct. 30: Park Gilbert — Straugh Gymnasium — Western Classic

• Oct. 31: College of Idaho — Straugh Gymnasium — Western Classic

• Nov. 6: Lewis-Clark State — Butte — Best Western Tipoff Classic

• Nov. 7: Westcliffe — Butte — Best Western Tipoff Classic

• Nov. 19: Eastern Oregon — Lewiston, Idaho — LC State Classic

• Nov. 20: at Lewis-Clark State — Lewiston, Idaho — LC State Classic

• Nov. 27: Montana Tech — Straugh Gymnasium

• Dec. 4: Mayville State — Straugh Gymnasium

• Dec. 5: Valley City State — Straugh Gymnasium

• Dec. 12: at Montana Tech — Butte

• Dec. 18: at MSU-Northern — Havre

• Dec. 19: at Providence — Great Falls

• Dec. 31: at Carroll — Helena

• Jan. 2: at Rocky Mountain — Billings

• Jan. 8: Bismarck State — Straugh Gymnasium

• Jan. 9: Dickinson State — Straugh Gymnasium

• Jan. 14: at Bellevue — Bellevue, Nebraska

• Jan. 16: at Dakota State — Madison, South Dakota

• Jan. 22: Rocky Mountain — Straugh Gymnasium

• Jan. 23: Carroll — Straugh Gymnasium

• Jan. 29: Providence — Straugh Gymnasium

• Jan. 30: MSU-Northern — Straugh Gymnasium

• Feb. 5: at Valley City State — Valley City, North Dakota

• Feb. 6: at Mayville State — Mayville, North Dakota

• Feb. 12: Dakota State — Straugh Gymnasium

• Feb. 13: Bellevue — Straugh Gymnasium

• Feb. 19: at Dickinson State — Dickinson, North Dakota

• Feb. 20: at Bismarck State — Bismarck, North Dakota

• Feb. 26-March 1: Frontier Conference Tournament — Butte