After trickling in like a leaky faucet, the Michigan basketball nonconference schedule has officially solidified.
In 2024, coach Dusty May said he wanted to make sure that his Wolverines played a number of various styles of teams in order to prepare for what it hoped would be a lengthy postseason slate. It paid off, as U-M not only won the Big Ten tournament, but advanced to the Sweet 16 in the first year of the May era.
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The schedule for the 2025-26 season is every bit as tough, if not a step above.
The program plays a number of big name programs including Villanova at home (Tuesday, Dec. 9) and Duke at a neutral site (Feb. 21, Washington, D.C.) in addition to the return trips of last year’s matchups with Wake Forest coming to Detroit and U-M facing TCU on the road in mid-November.
With the “Players Era Festival” tournament in Las Vegas that carries a $1 million purse, there’s plenty more tough contests before Big Ten play picks up with teams like San Diego State and Auburn, which knocked the Wolverines out of the NCAA tournament a season ago.
Here’s a complete look at the 2025-26 nonconference schedule as well as a reminder of which Big Ten teams U-M plays on the road, at home and the three teams it will see twice this upcoming season.
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2025-26 Michigan basketball nonconference schedule
Oct. 25 (exhibition): vs. St. John’s (Madison Square Garden)
Nov. 3: Oakland (Crisler Center)
Nov. 11: vs. Wake Forest (Detroit, Little Caesars Arena)
Nov. 14: at TCU
Players Era Festival (Tournament Info)
Nov. 24 (Players Era Festival): San Diego State (Las Vegas, 10:30 p.m.)
Nov. 25 (Players Era Festival): Auburn (Las Vegas, 8:30 p.m.)
Nov. 26/27: TBD based on first two games
Dec. 9: Villanova (Crisler Center)
Dec. 21: La Salle (Crisler Center)
Dec. 29: McNeese (Crisler Center)
Feb. 21: vs. Duke (Washington, D.C.)
Michigan head coach Dusty May cheers on after a play against Auburn during the second half of the Sweet 16 round of NCAA tournament at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga. on Friday, March 28, 2025.
Michigan basketball’s 2025-26 Big Ten slate
Home/Away: Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State.
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Home: Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, Wisconsin.
Away: Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Northwestern, Oregon, Purdue, Washington.
Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on “X” at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball schedule: Wolverines announce nonconference slate
