NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Coming off another memorable season, the Yale men's basketball team is set to open its 2026-27 campaign at home, hosting Howard on Monday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs will then hit the road to face UCF on Friday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.
 
"We've had a great preseason, and we're looking forward to our non-conference opponents helping us prepare for league play and defending our title," said James Jones, the Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach of the Bulldogs.

2026-27 Schedule | Roster
 
Howard at Yale
Monday, Nov. 2 – 7 p.m.
John J. Lee Amphitheater
New Haven, Conn.
ESPN+ | Live Stats | Game Notes
 
Yale at UCF
Friday, Nov. 6 – 7 p.m.
Addition Financial Arena
Orlando, Fla.
ESPN+ | Live Stats
 
Bulldog Notes

• Yale capped the 2025-26 season with a 24-7 record, the most wins in program history during the modern era, and an 11-3 mark in Ivy League play to claim its second consecutive Ivy League title.
• The Bulldogs also made their third appearance in the NIT, hosting a tournament game at John J. Lee Amphitheater for the first time.
• Yale returns nine players from last season, including Trevor Mullin, Riley Fox, and Jordan Brathwaite.
• Fox and Brathwaite tied for second on the team with 45 three-pointers apiece.
• The Bulldogs welcome a talented group of six newcomers, five first-years and one transfer: Chris Bolte, Brady Wooley, Jonas Oware, Connor May, Tim Winkler and Jack Louridas, who all look to make an immediate impact in their Yale debuts.
• Yale has won 20 or more games in six of the past seven seasons.

 
Season Notes

• Yale was picked to finish third in the Ivy League Preseason Poll on Oct. 12.

 
Setting the Tone

• Jones announced in mid-April that Mullin was selected to lead the Bulldogs.
• Mullin was one of five players to average double figures last season, scoring 11.5 points per game.
• He appeared in all 31 contests, making 30 starts, and reached double digits in 17 games.
• The Wellesley, Massachusetts native also surpassed the 20-point mark four times, including both Ivy Madness semifinal and championship games, earning All-Tournament honors.
• Serving as the team's point guard, he ranked third on the team with 85 total assists and led the squad with 60 three-pointers.

 
Jones: Yale's Winningest Coach

• Jones is the winningest men's basketball coach in school history and the second winningest coach in Ivy League history.
• He has 442 career victories, and 236 Ivy League wins.
• Jones has guided the Bulldogs to eight Ivy League Championships (2002, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2025, 2026), four Ivy League Tournament titles (2019, 2022, 2024, 2025), five NCAA Tournament berths (2016, 2019, 2022, 2024, 2025), and 10 postseason appearances.
• Over the past seven years, he has consistently led the team to Ivy League success, capturing either the league championship, the tournament title, or both each season.

 
The Bison at a Glance

• Howard was picked to repeat as champions in the MEAC preseason poll.
• The Bison earned 62 points, including six first-place votes.
• Howard is coming off a historic year under head coach Kenneth Blakeney, winning 24 games, tying the school record for the most wins in a season. Additionally, the team won a first-round NCAA game for the first time in school history.
• Cedric Taylor III and Cam Gillus were tabbed to the MEAC Preseason Watch List.
• Taylor III was second on the team in scoring last season, averaging 17.2 points per game.

 
The Knights at a Glance

• The Knights are coming off a strong season that ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after going seven years without a bid into the Big Dance.
• UCF tallied a 21-12 record, marking the second consecutive 20-win season under head coach Johnny Dawkins. Additionally, the team recorded nine Big 12 Conference wins, the most by a UCF team since joining the conference ahead of the 2023-24 season.
• The team averaged 80.7 points per game, the most by any UCF team in the D1 era.
• UCF tied the program record with three top-25 wins (No. 17 Kansas, No. 11 Texas Tech and No. 19 BYU).
• Riley Kugel returns for the Knights this season after leading the team in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game.

 
Up Next
The Bulldogs will remain on the road to face Baylor on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 8 p.m. ET.