FLORENCE, Ala. (September 24, 2026) – The University of North Alabama men's basketball program announced the completed 2026-27 schedule Thursday, as the Lions will play 16 non-conference games in addition to 16 games against the United Athletic Conference.
UNA has exactly 16 home games and 16 road games this season — eight of each in non-conference play and eight of each against league opponents. This marks the most home games for the program at the Division I level and the most since the 2016-17 season.
The season opens Monday, Nov. 2 with a trip to UC Davis, while the home opener is set for Thursday, Nov. 5 against Union (TN) inside CB&S Bank Arena.
This upcoming season will be the first for UNA in the newly-formed United Athletic Conference. The Lions join former ASUN members Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky and West Georgia in the new league along with former OVC member Little Rock and former WAC members Abilene Christian, Tarleton State and UT Arlington.
The Lions will also play notable road games at Oklahoma and Miami and will meet up with four members of the ASUN — three of which were conference rivals last season.
"Our non-conference schedule is designed to challenge us and prepare us for the competitive environment we will see every night in the UAC," said UNA head coach
Tony Pujol, who enters his ninth season. "We have built in some tough road tests and environments that will demand a high level of focus, toughness and execution from our team. At the same time, we are excited to have eight non-conference home games for our fans, which is the most home games we have had during the Division I era. Those experiences, both at home and on the road, are exactly what we need as we prepare for conference play, and we are excited to put ourselves in those situations early in the season."
This announcement comes right before the inaugural UAC Basketball Tipoff event set for Thursday, Sept. 24 in Allen, Texas. UNA will be represented by Coach Pujol, and graduate transfer
Drey Carter and senior transfer
Mike Evbagharu.
Times, dates and locations are subject to change. Fans can find the most up-to-date information on RoarLions.com.
NOTES
PERFECT SYMMETRY: UNA will play 16 home games this season, including four in November and four in December during non-conference play. Home opponents include Union, Fisk, Tusculum and Cumberland from lower levels, matchups with Alabama A&M and UT Martin as nearby Division I foes and two ASUN-UAC crossovers against reigning-ASUN champion Queens and new member West Florida.
ROAD TESTS: UNA will play a number of high-level opponents on the road, including the opener at UC Davis on Nov. 2. The next two road trips are against SEC and ACC competition with a trip to Oklahoma on Nov. 9 and Miami on Nov. 13. UNA also has big city showdowns to open December against DePaul on Dec. 1 in Chicago and Charlotte on Dec. 6 in North Carolina. UNA will also travel to Morehead State on Dec. 15 and then close non-conference play with trips to former ASUN rivals Bellarmine and Lipscomb to bookend the new year on Dec. 31 and Jan. 2.
NEW SEASON: The Lions return three players from last season and welcome 12 newcomers to the team, including two freshmen and 10 transfers. Two of the 10 transfers have experience in the ASUN, playing with teams that will join UNA in the UAC — graduate guard
Quan Lax at Austin Peay and senior guard
Mike Evbagharu at Central Arkansas. Returning to the team are sophomores
Cortez Graham-Howard and
Braylon Patton, as well as redshirt senior center
Mitchell Chaffee.
EXPERIENCE IS KEY: North Alabama boasts a lot of experience on this roster with nine players that are juniors, seniors or graduate students. That makes up 60 percent of the roster. However, two of the six that are in the younger group were at UNA last season and know the lay of the land — Patton and Graham-Howard.
STAFF ADDITIONS: UNA head coach
Tony Pujol enters his ninth season at the helm and has been the school's only head men's basketball coach since the move to Division I in 2018. Pujol made some key hires this offseason, including the addition of former Freed-Hardeman head coach, UNA basketball alum and Shoals native Drew Stutts — who won two NAIA national championships in the last three seasons. Pujol also hired former player Will Soucie, who holds the school record for most Division I games in UNA history. He rounded out the staff with the addition of Perin Foote from Florida State. Associate head coach
Ahmad Smith returns for a ninth season and has been with Pujol since day one, while
Jalen Patton remains the Director of Basketball Operations and has been with the program for seven seasons, including four as a student. Camden Madding rounds things out as the team's strength and conditioning coach, entering his first season after working with Freed-Hardeman.
FORGE AHEAD: This season, the Lions have officially forged ahead to the United Athletic Conference as of July 1. UNA will join former ASUN rivals Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky and West Georgia in the UAC. The Lions also join forces with Abilene Christian, UT Arlington and Tarleton State from the Western Athletic Conference and Little Rock from the Ohio Valley Conference. The UAC and ASUN are both under the Unisun Sports umbrella, sharing staffs and resources but possessing their own league rules and automatic bids.
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit
www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on
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