BILLINGS, Mont.- Head Coach Danny Neville announces the Rocky Men's Basketball 2026-27 schedule. 

Looking to build on a banner season in 2025-26, the Battlin' Bears have built a competitive schedule from top to bottom. 

Rocky opens the year with a pair of exhibition tests against formidable NCAA Division II opponents: Black Hills State University and cross-town rival MSU Billings. Black Hills State finished last season ranked No. 10 in NCAA DII, posting a 30-5 overall record (13-1 at home) and advancing to the DII Elite Eight. The Battlin' Bears will travel to Spearfish to play in a high-energy arena that ranked third nationwide in DII attendance last season. Rocky then returns home to face MSU Billings in Alterowitz Gym for the lone Rimrock Rivalry matchup of the season, a cross-town series that is tied 5-5 since 2021. Both opening NCAA DII contests will serve as exhibitions.

The Battlin' Bears' first game of record will double as their conference opener on November 21, when Rocky travels to Helena to take on Carroll College. That matchup kicks off a 22-game Frontier Conference slate featuring home-and-away battles against every league opponent through February 20th. 

Rocky's non-conference schedule will rank among the most competitive in the NAIA. Four of the six NAIA non-conference opponents on the schedule qualified for last year's NAIA National Tournament, with three advancing to the NAIA National Championship Final Site in Kansas City. 

Highlighting the non-conference slate on November 25 is a clash against defending national champion Freed-Hardeman, a squad that lost just once all season in 2025-26 and closed the year on a 32-game winning streak. Exact game time and location details will be announced at a later date.

Following that marquee matchup, Rocky travels to Kingsport, Tennessee, for "The Show" NAIA Showcase to face Campbellsville University and Georgetown College. Georgetown earned a No. 3 seed in the NAIA Tournament last season and advanced to the Round of 16, while Campbellsville finished 19-11 after reaching the Mid-South Conference Championship game against Freed-Hardeman.

In mid-December, the Battlin' Bears head west to California for three non-conference games, including a pair of must-see rematches. On December 19, Rocky faces The Master's University in a rematch of last season's NAIA National Tournament Second Round battle, where the Battlin' Bears eliminated the Mustangs in a one-point nail-biter at the Fortin Education Center. Two days later in Fullerton, Rocky will look to avenge an 84-81 overtime loss against Hope International, who leveraged that win into an NAIA Quarterfinal run. Rocky will round out the road trip against La Sierra in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

In total, the Battlin' Bears will host 11 home games this season, all featuring Frontier Conference opponents. Postseason action begins February 26 at the 2027 Frontier Conference Tournament in Butte, Montana.