Aggies will enter third season as CUSA members
Conference USA released its full conference schedules for men’s and women’s basketball on July 11, featuring 120 men’s games and 108 women’s games.
New Mexico State will enter its third year in CUSA during the 2025-26 season. Both its men’s and women’s teams went 10-8 in conference play last season before being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the CUSA Tournament by Kennesaw State and Louisiana Tech, respectively. The Aggies’ men’s team aims for its first CUSA Tournament semifinal appearance in 2025-26, while their women’s team looks to return to that round after making it that far during the 2023-24 season.
NM State will face fresh opponents in the new CUSA members Delaware and Missouri State. The conference is back at 12 members for the 2025-26 season only, with UTEP set to join the Mountain West Conference on July 1, 2026. CUSA could revert to 10 members soon, with speculation that LA Tech may join the Sun Belt Conference.
2025-26 CUSA play begins on Dec. 16, 2025, for the men and Jan. 2, 2026, for the women. The CUSA Tournament will remain at the Propst Arena in Huntsville, AL, for the third consecutive season and be held for the men and women from March 10-14, 2026.
Here are key details you need to know about the Aggies’ men’s and women’s 2025-26 CUSA basketball schedule:
Men’s and women’s schedules no longer mirror
CUSA schedules for the men and women were similar in NM State’s first two years in the league. Both teams faced the same schools on the same week, with one team staying home and the other playing on the road. Last season’s slates were even more parallel, with men’s and women’s teams facing the same schools on the same days.
This will change in the 2025-26 season. Not only will the men’s and women’s teams sometimes play different opponents in different weeks, but the number of games will also change. Men’s teams will play 20 conference games while women’s teams keep their 18-game CUSA schedules.
Unlike last season, the Aggies’ men’s and women’s teams will also play CUSA games on other days besides Thursdays and Saturdays. Both teams will play conference games on a Friday and Sunday, with the men’s team competing in two Sunday CUSA games and also taking the floor for a Wednesday CUSA affair.
An earlier start for the men
The Aggies’ men’s team didn’t start conference play until January in their first two CUSA seasons. That won’t be the case this year.
The 2025-26 season will see CUSA men’s play start in December, with teams playing one conference game each before 2026 begins. NM State plays the second-earliest CUSA game of the 2025-26 season on Dec. 21 against Sam Houston at home.
Women’s teams will still start in January, with the Aggies facing Liberty on Jan. 2, 2026, at home.
Different travel partners
NM State keeps UTEP as its travel partner, meaning opponents will typically face the Miners the same week they face the Aggies, but others will be different.
Liberty’s travel partner is new CUSA member Delaware, a closer one than its 2024-25 travel partner in Florida International. There will still sometimes be long travels between games; however, with FIU’s next partner being another new CUSA member, Missouri State.
The other partnerships remain the same. Rival schools KSU and Jacksonville State, as well as MTSU and Western Kentucky, will be kept together. Sam Houston also keeps LA Tech as its travel partner.
Men’s travel partners won’t always play the same teams every week, though. For example, the Aggies will play one road game and one home game between Jan. 28 and Jan. 31, 2026 (against Delaware and KSU, respectively), while UTEP plays two home games that week against Delaware and LA Tech. Another example sees NM State facing LA Tech on Feb. 4, 2026, before traveling to play the Miners, while UTEP has the week off before its Feb. 7, 2026, contest with the Aggies.
The Aggies face some teams only once
The 20-game and 18-game slates for the men’s and women’s teams, respectively, mean NM State will face some conference foes once instead of twice. A 22-game schedule would be required for the Aggies to play all 11 other CUSA members.
The men will face Sam Houston and LA Tech once, taking on the Bearkats in their CUSA opener at home and the Bulldogs on Feb. 4, 2026, on the road.
The women face WKU, MTSU, FIU, and MSU once. The Aggies take on the Lady Toppers and the Blue Raiders on the road from Jan. 8-10, 2026, and face the Panthers and Bears the following week at home from Jan. 15-17, 2026.
NM State’s full CUSA schedule
Dates in December are in 2025, while dates from January-March are in 2026.
Men
Dec. 21 – Sam Houston
Jan. 2 – at Florida International
Jan. 4 – at Missouri State
Jan. 8 – Western Kentucky
Jan. 10 – Middle Tennessee
Jan. 15 – at Liberty
Jan. 17 – at Delaware
Jan. 22 – Missouri State
Jan. 24 – Florida International
Jan. 28 – Delaware
Jan. 31 – at Kennesaw State
Feb. 4 – at Louisiana Tech
Feb. 7 – at UTEP
Feb. 11 – Liberty
Feb. 14 – at Jacksonville State
Feb. 21 – UTEP
Feb. 26 – at Western Kentucky
Feb. 28 – at Middle Tennessee
March 5 – Jacksonville State
March 7 – Kennesaw State
Women
Jan. 2 – Liberty
Jan. 4 – Delaware
Jan. 8 – at Western Kentucky
Jan. 10 – at Middle Tennessee
Jan. 15 – Florida International
Jan. 17 – Missouri State
Jan. 22 – at Jacksonville State
Jan. 24 – at Kennesaw State
Jan. 31 – at UTEP
Feb. 5 – Sam Houston
Feb. 7 – Louisiana Tech
Feb. 12 – at Delaware
Feb. 14 – at Liberty
Feb. 21 – UTEP
Feb. 26 – Kennesaw State
Feb. 28 – Jacksonville State
Mar. 5 – at Louisiana Tech
Mar. 7 – at Sam Houston