The562’s coverage of Long Beach State athletics for the 2026-27 season is sponsored by Marilyn Bohl.
The Long Beach State men’s and women’s basketball programs recently announced their 2026-27 schedules in a pivotal year for both programs.
The men’s basketball team will kick off the season with an exhibition at San Diego State on Oct. 28 before traveling to Utah for its regular-season opener the following Monday, Nov. 2. The Beach has 10 non-conference opponents, hosting just two of those games at the LBS Financial Credit Union Pyramid against Pacific (Nov. 11) and Portland (Dec. 22), before starting Big West play at home against Utah Valley on Dec. 3.
The men’s non-conference slate will predominantly be on the road, including the FIU Tournament in Florida from Nov. 23-25. The tournament will feature games against FIU, Arkansas State, and Southern Utah, immediately preceding the start of conference play against Utah Valley.
It’ll be the first time Long Beach State faces the Wolverines as a conference opponent following the realignment, which eliminates the Beach’s conference matchups against Hawai‘i and UC Davis. Other additions alongside Utah Valley include new conference members Cal Baptist (Jan. 28 and Mar. 6) and Sacramento State (Feb. 18 and Feb. 27).
Another notable game for the Beach is an intriguing non-conference matchup against UCLA at Pauley Pavilion (Nov. 16). The Beach will have its Bold Week in December, featuring its conference opener along with a matchup against Cal State Fullerton that same week. The Black and Blue rivalry will return to the Pyramid on New Year’s Eve, and the Beach will close out its regular season at home against Cal Baptist on Mar. 6.
The Beach heads into the 2026-27 season under third-year head coach Chris Acker, who led LBSU to a 10-22 record last season, including a ninth-place finish in the Big West Conference with a 6-14 conference record.
The women’s basketball team will begin its first season under new head coach Minyon Moore with a road matchup at UC Berkeley on Nov. 5. The Beach will then have its home opener against Santa Clara on Nov. 9 before starting conference play on Dec. 3 on the road at Utah Valley.
The Beach’s home matchup against Utah Valley will be on Feb. 25, while its other new conference matchups against Cal Baptist will take place on Jan. 28 and Mar. 6, the latter serving as the Beach’s regular-season finale. The Beach will also face new Big West opponent Sacramento State on Feb. 18 and Feb. 27.
The Beach’s only other non-conference home game in November will be against Hope International on Nov. 30, before a four-game homestand in December that begins with a conference matchup against Cal State Fullerton (Dec. 5), followed by non-conference games against Idaho (Dec. 9), LMU (Dec. 13) and Northern Arizona (Dec. 21).
The non-conference schedule will also feature a road trip in the middle of November with matchups at Portland (Nov. 14), San Francisco (Nov. 19) and San José State (Nov. 21). The Big West slate features Black and Gold rivalry matchups against UC Irvine on Dec. 31 and at home on Jan. 23.
The women’s team is looking to improve on a 5-25 season in former head coach Amy Wright’s final year at the Beach. The Beach went 4-16 in the Big West last year and finished third from the bottom of the conference standings.
