Conway, Ark. – The University of Central Arkansas has released its 2025–26 men's basketball schedule, highlighted by several high-profile nonconference matchups. The Bears will open the season on November 3 in Chapel Hill, N.C., against perennial powerhouse North Carolina, followed by a November 11 road trip to Fayetteville to face the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Head Coach John Shulman expressed both excitement and respect for the challenge ahead, "Excited about our schedule- tough as always but will prepare us for a huge challenge in our last year with the Atlantic Sun Conference. There are 11 teams on our schedule that participated in post season play. We start the season with 2 top 25 teams on the road at the University of North Carolina and the University of Arkansas to challenge a group of newcomers that are looking forward to this difficult schedule."

Other notable nonconference games include the annual I-40 Showdown against Little Rock, which will be played in Conway on December 3. The Bears will also travel to Vanderbilt on December 13 and SMU on December 21, adding two more Power Four opponents to the slate.

In addition, UCA will participate in the SoCon vs. ASUN Challenge, hosting Samford on November 16 and visiting ETSU on November 29. Both Samford and ETSU finished tied for third in the SoCon last season with 12–6 league records.

Conference play begins January 1 in Conway against FGCU. The Bears' ASUN slate features 18 games, with four opponents played once and seven opponents faced in home-and-home series. The regular season concludes February 28 at home against Queens, with the ASUN Tournament set for March 3–8 in Jacksonville, Florida.

In total, UCA will play 31 games, including 15 at the Farris Center. Coach Shulman emphasized the importance of home support, "We are pleased to have 15 home games and need to make the Farris Center an incredible home court advantage.  All in all, we are awfully excited about the 25-26 schedule and ready to get started."