The 2026-27 HBCU basketball season started on Monday, Nov. 2, with an exciting early-morning win, some clear victories, and a few standout performances that could set the tone for the first weeks of the season.
Grambling State had one of the day's most exciting endings, beating Northern Illinois 89-87 in the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon. Isaiah Miranda scored 29 points on 10-of-12 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds, and blocked three shots as the Tigers held on after a missed buzzer-beater.
Howard's women's basketball team came close to a big upset at Missouri but lost 91-88 in overtime. The Bison led by 19 points in the second half, but Missouri came back to win on opening night.
Virginia State's women also beat Norfolk State 63-62, showing how competitive HBCU matchups can be across NCAA divisions.
Teams from the SWAC, MEAC, CIAA, SIAC, OVC, CAA, and NAIA played in the opening-night games.
Grambling State Tigers men's basketball team wins its season opener against NIU in the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon. | GSU Athletics
Grambling State led the SWAC's three opening-night victories with its dramatic 89-87 win over Northern Illinois in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
Miranda delivered an outstanding offensive performance, connecting on four of five attempts from beyond the arc. Dwayne Pierce contributed 19 points and eight assists as Grambling State held off a second-half rally.
Prairie View A&M defeated NAIA member Paul Quinn 86-65 behind 27 points from M. Eley, while Alabama A&M rolled past Oakwood 90-57.
Six SWAC men's teams lost, including Florida A&M, which fell 112-69 at Florida State despite 27 points from J. Kempson. Bethune-Cookman suffered a 79-70 defeat to Furman in the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon.
Texas Southern lost 103-79 to Grand Canyon in Coach Corey Lowery's debut with the Tigers. Newcomer guard Karris Bilal scored a team-high 15 points in 26 minutes of game action.
Bethune-Cookman was the SWAC's only reported women's winner, defeating NAIA member Florida Memorial 102-30. T. Hawes led the Wildcats with 17 points and seven rebounds.
Alabama A&M suffered one of the conference's more surprising setbacks, falling 59-53 at home to NAIA member Talladega.
Seven other SWAC teams lost to power-conference opponents. Grambling State produced the highest scoring output among those seven teams, putting up 61 points in a 90-61 loss at Iowa State.
The first games showed a common challenge for SWAC women's teams: facing tough nonconference schedules against schools with more resources and bigger recruiting reach.
Morgan State opened its season with a convincing 103-52 victory over Division II Cheyney. Alfred Worrell Jr. scored 27 points to lead the Bears.
Three other MEAC men's teams also opened with home victories:
South Carolina State defeated Morris 94-55.
Delaware State defeated Saint Vincent 86-52.
Norfolk State defeated Regent 68-45.
Defending MEAC champion Howard suffered a 72-62 road loss to Yale.
Maryland Eastern Shore's B. Gardner delivered one of the conference's best individual scoring performances, finishing with 30 points in an 83-62 defeat at Wake Forest.
Howard Women's Basketball | Megan Raymond, HU Athletics
Howard nearly pulled off the MEAC's biggest upset on opening night.
The Bison led Missouri by as many as 19 points before the Tigers staged a comeback and prevailed 91-88 in overtime. D. Bynum-Johnson finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds for Howard.
Morgan State, South Carolina State, and Coppin State each recorded decisive or comfortable home victories:
Morgan State defeated Washington Adventist 103-47.
South Carolina State defeated Trinity College of Jacksonville 112-42.
Coppin State defeated Cheyney 80-69.
Norfolk State fell 63-62 to Division II Virginia State in another notable opening-night result.
Virginia State made an early impact with a 63-62 win over Norfolk State at Echols Hall in Norfolk, Virginia.
Taylor Ragland led the Trojans with 14 points and seven rebounds, helping Virginia State overcome its Division I opponent.
The game counted as an exhibition for Virginia State, so their CIAA record stayed at 0-0. For Norfolk State, though, it went down as a season-opening loss.
The matchup was the only CIAA women's contest.
No CIAA men's basketball games were reported Monday.
Neither men's nor women's SIAC results were posted for Monday, Nov. 2.
The conference's 2026-27 basketball standings continued to show participating programs at 0-0.
Tennessee State suffered a 94-64 defeat against Murray State in the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
T. Johnson led Tennessee State with 15 points.
Tennessee State's women enjoyed a considerably better opening night, defeating Toccoa Falls 95-46 at the Gentry Center in Nashville.
S. Kamara paced the Tigers with 24 points and five steals.
Neither Hampton nor North Carolina A&T men's basketball played Monday.
Hampton is scheduled to open Tuesday, Nov. 3, at Georgia Tech. North Carolina A&T is scheduled to host Warren Wilson.
Hampton's K. McElrath scored 33 points in a 73-65 road loss to Houston, one of the strongest individual scoring performances among the HBCU women's teams featured in the roundup.
North Carolina A&T faced Division II Wingate at Corbett Sports Center in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Aggies led 70-59 with 15 seconds remaining in the supplied game update.
Fisk lost 117-73 at Middle Tennessee in the Blue Raiders' Education Day matchup at the Murphy Center. More than 7,000 elementary school students attended the contest, according to the supplied game report.
Paul Quinn also suffered a road defeat, falling 86-65 to Prairie View A&M.
D. King led Paul Quinn with 22 points and seven rebounds.
Talladega produced one of the day's notable HBCU results by defeating SWAC opponent Alabama A&M 59-53 on the road.
A. Golston finished with 10 points and eight rebounds to lead the Tornadoes.
Florida Memorial fell 102-30 at Bethune-Cookman, according to the supplied scoreboard results.
1. Grambling State already has an offensive standout. Isaiah Miranda's 29 points showed his scoring ability, especially his long-range shooting.
2. Howard's women proved they can compete with SEC teams. The Bison built a big lead at Missouri before the Tigers came back in overtime. Their effort stands out even though they lost. Virginia State delivered a statement against Division I competition.
The Trojans' victory over Norfolk State was a significant early result for the CIAA program, even though it counted as an exhibition for Virginia State.
4. The SWAC had a tough opening night. Its men's and women's teams won just four out of 18 games in this roundup. Because opponents varied widely in strength, it's too early to compare teams directly.
5. Talladega picked up a notable road win. The Tornadoes' six-point victory at Alabama A&M is a good early sign for the NAIA program.
The opening night gave us a first look at the 2026-27 HBCU basketball season. Grambling State and Howard stood out, and Virginia State and Talladega proved that HBCU teams outside Division I can compete with bigger programs.
Isaiah Miranda, Grambling State: 29 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in an 89-87 win over Northern Illinois. Dwayne Pierce added 19 points and eight assists.
B. Gardner, Maryland Eastern Shore: 30 points in an 83-62 loss at Wake Forest. It was the best scoring night by any HBCU men's player.
M. Eley, Prairie View A&M: 27 points and four steals in an 86-65 win over Paul Quinn.
J. Kempson, Florida A&M: 27 points in a 112-69 loss at Florida State.
Alfred Worrell Jr., Morgan State: 27 points in a 103-52 win over Cheyney.
M. Jordan, Bethune-Cookman: 22 points in a 79-70 loss to Furman.
D. King, Paul Quinn (NAIA): 22 points and seven rebounds at Prairie View A&M.
C. Sirmans III, Alcorn State: 20 points, six assists and three steals in a loss at Ole Miss.
N. Reedus, Delaware State: 19 points and four steals in an 86-52 win over Saint Vincent.
C. Sanon, NC Central: 19 points and six rebounds in a 78-62 loss at Georgia.
B. Laster, Norfolk State: 18 points and seven rebounds in a 68-45 win over Regent.
D. Brown, Alabama A&M: 13 points and 11 rebounds in a 90-57 win over Oakwood.
K. McElrath, Hampton: 33 points in a 73-65 loss at Houston. It was the top-scoring performance by any HBCU player, men or women, on opening day.
S. Kamara, Tennessee State: 24 points and five steals in a 95-46 win over Toccoa Falls.
A. Webster, South Carolina State: 23 points and 10 rebounds in a 112-42 win over Trinity College of Jacksonville.
A. George, Coppin State: 20 points and three steals in an 80-69 win over Cheyney.
J. James, Norfolk State: 19 points and six rebounds in a 63-62 loss to Virginia State.
T. Hawes, Bethune-Cookman: 17 points and seven rebounds in a 102-30 win over Florida Memorial. Bethune-Cookman was the SWAC's only winning women's team.
D. Bynum-Johnson, Howard: 13 points and 11 rebounds in a 91-88 near-upset at Missouri.
N. Buntley, Jackson State: 12 points in a loss at Arizona State.
J. Pelly, Arkansas-Pine Bluff: 11 points, seven assists and six steals in a loss at Texas A&M.
T. Ragland, Virginia State (CIAA): 14 points and seven rebounds in a 63-62 exhibition win at Norfolk State.
A. Golston, Talladega (NAIA): 10 points and eight rebounds in a 59-53 win at Alabama A&M.
Conference play is still weeks away; these results are only the beginning of a season that will ultimately be defined by consistency, player development, and championship contention.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/hbcu as HBCU Basketball Opening Night 2026 Rundown: Conference Results and Top Performers .
