SUU men's basketball opens Big Sky return tonight against West Coast Baptist
The Thunderbirds, with 10 new players, tip off at 8 p.m. MT at the America First Event Center after the women's 5 p.m. opener.
CEDAR CITY - Southern Utah men's basketball begins its 2026-27 season at 8 p.m. MT tonight, Monday, Nov. 2, against West Coast Baptist at the America First Event Center, according to SUU Athletics. ESPN+ carries the game. Earlier, at 5 p.m., the SUU women host Redlands in their first game of the new season.
The opener starts SUU's first season back in the Big Sky Conference after four years in the WAC. Its last Big Sky team, in 2021-22, finished 23-12 and 14-7 in league play. Conference play begins Dec. 3 at home against Idaho State.
Ten of SUU's 15 players are new: six transfers and four freshmen join five returners. The Thunderbirds won an Oct. 12 exhibition against Ottawa (Ariz.), 78-51. Graduate forward Jaiden Feroah, the top returner, averaged 13.5 points and 6.7 rebounds last season and led the team with 52 blocks.
West Coast Baptist, an NCCAA program from Lancaster, Calif., is 1-1 in coach Richard Salgado's first season and is averaging 113 points a game. SUU has won all four meetings, all in Cedar City, including a 124-59 win last season.
SUU hosts Grace (Calif.) on Thursday and Bethesda on Saturday, both at 6:30 p.m.
Sources: SUU Athletics, "Thunderbirds Open 2026-27 Season Monday Against West Coast Baptist," Nov. 1, 2026; SUU Athletics, "Southern Utah to Host Redlands in 2026 Tip-Off," Oct. 31, 2026