Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Western New Mexico on October 27, 2026 at 7 p.m.
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7 p.m.
vs Western New Mexico
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
National TV count reaches 20 games for GCU
9/29/2026 12:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro
Networks pick 17 Lopes games in MW, adding to 3 others
It is not just the people inside Grand Canyon's offseason practices and across Lope Nation who are stirred with optimism about the Lopes' prospects this season.
The national television networks also are all in on GCU, with the Mountain West broadcast game selections pushing the upcoming season's national TV total to a program-best 20 games.
"It's another great step forward in our program to be able to get 20 games on national TV with 17 conference games on," GCU seventh-year head coach Bryce Drew said. "Every year, we keep getting more and more, which is a great compliment to our fan base, our university and our players."
The Lopes will play 17 consecutive Mountain West games on national networks, tying them for the most nationally selected conference TV games with New Mexico's 17 and over Nevada's and UNLV's 13.
The move to the Mountain West increased GCU's national TV haul from four games in the 2024-25 season to a then-record 13 for its first MW season in 2025-26. With 20 this season, the Lopes will play as many games on national television as they did in the program's first 10 years in Division I (2013-2023).
GCU already was slated for three nonconference games on national networks with the Nov. 24-25 Acrisure Series on CBS Sports Network vs. Saint Louis and either Stanford or Colorado. A Dec. 18 game against potential preseason No. 1 Florida in Jacksonville, Florida, will be broadcast by ESPNU.
The Mountain West contracted networks – FS1, CBS Sports Network and CW – chose every GCU conference game from the Jan. 5 conference home opener against UNLV (FS1) to the March 6 conference regular-season finale against UC Davis (CW).
"I'm excited," Lopes senior power forward Omaha Biliew said. "That's a blessing. The crowd's going to like that. GCU is going to like it as a whole. We're ready. We're going to embrace that. We are going to give all our effort and bring the show. The adrenaline that comes with that will give us a boost in energy. We'll be ready to go every night."
GCU has the most FS1 games (seven) in the conference, where they will play six games on CW and four more games on CBS Sports Network in addition to the Acrisure games.
Potential postseason games and to-be-determined games at Oklahoma State (Dec. 2) and at Memphis (Dec. 11) could push the national TV total higher for GCU.
The draw is a Lopes team that is expected to vie for the Mountain West championship and its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance under seventh-year head coach Bryce Drew, whose GCU teams have gone 140-52.
The Lopes' current roster includes 13 players who have started games for GCU or another Division I program. Eight of them have averaged 12.9 points per game or more in a season.
"We have a lot of guys that have proven themselves in college basketball," Drew said. "Now can they come back and be better than what they were the year before? We like the veteran leadership we have and the experience. Now, it's getting them all together on the same page to start the season in a few weeks."
GCU will make its debut with an Oct. 27 exhibition home game against Western New Mexico before the regular season tips off Nov. 2 against Texas Southern at Global Credit Union Arena. That will mark the start of four consecutive home games (also vs. Bethune-Cookman, Cal Poly and Louisiana Monroe) to lead up to the Acrisure Series in Palm Desert, California.
GCU's home games not selected for national television will stream on MW+ and be eligible for local TV broadcast selections to be announced at a later date.
The national television networks also are all in on GCU, with the Mountain West broadcast game selections pushing the upcoming season's national TV total to a program-best 20 games.
"It's another great step forward in our program to be able to get 20 games on national TV with 17 conference games on," GCU seventh-year head coach Bryce Drew said. "Every year, we keep getting more and more, which is a great compliment to our fan base, our university and our players."
The Lopes will play 17 consecutive Mountain West games on national networks, tying them for the most nationally selected conference TV games with New Mexico's 17 and over Nevada's and UNLV's 13.
| MW games on national TV | |
|---|---|
| GCU | 17 |
| New Mexico | 17 |
| Nevada | 13 |
| UNLV | 13 |
| Wyoming | 11 |
| Hawai'i | 8 |
| UTEP | 8 |
| San José State | 7 |
| Air Force | 6 |
| UC Davis | 4 |
The move to the Mountain West increased GCU's national TV haul from four games in the 2024-25 season to a then-record 13 for its first MW season in 2025-26. With 20 this season, the Lopes will play as many games on national television as they did in the program's first 10 years in Division I (2013-2023).
GCU already was slated for three nonconference games on national networks with the Nov. 24-25 Acrisure Series on CBS Sports Network vs. Saint Louis and either Stanford or Colorado. A Dec. 18 game against potential preseason No. 1 Florida in Jacksonville, Florida, will be broadcast by ESPNU.
The Mountain West contracted networks – FS1, CBS Sports Network and CW – chose every GCU conference game from the Jan. 5 conference home opener against UNLV (FS1) to the March 6 conference regular-season finale against UC Davis (CW).
"I'm excited," Lopes senior power forward Omaha Biliew said. "That's a blessing. The crowd's going to like that. GCU is going to like it as a whole. We're ready. We're going to embrace that. We are going to give all our effort and bring the show. The adrenaline that comes with that will give us a boost in energy. We'll be ready to go every night."
GCU has the most FS1 games (seven) in the conference, where they will play six games on CW and four more games on CBS Sports Network in addition to the Acrisure games.
Potential postseason games and to-be-determined games at Oklahoma State (Dec. 2) and at Memphis (Dec. 11) could push the national TV total higher for GCU.
The draw is a Lopes team that is expected to vie for the Mountain West championship and its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance under seventh-year head coach Bryce Drew, whose GCU teams have gone 140-52.
The Lopes' current roster includes 13 players who have started games for GCU or another Division I program. Eight of them have averaged 12.9 points per game or more in a season.
"We have a lot of guys that have proven themselves in college basketball," Drew said. "Now can they come back and be better than what they were the year before? We like the veteran leadership we have and the experience. Now, it's getting them all together on the same page to start the season in a few weeks."
GCU will make its debut with an Oct. 27 exhibition home game against Western New Mexico before the regular season tips off Nov. 2 against Texas Southern at Global Credit Union Arena. That will mark the start of four consecutive home games (also vs. Bethune-Cookman, Cal Poly and Louisiana Monroe) to lead up to the Acrisure Series in Palm Desert, California.
GCU's home games not selected for national television will stream on MW+ and be eligible for local TV broadcast selections to be announced at a later date.
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