REPORT: Marquette & Missouri Are Playing In Chicago

yep, that’s a tiger | Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images It’s that time of the year: CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reports non-conference men’s basketball schedules. In this case, it’s Marquette and Missouri agreeing to play a neutral site game in Chicago at the United Center, and the game is reportedly being scheduled for Sunday, November 15th. This will be the second straight season with a game at the UC, as they got shelled by Tucker DeVries and Indiana, 100-77 , back in the third game of the 2025-26 campaign.

NEWS: Missouri and Marquette are finalizing an agreement to meet in a neutral site game on November 15th at the United Center, according to multiple sources. https://t. co/iCbX0PIB1x — Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 21, 2026 Given the timing of the 2026-27 season, I don’t love this for Marquette.

The season is set to open on Monday, November 2nd, and if you go take a peek at a calendar, this likely means that Marquette will play two home contests against buy game level opponents in the first week to 10 days of the season, maybe three games. Then, on Wednesday, November 11th, Marquette is set to visit Michigan. I think it’s safe to say that Marquette won’t play again after that one before they head to Chicago to see Mizzou four days later, right?

I’m also not feeling super great about playing the reigning national champions on the road as the third or fourth game of the season and then lining this one up right in its wake. That’s kinda turning this one into a very early litmus test as to whether or not Shaka Smart’s evolution of the roster is actually going to work, especially if the Golden Eagles come out of Ann Arbor with a not-completely-unexpected loss. That’s before we even get to the part where Missouri head coach Dennis Gates has had the Tigers in the NCAA tournament in three of his four seasons on the sidelines in Columbia.