First round, Tuesday, March 10, 2026 (ESPN+)
##9 Missouri State 75, #8 FIU 72 (Box Score)
Playing in their first ever CUSA Tournament, Cuonzo Martin and the Missouri State Bears overcame a five-point halftime deficit to pick up the win in the first game of the 2026 CUSA Tournament. FIU utilized an 8-0 run late in the first half to grab control of the game going into the locker room. The Panthers would extend the lead to as many as 9 in the opening minutes of the second half before Missouri State utilized a 7-0 run to get back within striking distance. The Bears took a lead at 61-60 with just over 6 minutes remaining, their first advantage of the second half. Four players scored in double figures led by Kobi Williams with 15.
#10 New Mexico State 68, #7 Jacksonville State 63 (Box Score)
The Aggies were led by Jemel Jones with 17 points, three rebounds, and three assists on 5/5 shooting from the free throw line. Gabe PIckens was also in double figures for New Mexico State with 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting. CUSA Newcomer of the Year Mostapha El Moutaouakkil finished with a double double and a game high 23 points and 11 rebounds.
Quarterfinals, Wednesday, March 11, 2026 (ESPN+)
#9 Missouri State 77, #1 Liberty 69 (Box score)
Michael Osei-Bonsu had a career high 31 points on 14 of 16 shooting with 8 rebounds and four assists. His 87.5% clip from the floor is the highest field goal percentage in a CUSA tournament game with at least 11 makes. Kobi Williams poured in 19 points with three made triples. The Bears are the first no. 9 seed to advance to the semifinal round in the CUSA tournament since Southern Miss in 2018.
#2 Sam Houston 69, #10 New Mexico State 61 (Box score)
Kashie Natt paced Sam Houston with 17 points and tied his season high in rebounds with 16, nine of them on the offensive end. Veljko Ilic finished with 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists as the Beaarkats led throughout and move on to the semifinals.
Quarterfinals, Thursday, March 12, 2026 (ESPN+)
#4 Louisiana Tech 80, #5 Middle Tennessee 69 (Box score)
The Bulldogs continue their hot play and advance to the semifinals with a win over Middle Tennessee. Reigning CUSA Player of the Week AJ Bates paced the Bulldogs with 29 points while grabbing three rebounds and dishing out six assists. Avery Thomas fell just shy of a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds. DJ Dudley finished with 16 points. Louisiana Tech is in the semifinals for the first time since 2022 when they finished as runner up to UAB.
#6 Kennesaw State 96, #3 Western Kentucky 87 (Box score)
The Owls pulled off the upset on Thursday night in the final Quarterfinal game of the CUSA Tournament. Trey Simpson scored 26 points on 8 of 13 shooting and 9 of 9 from the free throw line. Frankquon Sherman ended the night with a double-double on 19 points and 10 boards. Kennesaw’s 96 points are the most scored by a team in a CUSA tournament game since UAB in 2022 doing so in three overtimes. With the Owls’ win, lower seeded teams are now 4-2 in this year’s CUSA Tournament.
Semifinals, Friday, March 13, 2026 (CBSSN)
#4 Louisiana Tech 69, #9 Missouri State 66 (Box sc0re)
AJ Bates continues his torrid pace, helping Louisiana Tech to the CUSA Championship Game Saturday night after the Bulldogs eliminated Cuonzo Martin, Michael Osei-Bonsu, and the rest of the Missouri State Bears. It was a very close contest with no team leading by more than five points through the first 32 minutes of the game. The Bulldogs would attempt to pull away, pushing their lead to 7 with 3:41 to play. The 9-seed would not go down without a fight, going on a 8-2 spurt to cut the lead to 1 at 65-64 with 36 seconds remaining before LA Tech closed it out. Bates finished the game with 27 points and 6 assists. After a career high 31 in the upset of Liberty in the quarterfinals, Osei-Bonsu scored 19 points on 6 of 10 shooting and 7 of 10 from the free throw line in the loss.
#6 Kennesaw State 79, #2 Sam Houston 73
The Owls upset the Bearkats as the lower seeded team improved to 5-3 in this year’s CUSA Tournament. Kennesaw was led by Amir Taylor’s 23 points while RJ Johnson added 20 and Frankquon Sherman had 17. Sam Houston had four players reach double figures, led by Jacobe Coleman’s 18, as they played with Po’Boigh King.
