2025–26 Sam Houston Bearkats men's basketball team

2025–26 Sam Houston Bearkats men's basketball
2025–26 Sam Houston Bearkats men's basketball
NIT, First round
Conference	Conference USA
Record	22–12 (13–7 CUSA)
Head coach	Chris Mudge (3rd season);
Assistant coaches	Anthony Fobb (3rd season); Angres Thorpe (1st season); Jake White (3rd season); Joe Kuligoski (1st season); Luke Pluymen (1st season);
Home arena	Bernard Johnson Coliseum

2025–26 Conference USA men's basketball standings
	Conf.				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Liberty	17	–	3	.850	26	–	7	.788
Sam Houston	13	–	7	.650	22	–	12	.647
Western Kentucky	11	–	9	.550	18	–	14	.563
Louisiana Tech	11	–	9	.550	20	–	14	.588
Middle Tennessee	11	–	9	.550	17	–	15	.531
Kennesaw State †	10	–	10	.500	21	–	13	.618
Jacksonville State	10	–	10	.500	15	–	17	.469
FIU	8	–	12	.400	15	–	17	.469
Missouri State	8	–	12	.400	16	–	18	.471
New Mexico State	8	–	12	.400	16	–	16	.500
UTEP	7	–	13	.350	11	–	20	.355
Delaware	6	–	14	.300	10	–	21	.323

† 2026 CUSA tournament winner As of March 18, 2026

The 2025–26 Sam Houston Bearkats men's basketball team represented Sam Houston State University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bearkats, led by third-year head coach Chris Mudge, played their home games at the Bernard Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas as third-year members of the Conference USA.

Previous season

The Bearkats finished the 2024–25 season 13–19, 6–12 in CUSA play, to finish in ninth place.^[1] They were defeated by UTEP in the first round of the CUSA tournament.^[2]

Preseason

On October 9, 2025, Conference USA released their preseason poll. Sam Houston was picked to finish ninth in the conference.^[3]

Preseason rankings

CUSA Preseason Poll
Place	Team	Votes
1	Liberty	143 (11)
2	Kennesaw State	126 (1)
3	New Mexico State	113
4	Middle Tennessee	103
5	Louisiana Tech	82
6	Western Kentucky	79
7	Jacksonville State	67
8	UTEP	66
9	Sam Houston	56
10	FIU	36
11	Delaware	35
12	Missouri State	30
(#) first-place votes

Source:^[3]

Preseason All-CUSA Team

No players were named to the Preseason All-CUSA Team.^[3]

Roster

2025–26 Sam Houston Bearkats men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	0	Noah Benny	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Fr	Fort Bend Christian Academy	Sugar Land, Texas
G	1	CJ Beaumont	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Jr	Palm Beach Prep	West Palm Beach, Florida
G	2	Jacobe Coleman	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Fr	Dynamic Prep	Fort Smith, Arkansas
G	4	Kashie Natt	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	GS	LSU–Alexandria	Rayville, Louisiana
G	5	Justin Begg	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	So	George Mason	Houston, Texas
F	8	Veljko Ilic	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	GS	Loyola (MD)	Gornji Milanovac, Serbia
F	10	Jaxson Ford	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	So	Link Academy	Prosper, Texas
G	11	Nathan Nguyen	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	Fr	St. Thomas' Episcopal School	Houston, Texas
F	12	Matt Dann	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Fr	Fort Erie International Academy	Oakville, Ontario
F	13	Isaiah Manning	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	So	TCU	Mansfield, Texas
G	22	Jackson Rogers (W)	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	So	Wylie High School	Murphy, Texas
F	23	Cheikh Ndiaye	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	So	Prestige Sports Academy	Louga, Senegal
G	25	Damon Nicholas Jr.	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	GS	Duncanville High School	Duncanville, Texas
G	35	Po'Boigh King	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Sr	North Carolina Central	Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina
G	55	Jacob Walker	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Fr	Sunrise Christian Academy	Memphis, Tennessee

Head coach

Chris Mudge (Texas)

Assistant coach(es)

Anthony Fobb (Southeastern Louisiana)
Angres Thorpe (Saint Leo)
Jake White (UT Tyler)
Joe Kuligoski (Eastern Illinois)
Luke Pluymen (Sul Ross State)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: December 6, 2025

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-Conference Regular Season
November 3, 2025* 6:30 pm, ESPN+		LeTourneau	W 95–59	1–0	17 – Coleman	11 – Natt	5 – Walker	Bernard Johnson Coliseum (1,488) Huntsville, TX
November 7, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at No. 10 Texas Tech	L 77–98	1–1	17 – Begg	11 – Natt	5 – Begg	United Supermarkets Arena (13,440) Lubbock, TX
November 15, 2025* 8:00 pm, ESPN+		at Utah	L 79–85	1–2	17 – Coleman	5 – Tied	2 – Tied	Jon M. Huntsman Center (6,299) Salt Lake City, UT
November 19, 2025* 6:30 pm, ESPN+		Wyoming	W 78−70	2−2	18 – Ilic	14 – Nicholas Jr.	3 – Begg	Bernard Johnson Coliseum (1,551) Huntsville, TX
November 22, 2025* 2:30 pm, ESPN+		Schreiner	W 105−54	3−2	16 – Nicholas Jr.	11 – Ford	7 – Begg	Bernard Johnson Coliseum (965) Huntsville, TX
November 26, 2025* 5:30 pm, ESPN+		vs. Idaho State Holiday Hoops Classic	W 84–81	4–2	26 – Natt	12 – Ilic	5 – Begg	Idaho Central Arena Boise, ID
November 28, 2025* 8:00 pm, ESPN+		vs. Idaho Holiday Hoops Classic	W 94–68	5–2	18 – Manning	11 – Natt	7 – Begg	Idaho Central Arena Boise, ID
December 2, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Oklahoma State	L 83–93	5–3	20 – King	6 – Tied	5 – Begg	Gallagher-Iba Arena (5,906) Stillwater, OK
December 6, 2025* 4:00 pm, YouTube		at Texas Southern	W 82–70	6–3	22 – Natt	7 – Ford	4 – Ilic	H&PE Arena (567) Houston, TX
December 17, 2025* 8:30 pm, ESPN+		at Oregon State	W 85–75	7–3	19 – Natt	12 – Ilic	6 – Begg	Gill Coliseum (2,011) Corvallis, OR
December 28, 2025* 2:30 pm, ESPN+		Biblical Studies	W 117–57	8–4	27 – Manning	15 – Dann	6 – Coleman	Bernard Johnson Coliseum (210) Huntsville, TX
Conference USA Regular Season
December 21, 2025 1:00 pm, ESPN+		at New Mexico State	L 78–87	7–4 (0–1)	20 – Begg	10 – Natt	3 – Coleman	Pan American Center (4,125) Las Cruces, NM
January 2, 2026 4:00 pm, ESPN+		at Western Kentucky	L 91–102	8–5 (0–2)	23 – Manning	12 – Ilic	3 – Tied	E. A. Diddle Arena (3,645) Bowling Green, KY
January 4, 2026 1:00 pm, ESPN+		at Middle Tennessee	L 67–68	8–6 (0–3)	16 – Ilic	13 – Ilic	3 – Tied	Murphy Center (3,212) Murfreesboro, TN
January 8, 2026 6:30 pm, ESPN+		Delaware	W 72–60	9–6 (1–3)	22 – King	13 – Ilic	5 – Walker	Bernard Johnson Coliseum (875) Huntsville, TX
January 10, 2026 2:30 pm, ESPN+		Liberty	L 74–82	9–7 (1–4)	20 – Natt	8 – Tied	6 – Begg	Bernard Johnson Coliseum (1,170) Huntsville, TX
January 14, 2026 6:00 pm, ESPN+		at Jacksonville State	W 77–62	10–7 (2–4)	18 – Ilic	7 – Ilic	5 – Natt	Pete Mathews Coliseum (773) Jacksonville, AL
January 17, 2026 1:00 pm, ESPN+		at FIU	W 76–63	11–7 (3–4)	14 – Coleman	10 – Nicholas Jr.	5 – Walker	Ocean Bank Convocation Center (432) Miami, FL
January 21, 2026 6:30 pm, ESPN+		Kennesaw State	W 93–87	12–7 (4–4)	23 – King	10 – Natt	5 – Natt	Bernard Johnson Coliseum (1,388) Huntsville, TX
January 24, 2026 2:30 pm, ESPN+		Western Kentucky	W 73–58	13–7 (5–4)	27 – King	8 – Natt	5 – Nicholas Jr.	Bernard Johnson Coliseum (1,026) Huntsville, TX
January 28, 2026 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Missouri State	W 80–71	14–7 (6–4)	16 – Walker	7 – Tied	4 – Begg	Great Southern Bank Arena (2,316) Springfield, MO
January 31, 2026 9:00 pm, ESPN2		Louisiana Tech	W 83–67	15–7 (7–4)	20 – Walker	11 – Natt	3 – Begg	Bernard Johnson Coliseum (1,510) Huntsville, TX
February 4, 2026 6:30 pm, ESPN+		UTEP	W 70–66	16–7 (8–4)	17 – King	12 – Natt	5 – King	Bernard Johnson Coliseum (1,261) Huntsville, TX
February 7, 2026 2:00 pm, ESPN+		at Louisiana Tech	L 78–87	16–8 (8–5)	21 – King	5 – Natt	4 – Tied	Thomas Assembly Center (2,670) Ruston, LA
February 14, 2026 4:00 pm, ESPN+		at Kennesaw State	W 83–79	17–8 (9–5)	21 – Nicholas Jr.	10 – Natt	7 – Walker	VyStar Arena (1,103) Kennesaw, GA
February 18, 2026 6:30 pm, ESPN+		Middle Tennessee	W 78–70	18–8 (10–5)	20 – Walker	9 – Ilic	5 – Ilic	Bernard Johnson Coliseum (1,202) Huntsville, TX
February 21, 2026 2:30 pm, ESPN+		Jacksonville State	W 82–78	19–8 (11–5)	19 – King	10 – Natt	3 – Tied	Bernard Johnson Coliseum (852) Huntsville, TX
February 26, 2026 8:00 pm, CBSSN		FIU	W 100–67	20–8 (12–5)	20 – Walker	13 – Natt	6 – Natt	Bernard Johnson Coliseum (1,358) Huntsville, TX
February 28, 2026 4:30 pm, ESPN+		Missouri State	W 86–81	21–8 (13–5)	23 – Walker	9 – Nicholas Jr.	5 – Nicholas Jr.	Bernard Johnson Coliseum (2,502) Huntsville, TX
March 5, 2026 6:00 pm, CBSSN		at Delaware	L 80–83	21–9 (13–6)	23 – Walker	9 – Nicholas Jr.	6 – Coleman	Bob Carpenter Center (2,041) Newark, DE
March 7, 2026 1:00 pm, ESPN+		at Liberty	L 72–79	21–10 (13–7)	21 – Ilic	16 – Natt	3 – Tied	Liberty Arena (3,523) Lynchburg, VA
Conference USA tournament
March 11, 2026 8:00 pm, ESPN+	(2)	vs. (10) New Mexico State Quarterfinals	W 69–61	22–10	15 – Coleman	16 – Natt	3 – Ilic	Propst Arena (2,220) Huntsville, AL
March 13, 2026 2:00 pm, CBSSN	(2)	vs. (6) Kennesaw State Semifinals	L 73–79	22–11	18 – Coleman	13 – Natt	6 – Walker	Propst Arena (2,467) Huntsville, AL
NIT
March 18, 2026 8:00 pm, ESPN+		at (1 AL) New Mexico First round	L 83–107	22–12	22 – Beaumont	10 – Ilic	6 – Walker	The Pit (7,286) Albuquerque, NM
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. AL=Albuquerque. All times are in Central.

Sources:^[4]^[5]

References

^ "2024-25 Men's Basketball Standings". Conference USA. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
^ "UTEP men's basketball heats up, knocks off Sam Houston State to extend season". El Paso Times. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
^ ^a ^b ^c "2025-26 CUSA Preseason All-Conference Team and Poll Announced". Conference USA. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
^ "2025-26 Men's Basketball Schedule". Sam Houston. Retrieved December 6, 2025.
^ "Sam Houston Bearkats 2025-26 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved December 6, 2025.

[1] "2024-25 Men's Basketball Standings". Conference USA. Retrieved December 6, 2025.

[2] "UTEP men's basketball heats up, knocks off Sam Houston State to extend season". El Paso Times. Retrieved December 6, 2025.

[poll-3] "2025-26 CUSA Preseason All-Conference Team and Poll Announced". Conference USA. Retrieved December 6, 2025.

[4] "2025-26 Men's Basketball Schedule". Sam Houston. Retrieved December 6, 2025.

[5] "Sam Houston Bearkats 2025-26 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved December 6, 2025.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

Sam Houston Bearkats men's basketball
Venues	Sam Houston State Gymnasium (1917–1956) Bearkat Gymnasium (1956–1976) Bernard Johnson Coliseum (1976–present)
Culture & lore	Sammy Bearkat The Famous Bearkat Band
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26