Reports online indicated that San Diego State men’s basketball agreed to play LIU as part of their 2026-2027 non-conference schedule. First made known by Alex Rosinski via X/Twitter, the game is reportedly in place for Tuesday, December 22nd at Viejas Arena in San Diego, California.
Below is what we know of SDSU’s 2026 non-conference lineup so far, if indeed SDSU vs LIU is set to happen:
Bill Walton Classic
November 3/4, 2026 | vs CAL State Fullerton
November 6, 2026 | vs TBD
PlayersEra Festival
November 24, 2026 vs Iowa State
November 25-27, 2026 vs TBD
December 5, 2026 vs UNLV
Palm Springs
December 19, 2026 vs BYU
December 22, 2026 vs LIU
The LIU – Long Island University Sharks are plenty familiar with playing at Viejas Arena. In 2025-2026 the Sharks earned their first NCAA Tournament bid under Strickland and the program’s first tournament appearance since the university system consolidated its Brooklyn and Long Island athletics departments in 2019.
In the tournament last year they were overmatched in their opening round game at Viejas Arena against #1 seeded and eventual National runner-up Arizona Wildcats. LIU lost 92-58—not pretty.
Though Strickland’s Sharks scored 13 more points than Dutcher’s Aztecs against the Wildcats, LIU also allowed 24 more points than SDSU for comparison. Either way you slice it, both teams were a far ways off from competing for the National crown.
Over the course of Strickland’s four seasons, LIU has gone from abysmal (2022-23) to flat-out bad (2023-24) to postseason contenders (2024-25) to getting to the promised land NCAA tournament (2025-2026). Strickland won the North Eastern Conference Coach of the Year for his output.
Rod Strickland, the NBA executive, All-NBA point guard and member of the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame, was named men’s basketball head coach of the Long Island University Sharks on June 30, 2022. Strickland joins LIU from the NBA G League, the National Basketball Association’s official minor league, where he served as director of the professional path program since 2018.
This potential matchup may be more than just the draw of a former NBA player & executive making an appearance at Viejas Arena. Much has been made apparant that if the Aztecs want to play quality teams in their non-conference schedule, it’s not going to be in front of their home crowd with a home court atmosphere.
The PlayersEra Festival, the profitable NIL earning games are part of a feast week in Las Vegas. The matchup against current BIG 12 member and former rival, BYU will be a neutral court environment in Palm Springs.
The highest caliber program so far to ink themselves coming to Viejas in the non-conference for season ticket holders is longtime former Mountain West rival UNLV. The UNLV program that is yet to return to the NCAA Tournament since 2013.
Either way the LIU Sharks will definitely bring their A-game as Strickland appears to have the program running in the right direction. After last year’s culminating post-season appearance, they will want to right some wrongs that took place on the Steve Fisher court back in March.
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