Quinnipiac Set to Open 2026-27 Season at #6 Michigan State

Monday, November 2

East Lansing, MI

7:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

#6 Michigan State

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Ali Diouf at Practice (11/1/26 in Hamden, CT)

Photo by: Rob Rasmussen / P8Photos.com

11/1/2026 8:26:00 AM | Men's Basketball

By: QU Athletic Communications

Quinnipiac at #6 Michigan State
Monday, Nov. 2, 2026 | 7:00 PM
Breslin Center | East Lansing, MI
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Quinnipiac Game Notes

EAST LANSING, Michigan – Quinnipiac men's basketball begins the 2026–27 season on Monday night, traveling to East Lansing to square off with No. 6 Michigan State at 7:00 PM from the Breslin Center.

SUCCESS UNDER TOM PECORA

Quinnipiac has built up an impressive resume over the past three seasons since Tom Pecora took over as Head Coach, going 63–36 overall and 42–18 in regular season Metro Conference action.
Pecora captured back-to-back Metro Conference Coach of the Year awards after leading Quinnipiac to two consecutive regular season championships in 2023–24 and 2024–25. The Bobcats went 15–5 in league play during Pecora's first season at the helm in 2023–24, then followed up with another 15–5 Metro record in 2024–25.
QU posted a 19–13 record most recently in 2025–26, earning the No. 4 seed in the postseason conference tournament. The Bobcats continued their recent success at M&T Bank Arena, going 10–5 in front of its home crowd.

THE RETURN OF KEITH MCKNIGHT

Keith McKnight returns for his sophomore season following an All-Rookie selection in 2025–26.
McKnight was a unanimous selection for the Preseason All-Metro First Team.
The Teaneck, New Jersey native played in all 32 games for Quinnipiac during his first year with the Bobcats in 2025–26, averaging 11.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. McKnight shot 54.6% from the floor (136–249) while adding 42 steals and 36 assists.

MEET THE 2026–27 BOBCATS

In addition to Keith McKnight, the Bobcats return 6 other student-athletes to the 2026–27 squad: Jayden Reid, Tai Turnage, Nate Guerengomba, Christopher Skenderi, Braylan Ritvo, and Akintola Akinniyi.
Quinnipiac brought in 5 athletes from the transfer portal: Lucas Sekasi (Gannon), Nas Hart (La Salle), Tayeshawn Cunningham-Pemberton (Assumption), Holden Pierre-Louis (Cleveland State), and Mike Parrotta (St. Thomas Aquinas).
The Bobcats also added first-year students: Malik Fields (Bronx, NY), Ali Diouf (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada), and Nedas Cholevinskas (London, England).

PRESEASON POLLS

Quinnipiac was selected No. 6 overall in the Metro Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Bobcats received 109 votes, finishing behind Fairfield, Merrimack, Siena, Iona, and Marist.
The Bobcats have also been selected as the 2026–27 preseason favorite in the Blue Ribbon Metro Forecast, while Keith McKnight was named Blue Ribbon's Preseason Player of the Year.

THE NON-CONFERENCE SLATE

Quinnipiac's non-league slate features 11 total games, including five matchups in front of its home crowd at M&T Bank Arena in Hamden.
Pecora's squad will also take on a pair of Big Ten opponents during the non-conference schedule. The Bobcats are set to open up the new campaign by traveling to East Lansing to take on Michigan State (11/2/26), and Quinnipiac will also make a trip to Los Angeles to face UCLA in December (12/19/26).
Following the '26–27 season opener at Michigan State, Quinnipiac will head back to Hamden to host Bryant in its first home contest of the year as part of the America East – Metro Challenge (11/5/26). The Bobcats then wrap up America East – Metro Challenge action at Vermont (11/8/26).
QU returns to Hamden to host Monmouth (11/12/26), marking the second time in two years that the Bobcats and Hawks will square off. Quinnipiac defeated Monmouth, 85–75, last year in West Long Branch.
Next up is a quick road trip to Central Connecticut State (11/15/26). It will be the sixth consecutive year that the in-state rivals face one another in the month of November, with Quinnipiac winning four of the last five.
The Bobcats then return home to host Maine (11/19/26) and Emerson (11/24/26) to continue the non-conference slate. QU and Maine have faced off five times since 2018–19, with the Bobcats taking all five matchups.
Quinnipiac and Yale are set to square off for the fourth straight campaign in the Battle of Whitney Ave (11/29/26), followed by another home matchup against Hofstra (12/12/26).
The Bobcats close out the non-conference portion of the schedule with a road trip to California. Quinnipiac will play at UCLA (12/19/26), then travel to Pepperdine just two days later (12/21/26).

CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF QUINNIPIAC MEN'S BASKETBALL

The Quinnipiac University Men's Basketball program has officially launched its 75th Year Celebration campaign, marking a milestone anniversary for the university's inaugural varsity athletic program.
Since its inaugural season in 1951–52, the varsity men's basketball team has served as an integral cornerstone of the Quinnipiac and Hamden communities. Over its 75-year history, the program has earned 1,053 overall wins, including 420 victories since making the transition to the NCAA Division I level in the 1998–99 season.
The season-long golden anniversary celebration will feature events, promotions, and interactive initiatives designed to honor every era of Bobcats basketball.
Alumni Day: The Bobcats will welcome back all former student-athletes to Hamden on Feb. 21, 2027, for Alumni Day as QU takes on Mount St. Mary's.
Social Media Campaign & Fan Giveaways: A dedicated season-long campaign will spotlight iconic moments, players, and teams from the past 75 years on social media using the hashtag #QUMBB75. Fans and alumni of all ages can look forward to exclusive anniversary giveaways throughout the season.

HEAD COACH TOM PECORA

Tom Pecora will enter his fourth season as Head Coach at Quinnipiac University in 2026–27. Pecora – a veteran with 17 years of experience as a head coach at the Division I level – has guided the Bobcats to a 63–36 overall record during his first three years at the helm of the program.
He captured back-to-back league Coach of the Year awards after leading Quinnipiac to two consecutive regular season championships in 2023–24 and 2024–25.
Pecora just completed his ninth season in total with the Bobcats (previously served as Associate HC from 2017–2023). He was announced as Quinnipiac's next Head Coach on Thursday, April 13, 2023.
Pecora has guided his teams to a 324–292 record during his career as a collegiate Head Coach (HC stops at SUNY Farmingdale, Hofstra, Fordham, and Quinnipiac).
He reached 300 total wins on Feb. 14, 2025, after helping lead the Bobcats to a win over Sacred Heart on ESPNU. Quinnipiac has won 149 total games during Pecora's time on staff (since 2017).
Pecora has coached NBA players at his previous two stops as head coach – Speedy Claxton, Norman Richardson, and Charles Jenkins (at Hofstra), and Eric Paschall (at Fordham).
As a head coach at Hofstra, Pecora compiled a 155–126 mark in nine seasons, leading the Pride to four postseason appearances (three NIT and one CBI), the most for any New York City team over that nine-year span. In 16 years at Hofstra with Pecora on the staff (nine years as a head coach, seven as an assistant), the Pride averaged 19 wins a season (246–161).
During his time in Hempstead, Hofstra was the winningest program in the Metropolitan New York area. Over his last six years, Hofstra won 121 games, including four 20-win seasons. In 2006 and 2009, he was named Coach of the Year by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) and he also received regional Coach of the Year honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the Basketball Coaches Association of New York (BCANY).

SCOUTING #6 MICHIGAN STATE

The Spartans went 27-8 last year, going 15-5 in B1G action. Michigan State won a pair of NCAA Tournament games last year, downing North Dakota State and Louisville in Buffalo, NY.
Now in his 32nd year, Head Coach Izzo has compiled an impressive list of accomplishments, including the 2000 NCAA National Championship, 11 regular-season Big Ten Championships, six Big Ten Tournament titles, eight Final Four appearances, eight National Coach of the Year awards and a Big Ten-record 28 straight NCAA Tournament appearances. When the Spartans were selected for the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Izzo became the first men's basketball head coach in history to lead his team to 25-straight appearances and he extended that streak to 28 in 2026. Michigan State's streak of 28-straight NCAA Tournament appearances is officially recognized by the NCAA as the nation's current longest streak.
Jeremy Fears Jr. returns to Michigan State after leading the nation in assists (9.4 per game) and posting 15.2 points per game while breaking the MSU single-season assist record. Fears withdrew from the NBA Draft to return for his redshirt junior season.
Monday's meeting will be the first-ever between QU and Michigan State.

To stay up to date with all Quinnipiac men's basketball news, follow the program on X/Instagram @QU_MBB or visit www.gobobcats.com/mbb.