The NCAA DII men's basketball 2026-27 season is nearly here, with the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic taking place next weekend, Nov. 6-8. Florida Southern College, in its fifth year hosting, will partner with Visit Central Florida and Small College Basketball to showcase a stacked field of teams, featuring 10 games and 12 inductees into the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame as it celebrates its 10^th anniversary.
 
As one of the premier NCAA DII classics each year, the 2026 SCB Hall of Fame Classic features 10 teams, all of which are ranked or receiving votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) NCAA DII Men's Basketball preseason poll. Both Lander University and Gannon University, who competed for the 2026 NCAA Championship (the latter being the champion), will be competing next weekend, as well as three other Elite Eight teams. All 10 of the teams made it to NCAA regionals in 2026, each eyeing a strong start to the 2026-27 season.
 
Each of the 10 games taking place on Nov. 7-8 will be at the George W. Jenkins Field House on the campus of Florida Southern College. Five games each day will be at 11 a.m., 1:15 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 5:45 p.m., and 8 p.m., and will be available to view on the Sunshine State Conference Digital Network free of charge. Single-day and weekend tickets will be available for purchase onsite at the George W. Jenkins Field House. Premium parking is also available near the Jenkins Field House at the VC Lot at the Barnett Athletic Complex. Matchups, times, and links can be found on the SCB Hall of Fame Classic page here. Immediately following the final game of the Hall of Fame Classic, the Most Valuable Player and Hall of Fame Classic Team will be announced, awarded to the top players from the weekend's slate.
 
In addition to the high-caliber games played on Nov. 7 and 8, the Hall of Fame Classic will open with a press conference of the 2026 SCB Hall of Fame inductees at 1 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6, inside the Lyons Conference Room at George W. Jenkins Field House. A press conference featuring the participating coaches will follow at 2 p.m., with both being live-streamed on the SSC Digital Network.
 
The events on Friday night will conclude with a panel discussion with the Hall of Fame inductees and participating teams at the Polk Theatre in downtown Lakeland. The 2026 Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will follow at 7 p.m. in the Polk Theatre. Inductees in this year's class, the 10^th anniversary since it was founded by John Mcarthy, will include players Joe Behling (Belmont), Dominez Burnett (Davenport), Jeff Gibbs (Otterbein), Kyle Mangas (Indiana Wesleyan), Pete Metzelaars (Wabash), Andrew Olson (Amherst), Justin Pitts (Northwest Missouri), Kyle Steigenga (Cornerstone), Michael Thomas (North Park) and Aaron Walton-Moss (Cabrini). Steve Moore (Wooster and Muhlenberg) will be recognized as a coach, while John McCarthy (Small College Basketball) will be honored as a contributor. Full biographies on all of the inductees can be found here.