UTEP men’s basketball team prep for season with two games in Juárez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The UTEP Men's basketball team will get into an early test before the 2026-27 season with a pair of exhibition games in Ciudad Juárez during the first week of August.

The Miners will face Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez (UACJ) on Monday August 3rd before taking on the Indios de Juárez professional team on Tuesday August 4th. Both games are scheduled for 7p.m. at Gimnasio Universitario UACJ, and admission is free.

The exhibitions come as the NCAA now allows Division I men's basketball programs to participate in an international foreign tour every year instead of once every four years.

“Our guys are excited about getting into a competitive setting after two months of taking it at one another in practice,” UTEP head coach Joe Golding said. “We’d like to thank our friends at UACJ for providing us with this opportunity. This will be a tremendous team-building experience for our brand-new team.”

The trip continues UTEP'S efforts to strengthen its connection with the Borderland basketball community. Under Golding, the Miners held an open practice at UACJ in October 2024 before travelling to Chihuahua later that month for an exhibition game against Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua.

UTEP will use the two-game trip as a part of its preparation for the 2026-27 campaign before opening the regular season later this fall.