College basketball · 2026-27 preview · Mountain West
UTEP · 2026-27 preview
UTEP basketball preview 2026-27: transfers, recruits and schedule
UTEP's 2026-27 roster is not posted yet. So far it has added three transfers and the No. 87 recruiting class, and lost nine players to the portal.
Last season it ranked No. 265 in adjusted net rating (No. 304 on offense, No. 201 on defense). The biggest loss is Kaseem Watson, 12.5 points a game, gone to East Carolina. The schedule has 24 games so far, none against last season's adjusted top 25.
3
transfers in, 9 out
No. 87
recruiting class, 2 freshmen
No. 265
adjusted net rating, 2025-26
Newcomers
PPG
RPG
MPG
Jace Whiting
Transfer · Weber State
11.3
3.5
30.8
Reid Cason
Transfer · East Carolina
3.9
3.3
15.2
Donovan Criss
Freshman · No. 236 recruit
Who left
Where
PPG
MPG
Kaseem WatsonTransferred to East Carolina
Transferred to East Carolina
12.5
31.4
KJ ThomasTransferred to South Dakota
Transferred to South Dakota
5.8
28.5
Caleb BlackwellTransferred to Tarleton State
Transferred to Tarleton State
Adjusted net rating, last three seasons
2023-24
-2.4 No. 186
2024-25
+0.2 No. 158
2025-26
-9.1 No. 265
Points per 100 possessions better than an average Division I team. Last season: offense 101.3 (No. 304), defense 110.4 (No. 201).
2026-27 schedule
November to January
Rank
Nov 24
Questions
Who did UTEP add for 2026-27?
Jace Whiting (transfer from Weber State), Reid Cason (transfer from East Carolina), Donovan Criss (freshman, No. 236 recruit), Isaiah Ward (freshman, No. 291 recruit), Augusto Cassia (transfer from Ole Miss).