East Carolina’s conference opener just got a major spotlight. The Pirates will tip off American play on Dec. 30 at Memphis in a 9 p.m. game on ESPN, one of the first four league matchups of the 2026-27 season.⁠

That national window is part of the American’s seventh year under its ESPN media rights extension. The deal guarantees a minimum of 56 conference-controlled games on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU, with at least 23 of those on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. For a program looking to build visibility, an early ESPN date in a big arena is the kind of exposure that matters.⁠

The rest of the opening night slate includes Tulsa hosting South Florida at 8 p.m. on ESPN2, Temple at Rice (2 p.m., ESPN+) and Tulane at UAB in Birmingham (7:30 p.m., ESPN+). The next night, Charlotte visits Florida Atlantic (6 p.m.) and North Texas plays at Wichita State (8 p.m.), both on ESPNU.

South Florida represented the American in the NCAA tournament a season ago, while Wichita State and Tulsa competed in the NIT. The Golden Hurricane reached the championship game, falling to Auburn in overtime.

ECU opens its regular season with four straight home games against non-league opponents beginning with a Nov. 2 visit to Minges Coliseum by South Carolina-Upstate.

An American Conference news release contributed to this article.

View the Pirates’ full schedule on ecupirates.com.