NEW ORLEANS – A scheduling alliance in men’s and women’s basketball, the MAC-SBC Challenge enters its third season and will tip off on opening night of the 2025-26 campaign on Monday, November 3 with 13 Sun Belt Conference (SBC) women’s basketball programs hosting Mid-American Conference (MAC) teams and 13 Sun Belt men’s basketball teams visiting MAC opponents.
The second MAC-SBC Challenge contest for each team will be announced in January before tipping off in early February. The Sun Belt men and MAC women will host the February matchups, as each MAC and Sun Belt team included in the MAC-SBC Challenge is guaranteed one home and one away game each season.
Headlining the first MAC-SBC Challenge of the season on the men’s side include Sun Belt regular season co-champion James Madison traveling to MAC regular season and tournament champion Akron. Additional key matchups include Sun Belt tournament champion Troy heading to Kent State, while Old Dominion – which won three games in last year’s conference tournament and returns three starters – makes a trip to MAC runner-up Miami (Ohio).
On the women’s side, Sun Belt tournament champion Arkansas State will host MAC champion Ball State, as SBC regular season champion James Madison welcomes Kent State. Additionally, WNIT runner-up Troy takes on Toledo while Marshall – which collected four wins in last year’s conference tournament – hosts WNIT champion Buffalo.
The Sun Belt and MAC men played to a series split in 2024-25 with the SBC claiming an 8-4 record in November home games, before the MAC accomplished the same feat on its home courts in February. The MAC women secured their first Challenge win over the SBC last season.
The Sun Belt captured the inaugural MAC-SBC Challenge titles on the men’s and women’s fronts, respectively, in 2023-24.
Each MAC-SBC Challenge game will be carried on an ESPN platform.
About The MAC-SBC Challenge
The MAC-SBC Challenge began during the 2023-24 season at the recommendation of the Sun Belt’s strategic planning committees for men’s and women’s basketball. Scheduling assistance is provided by Ordinal Sports Group. In addition to relevant NET data, geography and frequency of past contests is considered in determining the matchups.
MAC-SBC Challenge Men’s Basketball Matchups
App State at Central Michigan
Arkansas State at Ohio
Coastal Carolina at Western Michigan
Georgia State at Eastern Michigan
James Madison at Akron
Louisiana at Ball State
ULM at Northern Illinois
Marshall at UMass
Old Dominion at Miami (Ohio)
Southern Miss at Buffalo
South Alabama at Toledo
Texas State at Bowling Green
Troy at Kent State
MAC-SBC Challenge Women’s Basketball Matchups
Western Michigan at App State
Ball State at Arkansas State
Miami (Ohio) at Coastal Carolina
Central Michigan at Georgia Southern
Kent State at James Madison
Bowling Green at Louisiana
Eastern Michigan at ULM
Buffalo at Marshall
UMass at Old Dominion
Akron at South Alabama
Northern Illinois at Southern Miss
Ohio at Texas State
Toledo at Troy