NEW ORLEANS – After claiming four road victories in the first round of this season’s MAC-SBC Challenge in November, it’s the Sun Belt Conference’s turn to host 13 Mid-American Conference men’s basketball opponents on Saturday, February 7.
Troy (16-8, 9-3 SBC) will host Akron (19-4, 10-1 MAC) at 5 p.m. (CT) on ESPN2, and all 13 contests will be available on ESPN+
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
BATTLE FOR THE BELT: The Sun Belt seeks its second MAC-SBC Challenge title in three seasons after capturing the inaugural title in 2023-24 with 15 wins in 24 total matchups. The conferences played to a series split in 2024-25 with the Sun Belt claiming an 8-4 record in November home games, before the MAC accomplished the same feat on its home courts in February. Heading into Saturday’s second round of games, the Sun Belt needs 10 wins to capture the MAC-SBC Challenge title outright.
HOME COURT: Through five total rounds of the MAC-SBC Challenge, the Sun Belt holds a narrow, 31-30, record over the MAC in games incorporated with the event. The record includes an 18-6 (.750) record in Sun Belt home games which took place in February 2024 and November 2024. Sun Belt teams have combined for a 99-49 (.669) record on their home courts this season.
NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: In a battle of reigning conference champions, Troy hosts Akron under the national television spotlight. The Trojans enter Saturday’s matchup winners in 11 of their last 14 games, while the Zips have won nine straight games and 11 of their last 12. Troy represents the Sun Belt’s top team according to the latest NCAA NET rankings at No. 132, while Akron is second in the MAC at No. 54. Both teams rank inside the top 50 nationally in scoring offense this season with the Zips (90.4) at No. 9 and the Trojans (83.3) 50
th. Akron is also 13
th nationally in 3-pointers made per game (11.0) while Troy is 46
th (9.8). Additionally, the teams lead their respective conferences in assist-to-turnover ratio with Akron (1.76) ranked 14
th nationally and Troy (1.39) ranked 85
th.
UNDEFEATED VISITOR: Marshall (15-8, 7-4 SBC) welcomes one of the nation’s two remaining undefeated teams when No. 23/24 Miami-Ohio (23-0, 11-0 MAC) makes the 185-mile trip to Huntington, W.Va. The programs were conference foes twice in history when the Thundering Herd were members of the MAC from 1953-65 and again from 1997-2005. The Sun Belt’s second-highest team listed in the latest NCAA NET rankings at No. 137, the Thundering Herd are 11-2 on their home court this season, and they have won four of their last five games entering Saturday’s matchup. Meanwhile, the RedHawks are 9-0 on the road this season and currently lead the MAC in the NET rankings at No. 52. Both teams lead their conferences and rank inside the top 50 nationally in 3-point field goal percentage with Miami ranked No. 8 (.397) and Marshall ranked No. 44 (.367). Additionally, both teams rank inside the top 40 nationally with over 17 assists per game, as the RedHawks represent the nation’s top-ranked team in both field goal percentage (.536) and scoring (92.8). Marshall’s most recent win over a ranked team came at No. 24 Middle Tennessee on March 3, 2018, while its last home victory against a ranked opponent was Dec. 7, 1997 against No. 23 Wake Forest.
PARTY IN PENSACOLA: The
2026 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship presented by Air Force Reserve will be held March 3-9, 2026 at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla., The championship game will be televised nationally on ESPN or ESPN2 on Monday, March 9 at 6 p.m. (CT). The 2026 tournament will mark the sixth consecutive season the Sun Belt hosts the event in Pensacola, which will remain at the venue through the 2029-30 campaign. A different program has been crowned champion in each of the first five years in Pensacola: Troy (2025), James Madison (2024), Louisiana (2023), Georgia State (2022) and App State (2021).
IMPACT PLAYERS – Sun Belt Statistical Leaders
Points Per Game: Jelani Hamilton, Georgia State (18.1)
Rebounds Per Game: Thomas Dowd, Troy (10.5)
Assists Per Game: Jalen Speer, Marshall (5.8)
Blocks Per Game: Matt Van Komen, Marshall (2.6)
Steals Per Game: Jelani Hamilton, Georgia State (2.0)
Field Goal Percentage: D.J. Hall, Texas State (.547)
3-Point Field Goal Percentage: Cobi Campbell, Troy (.450)
Free Throw Percentage: Jelani Hamilton, Georgia State (.904)
WHERE TO WATCH
| Date |
Time |
Matchup |
ESPN+ |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 |
12:00 p.m. |
Eastern Michigan at App State |
ESPN+ |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 |
12:00 p.m. |
UMass at Coastal Carolina |
ESPN+ |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 |
1:00 p.m. |
Northern Illinois at Georgia State |
ESPN+ |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 |
2:00 p.m. |
Western Michigan at Texas State |
ESPN+ |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 |
2:00 p.m. |
Ball State at ULM |
ESPN+ |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 |
2:00 p.m. |
Bowling Green at Arkansas State |
ESPN+ |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 |
2:00 p.m. |
Kent State at Southern Miss |
ESPN+ |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 |
3:00 p.m. |
Toledo at James Madison |
ESPN+ |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 |
3:00 p.m. |
Buffalo at South Alabama |
ESPN+ |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 |
3:00 p.m. |
Miami (Ohio) at Marshall |
ESPN+ |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 |
3:00 p.m. |
Central Michigan at Louisiana |
ESPN+ |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 |
5:00 p.m. |
Akron at Troy |
ESPN2 |
| Saturday, Feb. 7 |
6:00 p.m. |
Ohio at Old Dominion |
ESPN+ |
All Times CT