CLEVELAND – The MAC-SBC Challenge -- the third installment of a scheduling alliance in men’s and women’s basketball -- will tip off on Monday, Nov. 3, with 13 Mid-American Conference (MAC) men’s basketball programs hosting 13 Sun Belt Conference (SBC) teams, while the 13 MAC women’s basketball programs will visit 13 SBC teams.
The second MAC-SBC Challenge contest for each team will take place in February, with the matchups based on real-time NET rankings and announced in January. The MAC women and Sun Belt men will host the February matchups.
Each MAC and Sun Belt team included in the MAC-SBC Challenge is guaranteed one home and one away game each season.
Scheduling assistance is provided by Ordinal Sports Group. In addition to relevant NET data, geography and frequency of past contests are considered in determining the matchups.
Each MAC-SBC Challenge game will be carried on an ESPN platform.
The MAC claimed the 2024-25 Women’s Battle for the Belt with 15 wins over two rounds of the MAC-SBC Challenge. To open the season, the MAC won 8 of the 12 matchups before claiming 7 victories in the second round of the challenge.
Ten squads won at least one game in the challenge, highlighted by five squads (Northern Illinois, Toledo, Western Michigan, Miami and Bowling Green) who went a perfect 2-0.
Round two of last season’s Men’s Battle for the Belt went the way of #MACtion as the MAC men’s teams defended their home courts to finish with an 8-4 record over the Sun Belt.
As a result, the MAC and Sun Belt men's squads each finished the 2024-25 MAC-SBC Challenge at 12-12 overall.
2025-26 MAC-SBC Challenge Basketball November Matchups
Women’s Basketball
Western Michigan at Appalachian State
Ball State at Arkansas State
Miami at Coastal Carolina
Central Michigan at Georgia Southern
Kent State at James Madison
Bowling Green at Louisiana
Buffalo at Marshall
UMass at Old Dominion
Akron at South Alabama
Northern Illinois at Southern Mississippi
Ohio at Texas State
Toledo at Troy
Eastern Michigan at Louisiana Monroe
Men’s Basketball
James Madison at Akron
Louisiana at Ball State
Texas State at Bowling Green
Southern Mississippi at Buffalo
Appalachian State at Central Michigan
Georgia State at Eastern Michigan
Troy at Kent State
Marshall at UMass
Old Dominion at Miami
Louisiana Monroe at Northern Illinois
Arkansas State at Ohio
South Alabama at Toledo
Coastal Carolina at Western Michigan
