CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference women's basketball season tips off Monday, Nov. 2, with all 12 MAC programs hosting Sun Belt Conference opponents in the fourth annual MAC-SBC Challenge.
The second round of the MAC-SBC Challenge will take place Saturday, Feb. 6, with the MAC teams traveling to face Sun Belt opponents. Conference play begins Saturday, Jan. 2, with each team playing an 18-game league schedule.
The 2026-27 regular season will conclude Saturday, March 6, with the top eight teams advancing to Cleveland's Rocket Arena for the MAC Women's Basketball Tournament, March 10-13.
MAC-SBC Challenge Men's Basketball Matchups
Akron at Louisiana, 6PM ET (ESPN+)
Ball State at Georgia Southern, 7PM ET (ESPN+)
Bowling Green at Georgia State, 7PM ET (ESPN+)
Buffalo at Marshall, 7PM ET (ESPN+)
Eastern Michigan at Coastal Carolina, 7PM ET (ESPN+)
Massachusetts at Troy, 7PM ET (ESPN+)
Miami at James Madison, 7PM ET (ESPN+)
Western Michigan at Old Dominion, 7PM ET (ESPN+)
Central Michigan at Louisiana Monroe, 7:30PM ET (ESPN+)
Kent State at Louisiana Tech, 7:30PM ET (ESPN+)
Ohio at South Alabama, 8PM ET (ESPN+)
Toledo at Arkansas State, 8PM ET (ESPN+)
Team-By-Team Previews (In Preseason Coaches Poll Predicted Order)
1. Miami
Miami men's basketball enters the 2026-27 regular season by traveling to James Madison for a road contest on Monday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m.
Travis Steele begins his fifth season at the helm of the program after finishing his fourth season with a 32-2 (18-0 MAC) record.
Miami returns 11 players and welcomes six newcomers heading into the 2026-27 season. The RedHawks boast three freshmen, one redshirt freshman, five sophomores, one junior, five seniors, a redshirt senior and a fifth year.
During the offseason, Head Coach
Travis Steele promoted
Khristian Smith to Associate Head Coach and welcomed Andrew Dakich as an Assistant Coach. Smith joined Steele's program in May of 2022 as an assistant coach and has spent the past four years with the program. Dakich joins the RedHawks after spending the last four seasons on the coaching staff at Illinois State University.
2. Toledo
The Toledo men's basketball team will open its 2026-27 campaign and compete in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge for a fourth consecutive season when it visits preseason SBC favorite Arkansas State (20-12, 11-7 Sun Belt in 2025-26) on Monday, Nov. 2. The Rockets' meeting with the Red Wolves will mark the start of UT's 112th season of basketball. The contest will tip off at 7:00 p.m. CT with streaming on ESPN+.
Senior
Austin Parks (10.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg) is the Rockets' lone returning starter from last year's squad that posted a 19-15 overall record and an 11-7 league ledger. Toledo also returns three key rotation members - juniors
Jaylan Ouwinga (6.3 ppg) and
Mynor Strong (5.2 ppg) as well as sophomore
Will James Jr. (3.1 ppg) - from a year ago.
The Rockets have added veteran transfers
Rich Barron (Jr.-R., F, 6-5, 225, Providence),
Sean Jones (Sr.-R, G, 5-10, 185, Marquette) and
Angel Montas Jr. (Sr.-R, G, 6-6, 225, UMass-Lowell).
UT finished in fourth place in the Mid-American Conference last year, marking the sixth consecutive season it has posted a top-four league finish. The Rockets previously won the league title in 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Toledo was picked to finish second in the MAC in this year's preseason poll by the league's head coaches, with Miami predicted to win the league title. Jones and Parks were also honored by being named to the Preseason All-MAC Second Team squad.
3. Akron
Akron enters the season looking to continue its sustained success under new head coach
Dustin Ford. The Zips have captured three consecutive MAC Tournament championships and earned NCAA Tournament appearances in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
The Zips were picked to finish third in the 2026-27 MAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving 110 points. Miami was selected first with 130 points, followed by Toledo with 117.
The University of Akron men's basketball team was ranked No. 7 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, the organization announced Wednesday.
Akron also had two players named to the Preseason All-MAC Second Team as fifth-year seniors
Evan Mahaffey and
Tahj Staveskie were recognized.
4. Kent State
The Kent State University Golden Flashes are set to begin men's basketball varsity season number 111 on the road against the Bulldogs of Louisiana Tech University. Tip-off is schedule for 7:30 p.m. eastern time on Monday, Nov. 2 inside Louisiana Tech's Thomas Assembly Center. Head Coach
Rob Senderoff enters his 16
th season at the helm and returns seven players from a squad that posted a 24-10 record and reached the first round of the National Invitation Tournament during the 2025-2026 season. The Blue and Gold take on Louisiana Tech as their first of two games in the Mid-American Conference-Sun Belt Conference Challenge.
A pair of key returners include redshirt senior guard
Jamal Sumlin and sophomore guard
Quinn Woidke. Cleveland native, Sumlin appeared in 28 games in the 2024-2025 season while missing all the 2025-2026 season due to injury. Additionally; he averaged 5.9 points per game with a total of 166 points while pulling in 95 rebounds. Woidke returns after being named to the MAC All-Freshman Team, appearing in all 34 games in the 2025-2026 season. He scored 307 points averaging 9.0 ppg while shooting 40.4% from three.
5. Ohio
The revamped Ohio men's basketball team (0-0) opens the 2026-27 season on Monday, Nov. 2 when the Bobcats head to Mobile, Ala. to take on South Alabama (0-0) in the 2026-27 MAC-SBC Challenge. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET inside the Mitchell Center and can be seen on ESPN+.
Ohio finished last season 15-17 overall and 9-9 in MAC play before falling in the MAC Quarterfinals.
Last season Ohio averaged 77.9 points a game, while shooting 46.1 percent from the field, 30.8 percent from three and 70.6 percent from the line, while adding 33.6 rebounds a game. Meanwhile, Opponents averaged 79.6 points a game, while shooting 46.1 percent from the field, 36.2 percent from three and 72.8 percent from the line, while adding 36.1 rebounds a game.
Ohio returns four from last year's roster who saw valuable minutes including in fifth year guard
Jackson Paveletzke, redshirt senior forward
Javan Simmons, redshirt sophomore forward
Kiir Kuany and redshirt sophomore guard
Jesse Burris.
Ohio also returns redshirt junior guard
Carter Reese and redshirt freshman forward
Zay Mosley who both did not play during the season.
Ohio was selected to fifth in this year's MAC Preseason Poll, while Simmons earned Preseason All-MAC First Team Honors and Paveletzke earned a spot on the Preseason All-MAC Second Team.
6. UMass
The UMass men's basketball team opens its season on Monday when the Minutemen travel to Troy, Alabama to face the Troy Trojans as part of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge. Gametime is set for 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. locally) on ESPN+. The Minutemen begin the 2026-27 season with high hopes, featuring seven returning players along with three high-level transfers and five talented freshmen.
The Minutemen begin the season with a true road game for the first time since Nov. 13, 2009 at UCF, an 84-67 defeat.
Monday is UMass' first true road game to start a season since the turn of the century.
Monday will mark the Minutemen's earliest game in program history. Each of the last two seasons has gotten one day sooner (Nov. 4 two years ago and Nov. 3 last season).
7. Bowling Green
The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team will begin its 112
th season in program history in the MAC/Sun Belt Challenge against Georgia State on Monday. The Falcons and Panthers are set for a 7 p.m. tip at the GSU Convention Center. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+ with a radio feed from Todd Walker available on WFRO Eagle 99.
The Falcons will open the season at Georgia State as part of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge.
Since the challenge began in 2023-24, BGSU has a record of 3-3 in such games.
This will be the first time BGSU and Georgia State have met in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge since its creation in the 2023-24 season.
The Bowling Green men's basketball program kicks off its 112th season.
BGSU welcomes nine newcomers consisting of six transfers and three incoming freshmen to join the six returners from last season's roster -
Makhi Leach,
Josiah Shackelford,
Christian Dedivanaj,
Preston Squire,
Camden Karel and
Aiden Goins.
Bowling Green features a significantly revamped roster in 2026-27, with several newcomers expected to play key roles. Transfers
Trey Simmons (Frostburg State),
Tristan Beckford (South Florida),
Juan Cranford Jr. (Eastern Kentucky) and
Zach Howell (Drury) bring collegiate experience and versatility to the Falcons' lineup, while freshmen
KJ Torbert and
Talan Staley provide additional talent on the perimeter. Those additions join a returning core that includes
Makhi Leach,
Christian Dedivanaj and
Josiah Shackelford, giving head coach
Todd Simon a blend of proven experience and young talent entering the 2026-27 campaign.
8. Western Michigan
A new era of Western Michigan men's basketball begins on Monday night as the Brown and Gold travel down to Norfolk, Va., to take on Old Dominion. Monday's game marks the first at the helm for new WMU head coach
Kahil Fennell, who was hired as the 16th head coach in program history back in March. Fennell arrived in Kalamazoo after posting a 35-29 record in two seasons as the head coach at UTRGV.
The head coach and his new staff aren't the only new faces in Kalamazoo this season, with the Broncos bringing in 14 newcomers to the program. Western Michigan is one of six squads in NCAA Division I with zero returners from the 2025-26 campaign. Also among the teams with zero returners are Campbell, Kansas City, Mississippi Valley State, Northern Illinois and Rider.
To start his rebuild of the program, new WMU head coach
Kahil Fennell brought a pair of guards with him from UTRGV in junior
Jaylen Washington and sophomore
Julien Gomez. Both entered the starting lineup for the Vaqueros in the latter stages of the season, and helped the team go 14-7 down the stretch. The duo were then the first two players to sign on with Coach Fennell once he arrived in Kalamazoo. Senior
Tanner Hayhurst also had a lot of familiarity with Fennell, having started his career with a pair of seasons at BYU while Fennell was serving as an assistant coach under Mark Pope.
9. Eastern Michigan
The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team opens the 2026-27 regular season against Coastal Carolina University Monday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. inside the HTC Center in Conway, S.C. The game serves as the first leg of the MAC-SBC Challenge, a cross-conference series between the Mid-American Conference and the Sun Belt Conference, and marks the regular-season debut of head coach
Billy Donlon.
Mohammad Habhab was named to the Preseason All-Mid-American Conference First Team heading into the 2026-27 season.
Eastern Michigan was picked to finish ninth in the MAC preseason poll for 2026-27. Monday's game is the first leg of the MAC-SBC Challenge for Eastern. The second leg is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 6, 2027, when Eastern will host a Sun Belt Conference opponent at Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti, Mich.
Eastern enters the 2026-27 season with 12 newcomers on the roster, including 11 transfers.
Gregory Lawson II is the lone returning player from the previous season's roster.
The Eagles are 1-1 all-time in the MAC-SBC Challenge, with a win over Georgia Southern (70-60, Nov. 11, 2023) and a loss to Texas State (44-64, Nov. 4, 2024).
Monday marks the regular-season debut of head coach
Billy Donlon, who enters his first season at Eastern Michigan. Donlon compiled a 155-133 record (.538) as a head coach over nine seasons at Wright State and Kansas City.
10. Buffalo
The University at Buffalo men's basketball team (0-0, 0-0 MAC) will open their 2026-27 at Marshall (0-0, 0-0 SBC) for the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge on Monday, Nov. 2
nd at 7 p.m. Game coverage will be on ESPN+ as Josh Whetzel will have the radio call on Buffalo 1520/The Varsity Network.
Buffalo enters its fourth season under Head Coach George Halcovage III. The Bulls finished last season with a 17-15 record, their most wins since the 2021-22 season. Buffalo qualified for the Mid-American Conference Tournament where they fell to the eventual champions in the Akron Zips in the quarterfinals, 73-70.
Buffalo is one of 29 programs across Division I men's basketball to be represented by at least five countries. The Bulls have players from the United States, Lithuania, Germany, Switzerland, and Canada. This is the most in the Mid-American Conference.
Buffalo added 11 newcomers to the 2026-27 roster, one of which being a true freshman in
Jahrel Vigo. The Bulls are tied for the 39th most newcomers on a roster in the country. Teams on their schedule this year with more newcomers are Western Michigan (14) who has no returners, Canisius (13) and Ball State (12).
Buffalo's 10 transfers are the seventh most in the NCAA. They welcome
Dylan Ducommun (Northern Illinois),
JJ Frakes (Oregon),
Boluwasefe John (Clark),
Tristan Kuska (Carolina),
Antoine Lorickk (Tennessee State),
Jalen Pitre (Tennessee State),
Harrison Reede (Incarnate Word),
J.J. Starling (Syracuse),
Drew Steffe (Southern Illinois) and
Mikkel Tyne (Richmond). Their 10 transfers are also tied with Ball State (10) and Western Michigan (10).
11. Ball State
The Ball State men's basketball team begins the 2026-27 regular season with a Monday night game at Georgia Southern. The 7 p.m. contest in Statesboro will be streamed on ESPN+ with Danny Waugh and Blane Baiallargeon on the call, while
Mick Tidrow and David Eha handle the radio broadcast on WMUN 92.5 FM /1340 AM.
Monday's game at Georgia Southern will be the second contest in the Peach State in the last three seasons for Ball State, as the 2024-25 team began the season playing at Georgia State.
The matchup with the Eagles begins the fourth season of the MAC-SBC Challenge, which features battles between Mid-American Conference and Sun Belt Conference teams. Ball State is 4-2 in the series including a 2-0 mark last season after beating both Louisiana and Louisiana Monroe. The contest in Statesboro will be the fourth road game in the series for the Cardinals after previously playing at Louisiana Monroe (Feb. 7, 2026), Georgia State (Nov. 4, 2024) and Texas State (Feb. 10, 2024).
12. Central Michigan
Central Michigan (10-21, 6-12 MAC in 2025-26) visits Louisiana-Monroe (4-28, 1-17 SBC in 2025-26) in a MAC/SBC Challenge to kick off the 2026-27 campaign on Monday, November 2 at b1Bank Fant Coliseum in Monroe, La. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+. Monday night’s game against the Warhawks will be available on ESPN+ as Sean Fox (play-by-play) and Mike Vining (color analyst) will call the action.
Second-year head coach Andy Bronkema will lead the Chippewas in his 14th season as an NCAA head coach. Central Michigan returns seven players from 2025-26, elevates Raymoan McAfee to associate head coach, and adds Lance Roark as an assistant coach. Eight new players join CMU’s roster: four transfers, two freshmen, and one former CMU football player in Travis Ambrose.
Central Michigan and Louisiana-Monroe meet for the second time in men’s college basketball. The Warhawks won the first contest between the two programs 74-64, Nov. 11, 2023, in Mount Pleasant in a MAC/SBC Challenge matchup.
Louisiana-Monroe went 4-28 overall in 2025-26 and 1-17 in conference. The Warhawks fell in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Championship 80-87 against No. 11 seed Old Dominion.
Central Michigan opens its 2026-27 season after defeating Saginaw Valley State 99-62 and North Park 88-44 in a pair of exhibition games at McGuirk Arena.
