The MAC-SBC Challenge—a scheduling alliance in the sports of men’s and women’s basketball—will kick off during the opening week of the 2023-24 season this November with 12 Sun Belt Conference (SBC) men’s basketball programs traveling to compete against the 12 Mid-American Conference (MAC) teams and the 12 MAC women’s basketball teams visiting 12 SBC programs.

The second MAC-SBC Challenge contest for each team will take place on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, with the matchups set 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, currently scheduled to take place during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 campaigns, 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 is considered in determining the matchups.

The MAC-SBC Challenge comes at the recommendation of the Sun Belt’s strategic planning committees for men’s and women’s basketball, as the conference looks to return to its roots and bolster its success on the hardwood.

App State’s first matchup of the men’s edition of the MAC-SBC Challenge will be a contest at Northern Illinois on Nov. 11. This will be the first meeting between the two programs. The Mountaineers will then host a to-be-determined MAC opponent on Feb. 10, 2024.

On the women’s side, App State will host Ohio on Nov. 11. These two teams have split the all-time series, 1-1, dating back to the 1977-78 season. The squad will then visit a MAC opponent on Feb. 10, 2024.

Each MAC-SBC Challenge game will be carried on an ESPN platform.

MAC-SBC Challenge Men’s Basketball Matchups
Wednesday, Nov. 8
Troy at Ohio

Thursday, Nov. 9
James Madison at Kent State

Saturday, Nov. 11
Southern Miss at Akron
Louisiana at Toledo
Old Dominion at Ball State
South Alabama at Buffalo
Arkansas State at Bowling Green
App State at Northern Illinois
Texas State at Miami (OH)
Georgia Southern at Eastern Michigan
Georgia State at Western Michigan
ULM at Central Michigan

MAC-SBC Challenge Women’s Basketball Matchups
Wednesday, Nov. 8
Toledo at James Madison

Thursday, Nov. 9
Northern Illinois at Arkansas State
Central Michigan at South Alabama

Friday, Nov. 10
Western Michigan at Georgia State

Saturday, Nov. 11
Ball State at Troy
Eastern Michigan at Georgia Southern
Akron at Southern Miss
Buffalo at Old Dominion
Bowling Green at Texas State
Ohio at App State
Miami (OH) at ULM
Sunday, Nov. 12
Kent State at Louisiana