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 12 Mid-American Conference (MAC) men's basketball programs hosting 12 Sun Belt Conference (SBC) teams, while the 12 MAC women's basketball programs will visit 12 SBC teams. 

The Ohio men's team will host Arkansas State on Nov. 3, while the women will travel to Texas State to open the season. This will be the second time since the MAC-SBC Challenge began that both Bobcat squads will face off with their opponents. 
 
The second MAC-SBC Challenge contest for each team will take place on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, 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 is considered in determining the matchups.
 
Each MAC-SBC Challenge game will be carried on an ESPN platform.



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