ATLANTA – The MAC-SBC Challenge returns for its fourth season in 2026-27, continuing the scheduling alliance between the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) and the Mid-American Conference (MAC) with men's and women's basketball. The challenge will open during the first week of the season on Monday, Nov. 2, featuring 12 head-to-head matchups in both men's and women's basketball.
The Georgia State men's basketball team will host Bowling Green for the second all-time meeting between the two programs. The Panthers aim to even the series to a 1-1 mark.
The Georgia State women's basketball team will travel to Buffalo, N.Y. to take on the University of Buffalo in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
In this round, the Sun Belt men's teams will host the MAC, while the MAC women's teams will host the Sun Belt. Each participating team is guaranteed one home and one away game in the challenge annually.
The second set of MAC-SBC Challenge games will tip-off on February 6, 2027. In that round, the MAC men's programs and the Sun Belt women's teams will serve as hosts.
The MAC-SBC Challenge was created through the collaborative efforts of each conference's strategic planning committee. Matchups are determined based on NET rankings, geographic considerations, and previous meetings.
All MAC-SBC Challenge games will be streamed on ESPN+.
The complete 2026-27 Georgia State men's and women's basketball schedules will be announced in the fall. For information on season tickets, visit GeorgiaStateSports.com/TIX.
MAC-SBC Challenge Men's Basketball Matchups
Monday, Nov. 2, 2026
Men's Basketball (MAC at Sun Belt)
- Toledo at Arkansas State
- Eastern Michigan at Coastal Carolina
- Ball State at Georgia Southern
- Bowling Green at Georgia State
- Miami (Ohio) at James Madison
- Akron at Louisiana
- Central Michigan at ULM
- Kent State at Louisiana Tech
- Buffalo at Marshall
- Western Michigan at Old Dominion
- Ohio at South Alabama
- UMass at Troy
MAC-SBC Challenge Women's Basketball Matchups
Monday, Nov. 2, 2026
Women's Basketball (Sun Belt at MAC)
- App State at Eastern Michigan
- Arkansas State at Ball State
- Coastal Carolina at Western Michigan
- Georgia Southern at Bowling Green
- Georgia State at Buffalo
- James Madison at Miami (Ohio)
- Louisiana Tech at Toledo
- ULM at Ohio
- Marshall at UMass
- Old Dominion at Central Michigan
- South Alabama at Akron
- Troy at Kent State
