NEW ORLEANS --- A scheduling alliance in men's and women's basketball, the MAC-SBC Challenge enters its third season and will tip off on opening night of the 2025-26 campaign on Monday, November 3 with 13 Sun Belt Conference (SBC) women's basketball programs hosting Mid-American Conference (MAC) teams and 13 Sun Belt men's basketball teams visiting MAC opponents.
The Coastal Carolina men's basketball team will travel to Kalamazoo, Mich., to take on Western Michigan, while the women's team will host Miami (Ohio) at the HTC Center to open the 2025-26 campaign.
The second MAC-SBC Challenge contest for each team will be announced in January before tipping off in early February. The Sun Belt men and MAC women will host the February matchups, as each MAC and Sun Belt team included in the MAC-SBC Challenge is guaranteed one home and one away game each season.
Coastal Carolina and Western Michigan will open the season against each other for the second straight year after the Chanticleers posted a 60-56 win in
Justin Gray's head coaching debut. CCU lost its second game of the challenge, falling at Bowling Green.
On the women's side, Coastal will face Miami (Ohio) for the first time in school history. Last season, the Chants swept the MAC-SBC Challenge with a 65-62 win over Central Michigan on Nov. 4 and a 73-65 win over Buffalo on Feb. 8.
Each MAC-SBC Challenge game will be carried on an ESPN platform.
The complete 2025-26 Coastal Carolina men's and women's basketball schedules will be announced later.
MAC-SBC Challenge Men's Basketball Matchups
App State at Central Michigan
Arkansas State at Ohio
Coastal Carolina at Western Michigan
Georgia State at Eastern Michigan
James Madison at Akron
Louisiana at Ball State
ULM at Northern Illinois
Marshall at UMass
Old Dominion at Miami (Ohio)
Southern Miss at Buffalo
South Alabama at Toledo
Texas State at Bowling Green
Troy at Kent State
MAC-SBC Challenge Women's Basketball Matchups
Western Michigan at App State
Ball State at Arkansas State
Miami (Ohio) at Coastal Carolina
Central Michigan at Georgia Southern
Kent State at James Madison
Bowling Green at Louisiana
Eastern Michigan at ULM
Buffalo at Marshall
UMass at Old Dominion
Akron at South Alabama
Northern Illinois at Southern Miss
Ohio at Texas State
Toledo at Troy
