The Mid‑American Conference and the Sun Belt Conference are set to revive their collaborative basketball series for the 2026‑27 season, marking the fourth iteration of the MAC‑SBC Challenge.
Georgia State’s men’s program will open the series at home against Bowling Green, while the women’s team journeys to Buffalo, N.Y., as part of a rotating home‑and‑away schedule that guarantees each participant a single home game and a single away game each year.
Scheduling Mechanics
Matchups are crafted from a blend of NET rankings, geographic proximity and previous meeting history, ensuring competitive balance while minimizing travel burdens.
The second round of games is slated to tip‑off on February 6, 2027, with MAC men’s programs and Sun Belt women’s teams serving as hosts, continuing the alternating‑host model introduced in the inaugural year.
The partnership was forged by the strategic planning committees of both conferences, reflecting a joint effort to deepen inter‑conference ties and provide fans with high‑stakes matchups.
All contests will be broadcast live on ESPN+, and the complete 2026‑27 schedules for Georgia State’s men’s and women’s basketball teams will be released later this fall, giving supporters a full view of the upcoming slate.