James Madison Basketball Set for Initial 2025-26 MAC-SBC Challenge Matchups

NEW ORLEANS – The Mid-American Conference (MAC) and Sun Belt Conference (SBC) have finalized the opening matchups for the 2025-26 edition of the MAC-SBC Challenge scheduled for Nov. 3, which will see James Madison women's basketball host Kent State, while the men's program will travel to Akron, as announced by the leagues on Tuesday afternoon.

The MAC-SBC Challenge is a scheduling alliance in the sports of men's and women's basketball that will kick off during the opening week of the 2025-26 season with 13 SBC men's basketball programs traveling to compete against the 13 MAC teams and the 13 Mid-American Conference women's basketball teams visiting 13 Sun Belt programs.

Women's basketball's contest against the Golden Flashes will be a rematch from last year's season opener that saw the Dukes hold Kent State to 0-for-19 from three in a 67-56 victory at the M.A.C. Center on Nov. 4. KSU finished its 2024-25 campaign with a 21-12 (12-6 MAC) record and reached the semifinals of the MAC Women's Basketball where they fell to Ball State, 70-53.

JMU went 2-0 against MAC foes in 2024-25, capping off the challenge with a thrilling 78-74 win over Ball State inside the Atlantic Union Bank Center on Feb. 8. The Cardinals produced a 27-8 (16-2 MAC) record a season ago and went on to capture the MAC Tournament title with a 65-58 triumph over Toledo before falling to fifth-seeded Ole Miss, 83-65, in the opening round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship.

With the addition of Massachusetts to the Mid-American Conference, the Dukes are 11-4 (.733) all-time against the league and have perfect marks against Eastern Michigan (2-0), Kent State (2-0), Ohio (2-0), UMass (2-0) and Western Michigan (2-0).

Men's hoops and Head Coach Preston Spradlin will open the 2025-26 season at James A. Rhodes Arena for the fourth all-time meeting with the Zips. The matchup will mark the second meeting as part of the MAC-SBC Challenge after the two teams squared off on Feb. 10, 2024, inside the Atlantic Union Bank Center, where the Dukes came away with a 73-59 win. Before that matchup, JMU and Akron split a home-and-home in 2002-03 and 2003-04, with the home team taking each game. The Zips finished 2024-25 with a 28-7 record, winning the MAC Championship over No. 2 seed Miami (Ohio). In the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, Akron fell to fourth-seeded Arizona in Seattle.

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.

The Sun Belt and MAC men played to a series split in 2024-25 with the SBC claiming an 8-4 record in November home games, before the MAC accomplished the same feat on its home courts in February. The MAC women secured their first Challenge win over the SBC last season.

The Sun Belt captured the inaugural MAC-SBC Challenge titles on the men's and women's fronts, respectively, in 2023-24.

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

About The MAC-SBC Challenge
The MAC-SBC Challenge began during the 2023-24 season at the recommendation of the Sun Belt's strategic planning committees for men's and women's basketball. Scheduling assistance is provided by Ordinal Sports Group. In addition to relevant NET data, geography and frequency of past contests are considered in determining the matchups.

Single-game tickets for the 2025-26 men's/women's basketball season will go on sale to the public on Oct. 8 at 9 a.m. ET. Duke Club Proud and True Members will receive early access to single-game tickets starting on Oct. 6 at 12 p.m. ET. Not a Duke Club member? Join today by making a $75 dollar donation to the Proud and True Fund. For more information about season or single-game tickets, please call the JMU Ticket Office at 540-568-3853 or visit the basketball ticket information page.

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

Calendar