JONESBORO, Ark. (7/2/26) – The Mid-American Conference and Sun Belt Conference announced Thursday matchups for the first round of the 2026-27 MAC-SBC Challenge, scheduled for Nov. 2.
 
Second-year head coach Ryan Pannone and A-State men’s basketball open the 2026-27 campaign with a matchup against Toledo inside First National Bank Arena. The Red Wolves women’s basketball squad – led by fifth-year head coach Destinee Rogers – will travel to Worthen Arena for a matchup against Ball State.
 
The A-State men and the Rockets will meet for the fifth time and it will be the first meeting since the 2014-15 season. The Red Wolves won 20-plus games for the third consecutive season and recorded a second-place finish in the Sun Belt Conference standings in 2025-26.
 
On the women’s side, A-State is set to face the Cardinals for the third time and it will be the Scarlet and Black’s first trip to Muncie, Indiana. Last season, the Red Wolves matched the program record for wins in a single season at 27 and reached the WNIT Fab 4.
 
The MAC men and Sun Belt women’s teams will host the second round of the challenge in February, and matchups will be determined in January.
 
Complete non-conference and conference schedules for A-State men’s and women’s basketball will be released at a later date. New season ticket purchases can be made by visiting AStateRedWolves.com/Tickets while renewals can be completed by visiting AStateRedWolves.com/Tickets and logging into the ticket holders account (https://am.ticketmaster.com/arkstate/invoice).
 
Questions and requests for additional information can be directed to the Red Wolves Foundation by emailing [email protected] or calling 870-972-2401.
 
MAC-SBC Challenge Men’s Basketball Matchups
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
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