CLEVELAND, Ohio – Below is a team-by-team preview for the 2025-26 MAC Men’s Basketball season.
The MAC men’s basketball season begins today, Nov. 3 with the MAC-SBC Challenge. The conference season is set to tip-off on Friday, Dec.19, 2025.
The women’s basketball regular season will conclude on Saturday,March 7 with the top eight teams in the conference moving on to Cleveland’s Rocket Arena for the MAC Women’s Basketball Tournament on March 11-14.
MAC-SBC Challenge Men’s Basketball Matchups
southern Miss at Buffalo, 6:30PM ET (Live Stats | ESPN+)
Georgia State at Eastern Michigan, 6:30PM ET (Live Stats | ESPN+)
James Madison at Akron, 7PM ET (Live Stats | ESPN+)
Louisiana at Ball State, 7PM ET (Live Stats | ESPN+)
Texas State at Bowling Green, 7PM ET (Live stats | ESPN+)
App State at Central Michigan, 7PM ET (Live Stats | ESPN+)
Troy at Kent State, 7PM ET (Live Stats | ESPN+)
MAC Basketball Preview: Akron, Miami, and Kent State Lead the Way
Table of Contents
The upcoming basketball season in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) looks to be highly competitive, with Akron, Miami, and Kent State poised to contend for the top spot. Here’s a look at each team:
1.Akron Zips
Akron enters the season as the clear favorite, dominating several statistical categories in 2024-25. The Zips lead the MAC in scoring offense (84.0 points per game), scoring margin (+9.0),rebounds (38.3 per game),assists (17.7 per game), and blocked shots (3.74 per game). They were also highly efficient, ranking second in field goal percentage (.469), three-point percentage (.362), and free throw percentage (.754). Nationally,Akron ranked 27th in assist-turnover ratio (+1.50), 4th in assists per game (17.7), and 8th in scoring offense (84.0).
2. Miami RedHawks
Miami, under fourth-year head coach Travis Steele, is coming off a program-record 25-9 (14-4 MAC) season. The RedHawks return 10 players and are looking to build on their success. Miami holds a 2-0 all-time record against their season opener opponent, Old dominion, with their last matchup resulting in a 64-57 victory in 2000. The RedHawks were recently ranked No. 10 in the Preseason Mid-Major Top 25® Poll. Peter Suder was named preseason All-MAC First Team, and Eian Elmer earned Preseason All-MAC Second Team honors. In the MAC preseason coaches poll, Miami was ranked second with 133 points.
3. Kent State Golden Flashes
kent State is gearing up for its 110th varsity season, led by Head Coach Rob Senderoff, who is entering his 15th year. The Golden Flashes return eight players from a team that achieved a 24-12 record and reached the National Invitation Tournament Quarterfinals. Key returning players include senior forward Delrecco Gillespie, graduate student Morgan Safford, and junior guard Cian Medley.Kent State will begin their season against Troy University as part of the MAC-Sun Belt Conference Challenge. They were ranked third in the MAC preseason coaches poll with 122 points.
College Basketball Team Previews: Massachusetts, Toledo, and Bowling Green
6. Toledo Rockets
The Toledo men’s basketball team begins its 111th season and a third consecutive year in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge by hosting defending Sun Belt co-champion South Alabama on November 3,2025,at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+). Junior guard Sonny Wilson, a Third-Team All-MAC honoree last season, is the Rockets’ lone returning starter, averaging 15.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and 3.2 apg. Sophomores Tyler ode and Jaylan Ouwinga also return. Toledo has bolstered its roster with transfers Sean Craig (IUPU-Indy), Austin Parks (Ohio State), Chris Riddle (DePaul), Mynor Strong (Dodge City C.C.),and kyler Vanderjagt (Central michigan). The Rockets were projected to finish sixth in the MAC preseason poll, with Wilson named to the Preseason All-MAC Second Team. Toledo holds a 2-2 record in the MAC-SBC Challenge.
7. Bowling Green Falcons
The Bowling Green State University men’s basketball team launches its 2025-26 season on November 3rd at 7 p.m. against Texas State inside the Stroh Center, as part of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge. This game initiates a three-game home stand.BGSU boasts a 2-0 home record and 2-2 overall record in the challenge. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast on WFRO Eagle 99.
Massachusetts Minutemen
Massachusetts basketball is entering its fourth season under head coach Frank Martin in 2025-26. The Minutemen concluded the 2024-25 season with 12 wins, including seven in conference play. Guard Rahsool Diggins earned All-Atlantic 10 Third Team honors after averaging a team-high 16.8 points. in 2023-24, Martin led the Minutemen to their best season since 2014, finishing with a 20-11 record and a top-four seed in the Atlantic 10 Championship. His first season in Amherst saw the team win the Myrtle beach Invitational title. Martin has a career collegiate coaching record of 334-245 (.577), with 171 wins at South Carolina and 117 at Kansas State.He secured his 300th collegiate win on January 25,2023,against Richmond.Dimitri Clerc totaled a season high 14 points with three rebounds and an assist over nearly 19 minutes of gameplay.
MAC Men’s Basketball Preview: Teams 9-11
9. Eastern Michigan Eagles
Eastern Michigan looks to climb the MAC standings after a tied-for-sixth place finish last season. the Eagles were projected ninth in the MAC Preseason Poll. A challenging non-conference schedule awaits, featuring road games against Pittsburgh (Nov. 10), #11 Louisville (Nov. 24), Cincinnati (Nov. 26), and Butler (Dec. 2). Eastern Michigan boasts nine players from the state of Michigan, the most as the 2022-23 season. Head Coach Stan Heath enters his fifth year with a 47-78 record at EMU and a 256-285 overall record. The team returns four players,representing 7.8% of minutes played (502) and 2.9% of points scored (69). Noah Kingsly added 10.5 points per game.
10. Western Michigan Broncos
Western Michigan begins its 2025-26 season hosting Coastal Carolina in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge. The Broncos are 5-5 in season openers over the last decade but have won 13 of their last 14 home openers. They led the MAC in offensive rebounding last year, averaging 13.2 per game. However, Western Michigan returns only 14.0% of its scoring from the previous season, with Max Burton (5.8 points, 5.2 rebounds) as the leading returning player in both categories. Monday’s game is the second all-time meeting between the two programs,with Coastal Carolina winning the first contest last year,60-56. WMU is 0-4 in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge. The Broncos have 10 new players on the roster, one of the highest totals in the nation, and return just 21.3% of their rebounding.
11. Buffalo Bulls
The University at Buffalo opens its 2025-26 season hosting Southern Miss as part of the third annual MAC-Sun Belt Challenge. The Bulls and Golden Eagles will kick off the challenge as teams from both leagues compete.
Northern Illinois huskies Set to Begin 2025-26 Basketball Season
The Northern Illinois University (NIU) men’s basketball team will begin its 2025-26 regular season on Monday, November 3rd, hosting the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM) as part of the MAC/Sun Belt Challenge. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN+ and WDKB 94-9 FM. https://niuhuskies.com/news/2024/11/01/mens-basketball-huskies-to-begin-2025-26-regular-season-nov-3-vs-ulm.aspx
Season Preview & Exhibition Win
The Huskies come into the season following a successful exhibition game against Quincy on October 28th, securing an 82-68 victory. https://niuhuskies.com/news/2024/10/29/mens-basketball-huskies-defeat-quincy-82-68-in-exhibition.aspx Four NIU players scored in double figures, led by JJ Taylor with 14 points.makhai Valentine contributed 12 points,including four three-pointers,while Gianni Cobb and Daemar Kelly each added 11 points. cobb also showcased extraordinary ball-handling skills with nine assists and no turnovers.
NIU demonstrated strong shooting accuracy in the exhibition, achieving a 54.7% field goal percentage (29-of-53) and 46.2% from three-point range (12-of-26).
MAC/Sun Belt Challenge Details
This matchup against ULM is the first of two games in the MAC/Sun Belt Challenge. All 12 Mid-American Conference (MAC) teams will host a team from the Sun Belt conference. The Huskies will than travel to play a Sun Belt opponent on Saturday, february 7th, with the specific matchup to be steadfast in january. NIU holds a 1-3 all-time record in the MAC/Sun Belt Challenge.
Opponent Profile: ULM Warhawks
The University of Louisiana at Monroe Warhawks enter the game with a 7-25 record from the previous season, including a 3-15 mark in Sun Belt Conference play. https://ulmwarhawks.com/sports/mens-basketball This will be their first participation in the MAC/Sun Belt Challenge. Phil Cunningham is beginning his first season as head coach of the Warhawks, who were predicted to finish 14th in the Sun Belt preseason coaches poll.
First-Ever Meeting
Monday’s game will mark the first-ever meeting between the Northern Illinois Huskies and the ULM warhawks.
Looking Ahead
The Huskies will look to start the 2025-26 season strong against ULM, building momentum for their MAC conference schedule. The MAC/Sun Belt Challenge provides an early prospect to test their skills against a different conference and gain valuable experience before entering conference play.