Jonesboro, AR – Contributed – The Mid-American Conference and Sun Belt Conference announced 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.

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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 clicking here, while renewals can be completed by clicking here and logging into the ticket holder’s account.

Questions and requests for additional information can be directed to the Red Wolves Foundation by emailing redwolvesfoundation@astate.edu 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

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