Buckeye Reporter

The Mid-American Conference (MAC) and Sun Belt Conference (SBC) have revealed the initial matchups for the third MAC-SBC Challenge. This scheduling alliance involves men's and women's basketball teams from both conferences and is set to commence during the opening week of the 2025-26 season. The event will feature 12 MAC men's basketball programs hosting SBC teams, while 12 MAC women's teams will travel to play against SBC counterparts.

For Bowling Green State University (BGSU), their men's basketball team will host Texas State on Monday, November 3, at the Stroh Center. This game marks the first-ever meeting between these two programs. Texas State ended last season with a balanced record of 16-16 overall and 9-9 in conference play. Reflecting on this upcoming matchup, BGSU's head coach Todd Simon stated, "Texas State will be a great game to open the season." He added that it promises to be a strong competition provided by the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge.

In parallel, BGSU's women's team will journey to Lafayette, Louisiana, to face off against the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns for their first encounter in program history. The Ragin' Cajuns concluded their previous season with a 13-16 record overall and similarly went 9-9 in conference matches. Fred Chmiel, head coach of BGSU's women's team remarked on this opportunity: "A trip to Louisiana Lafayette to play a very competitive and well-coached team is one of those experiences."

Both BGSU men’s and women’s teams hold an even record of 2-2 in past MAC-SBC Challenge games. The Falcon men have won both home games at Stroh Center previously, while last year saw victories for both men’s and women’s teams in their respective challenge matches.

The details regarding each team's second game in this series will be announced later based on real-time NET rankings. During these subsequent matchups, MAC women and Sun Belt men are set to host.