NORFOLK, Va. — The pairings for the first round of the MAC-SBC Basketball Challenge—a scheduling alliance between the Mid-American and Sun Belt Conferences – were announced on Thursday and Old Dominion will host Buffalo at Chartway Arena.
Scheduled for Saturday, November 11, the game will mark the first-ever meeting between the Monarchs and the Bulls.
"It's an exciting time for the SBC and MAC conferences," said head coach DeLisha Milton-Jones. "Challenging games from strong programs represented by both conferences will be a treat for all fans. Matching up against Buffalo is a game our fans will enjoy watching."
Buffalo finished its 2022-23 campaign 12-16 overall and 7-11 in the MAC. The Bulls entered the MAC Championship as the No. 8 seed and fell 75-74 to regular season and eventual tournament champion Toledo in the opening game. In last year's final NET rankings, ODU was listed 152nd and Buffalo was 213th.
The second MAC-SBC Challenge contest for each team will take place on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024 and the matchups will be announced in January based on the NET rankings at that time. Old Dominion will be on the road for its second game.
Each MAC and Sun Belt team included in the MAC-SBC Challenge, currently scheduled to take place during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 campaigns, is guaranteed one home and one away game each season.
All MAC-SBC challenge games will be carried on an ESPN platform.
MAC-SBC Challenge Women's Basketball Matchups
Wednesday, Nov. 8
Toledo at James Madison
Thursday, Nov. 9
Northern Illinois at Arkansas State
Central Michigan at South Alabama
Friday, Nov. 10
Western Michigan at Georgia State
Saturday, Nov. 11
Ball State at Troy
Eastern Michigan at Georgia Southern
Akron at Southern Miss
Buffalo at Old Dominion
Bowling Green at Texas State
Ohio at App State
Miami (OH) at ULM
Sunday, Nov. 12
Kent State at Louisiana
Women's Basketball to Host Buffalo in First Round of MAC-SBC Challenge
