NEW ORLEANS – The pairings for the second round of the 2025-26 MAC-Sun Belt Basketball Challenge – a scheduling alliance between the Mid-American and Sun Belt Conferences – were announced on Tuesday with both ODU basketball programs slated to face the Ohio Bobcats on Saturday, Feb. 7.
The ODU’s men’s basketball team will host the Bobcats, while the ODU women’s basketball team will make the trip to Athens, Ohio. The men’s game will have a 7 p.m. opening tip at Chartway Arena, while a start time for the women’s game has yet to be announced.
On the men’s side, the game will mark just the second ever meeting with Ohio. The two teams played each other on Nov. 24, 1995 at the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage, Alaska. That game went to the Bobcats, 90-89 in double overtime.
The Monarchs (4-12, 1-3 Sun Belt) started off their 2025-26 campaign with an 87-72 loss at Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 3. ODU led by as many as 14 points in the first half, but foul trouble and cold shooting allowed the RedHawks to take over in the second half. LJ Thomas led the Monarchs in the loss with 13 points, six assists, and three rebounds. KC Shaw tallied 11 points, while Caelum Swanton-Rodger and Jordan Battle finished with 10 points each. Old Dominion is looking to snap a four-game losing streak as the Monarchs play at Coastal Carolina this Thursday and at James Madison on Saturday.
The Bobcats (8-7, 2-1 MAC) hosted Arkansas State on Nov. 3 and dropped a close game to the Red Wolves, 89-85. Ohio pulled to within two, 87-85 with seven seconds left, but A-State’s Chandler Jackson went 2-for-2 at the free-throw line to seal the victory. Aidan Hadaway scored a career-high 28 points with a team-high six rebounds to lead the Bobcats in the loss. The team has won three in a row and hosts UMass on Tuesday and Buffalo on Saturday.
For the women, it will be ODU’s first meeting all-time against the Bobcats.
The Monarchs (12-5, 4-1 Sun Belt) opened the season with a loss to UMass in the first round of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge, falling to the Minutemen, 58-52 on Nov. 3, 2025. En’Dya Buford led ODU in the loss with 15 points and grabbed six rebounds. Laila Walker scored 14 points off the bench, grabbed nine rebounds, and blocked one shot. ODU is on a three-game win streak and rattled off five-straight wins after losing to UMass.
The Bobcats (8-4, 2-0 MAC) are on a three-game win streak and hosted Texas State on Nov. 3, defeating the Bobcats, 72-66. Ohio shot 42.6% from the field, 25.0% from the arc, and 67.9% from the line. The Bobcats finished with 30 rebounds, 13 assists, three blocks and 17 steals. Graduate student Elli Garnett led the team in scoring with 20 points; shooting 6-for-9 from the field, 3-for-6 from the arc and 5-for-6 from the line.
The pairings for the second round of the MAC-SBC Challenge were determined using real-time NET rankings.
MAC-SBC Challenge Men’s Basketball Matchups
Saturday, February 7
Eastern Michigan at App State
Bowling Green at Arkansas State
UMass at Coastal Carolina
Northern Illinois at Georgia State
Toledo at James Madison
Central Michigan at Louisiana
Ball State at ULM
Miami (Ohio) at Marshall
Ohio at Old Dominion
Buffalo at South Alabama
Kent State at Southern Miss
Western Michigan at Texas State
Akron at Troy
MAC-SBC Challenge Women’s Basketball Matchups
Saturday, February 7
App State at Kent State
Arkansas State at Eastern Michigan
Coastal Carolina at Bowling Green
Georgia Southern at Miami (Ohio)
Louisiana at Akron
ULM at Buffalo
Marshall at Central Michigan
Old Dominion at Ohio
South Alabama at Western Michigan
Southern Miss at Toledo
Texas State at Northern Illinois
Troy at Ball State
Sunday, February 8
James Madison at UMass (CBS Sports Network)