Mid-American Conference releases 2026-27 schedules for men's and women's basketball
It's a new era for roundball in the MAC, as the league increased the number of conference tilts in MBB from 18 to 22.
The Mid-American Conference released their expected calendar for league play in both men's and women's basketball for the upcoming 2026-27 campaign on Wednesday morning.
The new season brings a new look for the league; Northern Illinois departed the MAC for the Horizon League during the offseason, affecting both men's and women's basketball.
But there's other changes as well; starting this season, men's basketball will play 22 conference games. The decision, made easier by NIU's departure, allows teams to play their conference peers twice per season– once at home and once away.
The decision comes in the light of Miami men's basketball's historic 2025-26 NCAA Tournament run, which saw controversy over their perceived strength of schedule. The move to a longer conference schedule, along with an extension of the Sun Belt-MAC Basketball Challenge Series announced earlier this year, should help to limit scheduling non-league opponents (read: Division II or lower) out of necessity.
(Women's basketball will maintain their 18-game schedule.)
As always, both the men and women will end their season in Cleveland, Ohio at the Rocket Arena, home of the Cleveland Cavaliers, with the top eight teams from each sport congregating for the MAC Postseason Tournament from March 10-13, 2027.
Listed below are matchups set by the date; the conference expects to announce their full broadcast slates in October.
Men's Basketball
Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2026
Ball State at Akron
Bowling Green at Kent State
Buffalo at Western Michigan
Central Michigan at Miami
Toledo at Ohio
UMass at Eastern Michigan
Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026
Eastern Michigan at Ball State
Kent State at Toledo
Miami at Buffalo
Ohio at Central Michigan
Western Michigan at Bowling Green
Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2026
Eastern Michigan at Toledo
Kent State at Central Michigan
Western Michigan at UMass
Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026
Central Michigan at Eastern Michigan
Toledo at Western Michigan
UMass at Kent State
Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2026
Akron at Buffalo
Miami at Bowling Green
Ohio at Ball State
Saturday, Dec. 19, 2026
Ball State at Miami
Bowling Green at Akron
Buffalo at Ohio
Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2026
Akron at UMass
Saturday, Jan. 2, 2027
Ball State at UMass
Buffalo at Kent State
Eastern Michigan at Miami
Ohio at Bowling Green
Toledo at Central Michigan
Western Michigan at Akron
Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2027
Akron at Ohio
Bowling Green at Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan at Western Michigan
Kent State at Ball State
Miami at Toledo
UMass at Buffalo
Saturday, Jan. 9, 2027
Bowling Green at Eastern Michigan
Buffalo at Toledo
Central Michigan at Ball State
Kent State at Western Michigan
Miami at Akron
UMass at Ohio
Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2027
Akron at Eastern Michigan
Ball State at Bowling Green
Buffalo at Central Michigan
Ohio at Kent State
Toledo at UMass
Western Michigan at Miami
Saturday, Jan. 16, 2027
Akron at Toledo
Ball State at Western Michigan
Bowling Green at Buffalo
Central Michigan at UMass
Eastern Michigan at Ohio
Miami at Kent State
Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2027
Buffalo at Miami
Central Michigan at Akron
Kent State at Eastern Michigan
Toledo at Ball State
UMass at Bowling Green
Western Michigan at Ohio
Saturday, Jan. 23, 2027
Akron at Miami
Ball State at Eastern Michigan
Kent State at Bowling Green
Ohio at UMass
Toledo at Buffalo
Western Michigan at Central Michigan
Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2027
Ball State at Kent State
Bowling Green at Western Michigan
Central Michigan at Toledo
Eastern Michigan at Buffalo
Miami at UMass
Ohio at Akron
Saturday, Jan. 30, 2027
Buffalo at Ball State
Central Michigan at Kent State
Miami at Ohio
Toledo at Bowling Green
UMass at Akron
Western Michigan at Eastern
Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2027
Akron at Western Michigan
Bowling Green at Ball State
Kent State at Miami
Ohio at Buffalo
Toledo at Eastern Michigan
UMass at Central Michigan
Saturday, Feb. 6, 2027
MAC-Sun Belt Basketball Challenge Series (all men’s teams at home versus Sun Belt opponents)
Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2027
Ball State at Toledo
Bowling Green at Miami
Buffalo at Akron
Eastern Michigan at Central Michigan
Kent State at UMass
Ohio at Western Michigan
Saturday, Feb. 13, 2027
Akron at Kent State
Buffalo at Bowling Green
Central Michigan at Ohio
Eastern Michigan at UMass
Miami at Ball State
Western Michigan at Toledo
Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2027
Akron at Bowling Green
Central Michigan at Buffalo
Ohio at Eastern Michigan
Toledo at Miami
UMass at Ball State
Western Michigan at Kent State
Saturday, Feb. 20, 2027
Ball State at Ohio
Bowling Green at Toledo
Eastern Michigan at Akron
Kent State at Buffalo
Miami at Central Michigan
UMass at Western Michigan
Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2027
Buffalo at UMass
Central Michigan at Bowling Green
Kent State at Ohio
Miami at Eastern Michigan
Toledo at Akron
Western Michigan at Ball State
Saturday, Feb. 27, 2027
Akron at Ball State
Bowling Green at UMass
Buffalo at Eastern Michigan
Central Michigan at Western Michigan
Ohio at Miami
Toledo at Kent State
Tuesday, Mar. 2, 2027
Akron at Central Michigan
Ball State at Buffalo
Bowling Green at Ohio
Eastern Michigan at Kent State
Miami at Western Michigan
UMass at Toledo
Friday, Mar. 5, 2027
Ball State at Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan at Bowling Green
Kent State at Akron
Ohio at Toledo
UMass at Miami
Western Michigan at Buffalo
Women's Basketball
Saturday, Jan. 2, 2027
UMass at Akron
Central Michigan at Ball State
Bowling Green at Ohio
Miami at Buffalo
Eastern Michigan at Western Michigan
Kent State at Toledo
Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2027
Ball State at Akron
Bowling Green at Central Michigan
Buffalo at UMass
Kent State at Eastern Michigan
Toledo at Miami
Ohio at Western Michigan
Saturday, Jan. 9, 2027
Akron at Toledo
Miami at Ball State
Buffalo at Bowling Green
Central Michigan at Kent State
Ohio at Eastern Michigan
Western Michigan at UMass
Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2027
Akron at Buffalo
Ball State at Kent State
Western Michigan at Bowling Green
Eastern Michigan at Central Michigan
UMass at Miami
Toledo at Ohio
Saturday, Jan. 16, 2027
Ohio at Akron
Bowling Green at Ball State
Eastern Michigan at Buffalo
Central Michigan at Miami
Kent State at UMass
Toledo at Western Michigan
Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2027
Central Michigan at Akron
Ball State at UMass
Bowling Green at Eastern Michigan
Buffalo at Ohio
Western Michigan at Kent State
Miami at Toledo
Saturday, Jan. 23, 2027
Akron at Eastern Michigan
Ball State at Western Michigan
Toledo at Bowling Green
Buffalo at Kent State
UMass at Central Michigan
Miami at Ohio
Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2027
Akron at UMass
Eastern Michigan at Ball State
Kent State at Bowling Green
Central Michigan at Buffalo
Western Michigan at Miami
Ohio at Toledo
Saturday, Jan. 30, 2027
Kent State at Akron
Ball State at Miami
Bowling Green at Buffalo
Western Michigan at Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan at Toledo
UMass at Ohio
Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2027
Akron at Western Michigan
Toledo at Ball State
UMass at Bowling Green
Buffalo at Eastern Michigan
Miami at Central Michigan
Ohio at Kent State
Saturday, Feb. 6, 2027
MAC-Sun Belt Basketball Challenge Series (all women’s teams at Sun Belt opponents)
Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2027
Bowling Green at Akron
Ball State at Ohio
Western Michigan at Buffalo
Central Michigan at Toledo
Eastern Michigan at UMass
Kent State at Miami
Saturday, Feb. 13, 2027
Akron at Central Michigan
Buffalo at Ball State
Ohio at Bowling Green
Miami at Eastern Michigan
Toledo at Kent State
UMass at Western Michigan
Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2027
Akron at Ball State
Bowling Green at Miami
Buffalo at Toledo
Ohio at Central Michigan
UMass at Kent State
Western Michigan at Eastern Michigan
Saturday, Feb. 20, 2027
Miami at Akron
Ball State at Bowling Green
Kent State at Buffalo
Central Michigan at Western Michigan
Eastern Michigan at Ohio
Toledo at UMass
Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2027
Toledo at Akron
Ball State at Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan at Bowling Green
Ohio at Buffalo
Miami at UMass
Kent State at Western Michigan
Saturday, Feb. 27, 2027
Akron at Kent State
UMass at Ball State
Bowling Green at Toledo
Buffalo at Miami
Central Michigan at Eastern Michigan
Western Michigan at Ohio
Wednesday, Mar. 3, 2027
Akron at Ohio
Kent State at Ball State
Central Michigan at Bowling Green
UMass at Buffalo
Toledo at Eastern Michigan
Miami at Western Michigan
Saturday, Mar. 6, 2027
Western Michigan at Akron
Ball State at Toledo
Bowling Green at UMass
Buffalo at Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan at Kent State
Ohio at Miami
