Kent State to Host James Madison in First Matchup of MAC-SBC Challenge
6/22/2023 11:31:00 AM | Men's Basketball
KENT, Ohio— The Kent State Men's Basketball team will participate in the first Mid-American Conference and Sun Belt Conference Challenge. The Flashes will host James Madison on Thursday, Nov. 9 in its first matchup of the 2023-24 MAC-SBC Challenge, per an announcement from the Mid-American Conference.Â
The MAC-SBC Challenge is a scheduling alliance in the sports of men's and women's basketball and will kick off during the opening week of the 2023-24 season this November with 12 Mid- American Conference (MAC) men's basketball programs hosting 12 Sun Belt Conference (SBC) teams.              Â
The second MAC-SBC Challenge contest for each team will occur on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, with the matchups based on real-time NET rankings and announced in January. The MAC women and Sun Belt men will host the February matchups.              Â
Kent went 28-7 in the 2022-23 season that included a MAC Tournament Championship and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. With 28 wins the Flashes tied their best season to date in Kent State history. The Flashes also remained undefeated at home during the 2022-23 season and are currently second in the Country, behind UCLA, with a 22 home-game win streak since the 2021-22 season.Â
James Madison trails in the all-time series, 3-2. JMU pulled out a 60-51 victory over the Golden Flashes in its most recent visit to Kent, Ohio, ending the Flashes' 15-game home winning streak on Dec. 31, 2010. The two teams faced off at the 2021 Naples Invitational, with the Flashes coming out on top, 74-69.Â
Each MAC and Sun Belt team included in the MAC-SBC Challenge, currently scheduled for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 campaigns, is guaranteed one home and one away game each season. Scheduling assistance is provided by Ordinal Sports Group. In addition to relevant NET data, the geography and frequency of past contests are considered to determine the matchups. Each MAC-SBC Challenge game will be carried on an ESPN platform.
The Flashes' remaining non-conference schedule will be released in the near future.Â
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MAC-SBC Challenge Men's Basketball Matchups
Wednesday, Nov. 8
Troy at Ohio
Thursday, Nov. 9
James Madison at Kent State
Saturday, Nov. 11
Southern Miss at Akron Louisiana at Toledo
Old Dominion at Ball State South Alabama at Buffalo Arkansas State at Bowling Green App State at Northern Illinois Texas State at Miami
Georgia Southern at Eastern Michigan Georgia State at Western Michigan ULM at Central Michigan
