Ask just about any fanbase of Sun Belt basketball, and one of their first gripes is certain to be the quality of out-of-conference scheduling. Marquee brands refuse to visit and are nearly as likely not to host. Sadly, Sun Belt basketball lies in a kind of inescapable Phantom Zone of scheduling. To lose to the Sun Belt on the hardwood is not only possible, it’s also damn near catastrophic to your NET ranking – the ultimate arbitrator of post-season aspirations. Why bother with the risk?

For years now, NCAA leadership has worked to solve this terrible Rubik’s Cube. NET, which replaced RPI, was supposed to fix some of the problems by encouraging teams to collect wins on the road. Most blue chip programs decided that creating neutral site games and tournaments was more palatable than visiting Appalachian State in Boone. For its part, the SBC (which has grown weary of being an auto-bid only conference) has been vocal in encouraging head coaches to beef up schedules. Still, it’s been a slow row to hoe.

Desperate times call for obvious measures. In November of 2022, the Mid-American Conference and Sun Belt Conference introduced the MAC-SBC Challenge, “a scheduling alliance in the sports of men’s and women’s basketball, to take place during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.” Solid idea. Cross conference rivalry is the dash of pepper the Sun Belt desperately needed, even if that rival is the MAC, about as familiar to Sun Belt fans as unsweetened tea and ice fishing.

But if the Sun Belt has a “peer conference” for basketball, the MAC fits the bill. Aside from a moment of brilliance from Kent State in 2002 when the Golden Flashes made a magic run to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, the MAC has struggled with its hoops identity. As as result, last year’s NET rankings from the MAC somewhat mirrors the Sun Belt’s.

“The MAC-SBC Challenge is unique because it annually provides our men’s and women’s basketball teams with two quality games against peer institutions,” said SBC Commissioner Keith Gill in a statement released by the conference. “This new partnership will create so many interesting matchups and be exciting for our membership and our fans.” 

What? More interesting than Arkansas State versus Mississippi Valley State? More intriguing than Marshall versus Glenville State? More enticing than Southern Miss versus Purdue Fort Wayne? I should think so.

On Thursday, the Sun Belt officially announced the November matchups, seemingly picked at random, though it did manage to pit Sun Belt tournament champion Louisiana at MAC regular-season champion Toledo. (Sadly, the powers could not arrange for a Red Wolves vs. Buffalo matchup, and intriguing storyline that would have had former Bull’s assistant Bryan Hodgson returning to the New York tundra.) For November, all mens games will be played in MAC venues, and women’s games played at Sun Belt arenas.

“The MAC-SBC Challenge comes at the recommendation of the Sun Belt’s strategic planning committees for men’s and women’s basketball, as the conference looks to return to its roots and bolster its success on the hardwood,” reads the recent press release. Color me interested.

The second MAC-SBC Challenge contest for each team will take place on Saturday, February 10, 2024, with the matchups set based on real-time NET rankings and announced in January. The MAC women and Sun Belt men will host the February matchups. In this case, novelty will be exchanged for relevance, with many teams fighting for post season considerations.

Would a CUSA/Sun Belt challenge have made for better viewing? Of course. Nobody likes CUSA. But we can learn to dislike the MAC while working against our common enemy, the NET.

PHOTO CREDIT: It’s a real hodgepodge