The Mid-American Conference and Sun Belt Conference announced on Tuesday the matchups for the first round of the 2025-26 MAC-SBC Challenge for this upcoming basketball season.

This season’s Challenge tips off on Monday, Nov. 3 with the 12 MAC men’s basketball teams hosting 12 Sun Belt teams and the 12 MAC women’s basketball teams traveling to their Sun Belt counterparts.

The NIU men’s basketball team will host the ULM Warhawks at the NIU Convocation Center. This will be the first meeting all-time between the Huskies and the Warhawks. The NIU women’s basketball team will also take on a first-time opponent when it heads to Southern Mississippi to take on the Golden Eagles.  The Huskies went 2-0 in last season’s MAC-SBC Challenge, defeating Louisiana 57-55 at the Convocation Center and earning a 75-62 win at Appalachian State.

The second MAC-SBC Challenge game for each team will take place on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. The matchups will be announced in January with MAC women’s basketball teams and SBC men’s teams hosting.

For basketball season ticket inquiries, contact the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225).