mac
Table of Contents
Mid-American Conference (MAC)
The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates mostly in the Great Lakes region. The league was created in 1946 and began men's basketball play in the 1946-47 season.
On February 29, 2024, UMass announced1) that they would leave the Atlantic 10 and join the MAC, effective July 1, 2025, for most sports.2) The move was driven entirely by UM's desire to elevate the football program, which had been languishing as an FBS independent between 2016 and 2024. Ironically, UMass Football was an affiliate member of the MAC from 2012 through 2015, but when the MAC asked that UMass either fully join the conference, or football must leave, and UMass chose to leave.3)
As part of the agreement for the MAC accepting UMass as a football-only member in the 2010s, the MAC also required UMass to play four MAC basketball teams in each of the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons, hosting two and visiting two. That agreement ended in 2014 when UMass chose not to become a full member at that time.
Men's Basketball
Current members and alignment
| School | Location | Home Venue | Basketball Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | Akron, OH | Rhodes Arena | 5,5004) |
| Ball State | Muncie, IN | Worthen Arena | 11,5005) |
| Bowling Green | Bowling Green, OH | Stroh Center | 4,3876) |
| Buffalo | Amherst, NY | Alumni Arena | 6,1007) |
| Central Michigan | Mount Pleasant, MI | McGuirk Arena | 5,3008) |
| Eastern Michigan | Ypsilanti, MI | George Gervin GameAbove Center | 8,8009) |
| Kent State | Kent, OH | M.A.C. Center | 6,32710) |
| Massachusetts | Amherst, MA | Mullins Center | 9,49311) |
| Miami | Oxford, OH | Millett Hall | 6,40012) |
| Northern Illinois | DeKalb, IL | Convocation Center | 9,10013) |
| Ohio | Athens, OH | Convocation Center | 13,00014) |
| Toledo | Toledo, OH | Savage Arena | 7,01415) |
| Western Michigan | Kalamazoo, MI | University Arena | 5,42116) |
Champions
The men's basketball tournament will be hosted at Cleveland's Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse through at least 2030.17)
Membership history
For earlier history, see the MAC's Wikipedia page.
| Season | Members | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2005-06 - 2019-20 | 12 | League played a two-division (East & West) format, six teams in each. The conference schedule varied between 16 and 18 games. |
| 2020-21 - 2021-22 | 12 | League abandoned the two divisions, and expanded to a 20-game schedule. |
| 2022-23 - 2024-25 | 12 | League reduced the schedule back to 18 games, but keeps the single division alignment. |
| 2025-26 | 13 | UMass joins the league in 2025. |
| 2026-27 - | 12 | Northern Illinois will leave in 2026 and join the Horizon League for most sports, including basketball. |
External links
- Wikipedia: Mid-American Conference
- Sports-Reference.com: MAC Men's Basketball
2)
Exceptions: Hockey (would remain in Hockey East), men's soccer (will join the Summit League as an associate member), men's lacrosse and women's rowing (both men's lax and women's rowing have requested to remain in the A-10 as associate members.
mac.txt · Last modified: by mikeuma