TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo men's basketball program will begin its 2025-26 season at home when it entertains South Alabama on Monday, Nov. 3 in Savage Arena. The matchup will be the first of two non-conference contests for the Rockets in the third-annunal MAC-SBC Challenge, per an announcement from the Mid-American Conference.

The MAC-SBC Challenge is a scheduling alliance of the men's and women's basketball programs in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and Sun Belt Conference (SBC). The 12 MAC men's basketball programs will host 12 SBC schools, while the 12 MAC women's basketball programs will visit their 12 SBC counterparts. The second MAC-SBC Challenge contest for each team will take place on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, with matchups announced in January. The MAC women and Sun Belt men will host the February matchups.

Toledo has split its four contests in the first two years of the MAC-SBC Challenge. The Rockets have posted home wins over Louisiana (87-78) and James Madison (72-69) and dropped road decisions to App State (109-104 in 2OT) and Troy (84-74).

Toledo registered its eighth straight winning season last year with an 18-15 record under Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk. The Rockets have not experienced a losing season since Kowalczyk's first year in the 2010-11 campaign and have won five Mid-American Conference titles during his tenure.

South Alabama posted a 21-11 win-loss mark last year and captured a share of the 2024-25 Sun Belt Conference regular-season title, the Jaguars' first since 2008.

Toledo has faced South Alabama on one previous occasion, a 76-67 home victory in the 2001 National Invitation Tournament.

MAC-SBC Challenge Men's Basketball Matchups
Monday, Nov. 3
South Alabama at Toledo
James Madison at Akron
Texas State at Bowling Green
Southern Miss at Buffalo
App State at Central Michigan
Georgia State at Eastern Michigan
Troy at Kent State
Marshall at UMass
Old Dominion at Miami
Louisiana-Monroe at Northern Illinois
Arkansas State at Ohio
Coastal Carolina at Western Michigan