On Thursday, the MAAC and America East announced the creation of the America East-MAAC Basketball Challenge. The challenge is a two-year series for both men’s and women’s basketball that will stack two conferences chock full of local rivals against each other in the season’s first weeks.
The series will start with games between Nov. 5 and 8, 2026, with each team playing one game at home and one on the road with opponents from the other league. However, since the MAAC has 13 schools, and the America East has just nine, multiple MAAC programs will have to sit out each year, but every MAAC school will be represented by, at least, either its men’s or women’s team.
America East Commissioner Brad Walker gave some insight into what the scheduling will look like.
“(The event will) provide…. quality early-season non-conference matchups with similar opponents both at home and on the road,” Walker said in the joint release.
MAAC Commissioner Travis Tellitocci explained in the release that the schedule expanding from 31 to 32 games and starting a week earlier was a driver for the event.
It’s not uncommon for MAAC and America East teams to face each other in the non-conference season, as the two are part of the northeast portion of the country’s unique ecosystem with many conferences and programs, but adding an element of competition and tribalism to the mix will invigorate the early season.
The relevance of the matchups, along with the scale of the competition, separates it from the MAAC/ASUN Challenge, a three-year series that took place between the MAAC and ASUN in 2019, 2021, and 2022. Only two men’s and two women’s teams from each conference participated in those events, and they were neither between regional opponents, nor played at home arenas. In fact, the 2022 event took place in Ireland.
A few MAAC coaches shared their thoughts on the showcase with Mid-Major Madness.
Mount St. Mary’s head coach Donny Lind: “It sounds great. It’s two good leagues that have natural partnerships. To get two games each year that are competitive games should bolster our non-conference schedule and hopefully bring a buzz to our fan bases.”
Merrimack head coach Joe Gallo: “I personally like it because it has been really hard for us to get mid-major regional games.”
Iona head coach Dan Geriot: “(It’s) Always good to be able to schedule non-conference games versus other competitive conferences. (I) Think it can be a good insight for us as a conference (to) reflect on the results and the processes for us in regards to scheduling.”
