The 2026–27 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season will begin with practices in October 2026, followed by the start of the 2026–27 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. Conference play will begin in December 2026 and conclude in March 2027. The 2027 MAC tournament will be held at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio for the 28th consecutive season. It will be the first MAC season without Northern Illinois since 1996–97. The conference moved to a balanced twenty-two game conference round-robin schedule, where every team can play each other team home and away, for this season.
Head coaches
Coaching changes Akron On March 30, 2026, John Groce accepted the head coach position at the College of Charleston. Associate head coach Dustin Ford was promoted to head coach.
Ball State On March 7, 2026, Ball State fired coach Michael Lewis after a 12–19 season and a 61–64 overall record in four seasons at the school. In March 2026, Ball State hired SMU associate head coach Chris Capko as the new head coach.
Eastern Michigan Stan Heath and Eastern Michigan mutually agreed to part ways on March 8, 2026 after a 10–21 season as his contract expired. He was 57–99 in five seasons at the school. On March 17, 2026, Eastern Michigan hired Clemson associate head coach Billy Donlon as the program's 31st head coach.
Western Michigan Following a 10–21 season, Western Michigan fired Dwayne Stephens on March 10, 2026. He was 42–84 overall in four seasons. on March 23, 2026, Western Michigan hired Kahil Fennell as the new head coach. Fennel was the head coach at UTRGV for the prior two seasons with a 35–29 overall record.
Coaches Team Head coach Previous job Years at school Overall record School record MAC record MAC titles MAC Tournament titles NCAA tournaments NCAA Final Fours NCAA ChampionshipsAkron Dustin Ford 1 0 0 0 0 0Ball State Chris Capko 1 0 0 0 0 0Bowling Green Todd Simon Southern Utah4 0 0 0 0 0Buffalo George Halcovage 4 0 0 0 0 0Central Michigan Andy Bronkema Ferris State2 0 0 0 0 0Eastern Michigan Billy Donlon 1 0 0 0 0 0Kent State Rob Senderoff Kent State (Asst.)16 1 2 2 0 0Miami Travis Steele Xavier5 1 0 1 0 0Ohio Jeff Boals Stony Brook 8 0 1 1 0 0Toledo Tod Kowalczyk Green Bay 17 5 0 0 0 0UMassFrank MartinSouth Carolina 5 00000Western Michigan Kahil Fennell 4 0 0 0 0 0 Notes: Appearances, titles, etc. are from time with current school only. Years at school includes 2026–27 season. MAC records are from time at current school only. All records are through the beginning of the season.
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See also 2026–27 Mid-American Conference women's basketball season
References