With its inaugural season in the Mid-American Conference under its belt, the Massachusetts women’s basketball team will look to build on the momentum it created last season. For a team that finished third in the conference standings but unexpectedly lost in the first round of the MAC tournament, conference play will be crucial for the Minutewomen in the 2026-27 season.

With 18 conference games to play and a squad fueled by last season’s bitter ending, here is what their conference schedule has in store.

Akron (Jan. 2 and Jan. 27) 

Akron finished at No. 12 in the standings last season, above only Buffalo. Northern Illinois left the MAC for the Horizon League, pushing Akron up to 11th place in the preseason poll.

UMass, who landed third on the preseason poll, will look to take advantage of the disparity. Last year, it took 14-point and 10-point victories in their matchups against Akron. The Zips struggled to find a consistent scorer last season, with their highest scorer, Ni’Rah Clark, averaging only 11.8 points per game.

With Clark entering the transfer portal and joining Eastern Michigan, it will be a tall order for Akron to find an answer for Minutewoman Yahmani McKayle. McKayle averaged 16.6 points per game last year and had success against the Zips, scoring 23 points in their last match-up.

Buffalo (Jan. 6 and March 3)

Last year, head coach Mike Leflar and his squad began their “revenge tour” in an attempt to beat the teams that had bested them. Buffalo was part of that mission, as UMass had lost its previous matchup in an overtime loss. The thirst for revenge was enough to power the Minutewomen to two wins over the struggling Bulls.

Buffalo came away with only three wins last season, including a single victory in MAC play. For a UMass team looking to match or improve on its performance from last season, beating the Bulls is a must.

Buffalo is again projected to finish last in the MAC. It’ll have to put up a fight against the Minutewomen, who are projected to finish third and even received a vote to win the tournament.

The “revenge tour” may be over, but the necessity to beat the Bulls is still alive and well.

Western Michigan (Jan. 9 and Feb. 13)

Western Michigan placed No. 10 in the conference last year, and it’s projected to repeat that standing.

If last season is any indication of how games will pan out this year, UMass will have no problem with the Broncos; it had two of its biggest wins against them last year. The Minutewomen handed Western Michigan 73-40 and 64-48 defeats, establishing their dominance in the MAC.

The Broncos have their biggest star, Kailey Starks, returning. She averaged a team-high 12.9 points per game last season as a sophomore. Starks’ ability to expand upon her success will play a key role in how Western Michigan stacks up against UMass this year.

Miami (OH) (Jan. 13 and Feb. 24) 

For their fourth MAC opponent, the Minutewomen will have to shift into high gear as they face conference foes. The games fought between UMass and the RedHawks last season were just that: pure fights for the win.

Miami took the first game, with the Minutewomen using the loss as fuel to win a nail-biter later in the season, 65-64. This victory handed the RedHawks only their second loss in conference play.

UMass will be hungry to catch Miami this year, as the RedHawks finished just three points ahead of it in the preseason poll. If you are a fan, be prepared for more hard-fought and exciting games between these two. Their in-season matchups could be decisive in determining the final rankings.

Kent State (Jan. 16 and Feb. 17) 

The Golden Flashes are sitting in the middle of the pack in the preseason poll, placing seventh with 59 points. Kent State was one of the three teams in the MAC last season to go 9-9, making them sneaky competitors. They made it to the playoffs last year, losing in the first round to Ball State by seven points.

The Golden Flashes competed with the Minutewomen closely last year, losing by only five and 10 points, proving that they shouldn’t be underestimated.

The Golden Flashes’ fate will largely depend on fifth-year Corynne Hauser, who was sidelined most of last season due to injury. When she was on the court, Hauser led her team in assists with 1.7 and also had 8.6 points per game. Her impact will factor into how big of a hurdle Kent State will be for the Minutewomen.

Ball State (Jan. 20 and Feb. 27)

The defending conference champs’ matchup with UMass should be one to circle on your calendar. The Cardinals tallied 111 points in the preseason poll and four votes to be repeat playoff champs. Ball State was hard to beat last season, losing only seven games.

The Minutewomen only faced the Cardinals once last year, but the loss was a tough one, with the team losing the lead at halftime and crumbling in the third quarter. If UMass can pull out a win or two against the top-rated team in the conference, its confidence should skyrocket.

Leflar picked up a Ball State transfer in the offseason, Alba Caballero. She stands at 6-foot-3 and will add height to the roster. Caballero appeared in 32 games for the Cardinals and recorded a 12-point double-double against Ohio.

Central Michigan (Jan. 23)

For a team that finished fourth in the MAC last year with a 12-6 conference record, the Chippewas drop to ninth place is the largest plummet of any team.

With only two seniors on the team, Central Michigan lacks the experience that made them dangerous last season, contributing to the low projection. The departure of guard Madi Morson, who averaged over 20 points per game, leaves a gap in its roster, allowing the Minutewomen to take advantage of an inexperienced team.

UMass ran away with the game against the Chippewas in their last matchup in a 69-50 victory. Aiyanna Perkins had a standout performance, recording 10 points. Perkins will likely see more of the court this season and may come up big in filling the scoring gap.

Ohio (Jan. 30) 

Breaking the top five in the preseason poll, the Bobcats received 75 points, making them a team with the potential to push for a top spot. Finishing fifth in the MAC last season, they made it to the semifinals in the playoffs but got blown out by Miami.

When the Minutewomen face Ohio, they will have to watch out for Bailey Tabeling, who made the Preseason All-MAC First Team. The senior guard averaged 14.5 points per game and tallied 99 assists in the 2025-26 season.

UMass will have its work cut out for it to stop Tabeling from dominating the game. If McKayle and Tabeling are both at the top of their game, it should be an entertaining matchup run by two top-tier guards.

Bowling Green (Feb. 3 and March 6) 

The Minutewomen faced the Falcons only once last year, and won by the skin of their teeth in a 65-64 victory. UMass was powered by Allie Palmieri, who has since graduated. This year, others will need to step up in big games more frequently.

Bowling Green has dropped two spots in the standings, with the preseason polls putting it at No. 8 after it finished sixth in the conference last season. With only two seniors on the roster, youth and a lack of experience might be the Falcons’ Achilles’ heel this season. This deficit of experience is matched on UMass’ roster, which has two seniors as well, so both teams will be in a similar position navigating a new look.

Eastern Michigan (Feb. 10)

The Minutewomen will meet the Eagles only once this season on Feb. 10 in Amherst. Eastern Michigan lands right in the middle of the pack in the preseason polls in the No. 6 spot, up three places from last season’s standings.

UMass handily beat the Eagles last year in a 75-60 victory, but Eastern Michigan has some experience that the Minutewomen may be lacking. With two fifth-years, Chey McEvans and Fernanda Ovalle, it will be up to UMass’ strong defense and growth throughout the season to carry them to victory over the Eagles.

Toledo (Feb. 20)

Sitting just behind UMass in the preseason polls, the Rockets are the team the Minutewomen are most eager to see, but the one they will have to wait the longest to face.

Not only did the Minutewomen unexpectedly fall to the Rockets in the regular season, but Toledo ended their season ended in dramatic fashion. As the No. 6 seed, Toledo knocked off the No. 3-seeded UMass in the first round of the conference tournament.

If there was ever a time for a revenge tour, this is it.

Kendall Carruthers will be the key target for the Minutewomen to stop if they want to beat the Rockets, as she made the Preseason All-MAC First Team. Carruthers averaged 12.1 points per game with 20 double-digit scoring games. The senior scored 16 in the game that kicked UMass out of the playoffs.

UMass will kick off its regular season on Monday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. in the Mullins Center against Marshall. The Minutewomen will have two months of the season under their belt before conference play begins on Jan. 2 against Akron.

Rosie Follet can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @RosieFollet.