The Northern Illinois University Huskies plan to shift all non-football programs, including basketball, from the Mid-American Conference to the Horizon League in 2026. The move is pending a vote from the school's Board of Trustees Thursday.
The jump follows the Huskies' football program's move to leave the MAC and join the Mountain West Conference as a football-only member beginning in 2026.
Action Network's Brett McMurphy reported NIU's new home in the Horizon League for non-football sports, which excludes wrestling and gymnastics—both sports which aren't sponsored by the new conference. A report from The Athletic mentioned the school has applied to keep wrestling and gymnastics as affiliate members of the MAC.
Breaking: Northern Illinois’ non-football sports will join Horizon League in 2026 pending NIU board’s approval on Thursday, sources said. Only exceptions are wrestling & gymnastics, not offered by Horizon. NIU also joins Mountain West as a football-only member in 2026
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) February 24, 2025
NIU will pay an entrance fee of $1.4 million over six annual installments to join the Horizon League, according to The Athletic.
The Huskies' men's basketball team is 5-22 this season and 1-13 in MAC play, currently last in the conference. Their women's basketball squad is 12-14 on the year and 5-9 over the conference schedule.
In the Horizon as soon as next year, NIU will get to play new regional rivals like Detroit Mercy, Cleveland State and UW-Milwaukee.
More of the Latest Around College Basketball
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Northern Illinois Intends Jump to Horizon League for All Non-Football Teams.
