CLEVELAND,Ohio — The first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament starts on March 6 at home sites. And the current standings are in their usual state of tie-breaking disarray.
The league still has four games of tiebreaker flux to work through. But don’t look at the standings to see which teams have the best chance to topple Akron (22-4, 12-2), which is a near lock to win its second straight MAC regular-season title. Look on the court.
The Zips have been the cream of the league all season and will be the team to beat in the tournament at Quicken Loans Arena. Until then there are sure to be changes. But right now here are the teams to watch down the stretch.
The Favorite
- Akron (22-5,12-2) – The likely MAC Player of the Year in 6-10 senior Isaiah Johnson (16.7 points), strong perimeter shooting at every other position (10 3-pointers a game) and a still improving defense have offset poor free throw shooting the bulk of the season.
Strong contenders
- Buffalo (15-12, 9-5) – Don’t mind the record, the defending two-time MAC Tournament champs are currently on a roll. UB has won six straight games as multi-purpose 6-6 senior swingman Blake Hamilton (17.0 ppg, 4.1 apg, 6.5 rpg) has become the catalyst.
- Ohio University (17-8, 9-5) – With defending MAC POY Antonio Campbell (knee) out for the season OU stands behind guard Jaaron Simmons (14.8 ppg, 6.9 apg), and Freshman of the Year candidate Jason Carter (8.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg), winning four of their last five.
- Western Michigan (11-15, 7-7) – Elite junior guard Thomas Wilder (19.1 ppg) has nursed a young team around to the point the Broncos have won four straight. WMU is the complete package with size to go along with its perimeter firepower.
The Wild Card
- Ball State (17-10, 8-6) – No stars, but collectively BSU has eight players getting 18 minutes or more and nine more seven points a game for the deepest bench in the league. The No. 2 scoring team in the MAC and fourth best field goal percentage defense.
Capable of upsets
- Central Michigan (16-11, 6-8) – CMU has the top scorer in the nation, Marcus Keene (29.8 ppg), and with guard Braylon Rayson (20.7 ppg) the highest scoring backcourt in the league. But defense and turnovers are a major hindrance to consistent success.
- Kent State (15-12, 7-7) – KSU has the MAC’s top non-conference win at Texas and top MAC win at Akron. And three OT home losses. Even with a starting backcourt that doesn’t average 10-points a game, Kent’s still capable behind Jimmy Hall (18.0 ppg).
- Toledo (14-13, 7-7) – The Rockets are the top shooting team (50 percent) in the league overall and No. 2 in 3-point shooting behind senior guard Jon-Jon Williams (20 ppg). It’s the defense (10th in the MAC) that will stall UT in the end.
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