The Mid-American Conference flew under the radar this year. All of the teams beat up on each other, and none of the teams appeared in a single AP Poll this season. With that being said, these teams are fighting for their seasons. The Mid-American Conference Tournament is composed of eight teams, and is set to tip off on March 14 when the one seeded Toledo Rockets take on the eighth seeded Kent State Golden Flashes. Here is everything you need to know before MACtion is unleashed at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Favorite: Toledo Rockets
The Rockets enter the 2024 Mid-American Conference Tournament as the one seed. Toledo made it to the championship game last year, but lost to Kent State 93-78. Toledo is currently on a three game win streak, and they look to continue that momentum into the Mid-American Conference Tournament. During their winning streak, the Rockets outscored their opponents by a combined 268-213.
Toledo is led by Ra’Heim Moss who averages 15.9 points per game, and 5.6 rebounds per game. Moss scored 21 points on 7-13 shooting in the Rockets’ regular season finale victory over the Kent State Golden Flashes. If Moss can continue to play at the level he has, the Rockets could hoist a trophy on March 16 when they punch their ticket into the NCAA Tournament.
Tyler Cochran will also have to play at a high level throughout the Mid-American Tournament. Cochran averages 14.4 points per game, brings in 6.5 rebounds per game, all while shooting at a 49.9% clip from the field. Cochran also makes a notable contribution on defense as he picks up two steals per game.
Contenders:
Akron Zips
Akron is looking to make it back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022 when they won the Mid-American Tournament and then lost in the first round to UCLA. The Zips enter this season’s tournament as the two seed and open against the University of Miami-Ohio. This is a tough opening round for Akron because the Zips lost to the RedHawks 70-68 when they met in the regular season. The Zips also ended the regular season by dropping their last two games to Eastern Michigan (61-60,) and Western Michigan (90-84.)
A player to watch on this Akron team is Enrique Freeman. Freeman leads the team with 18.1 points per game, 12.8 rebounds per game, 1.5 blocks per game, and has a 58.4% field goal percentage. Freeman will be a key piece in Akron’s final push towards the NCAA Tournament.
Ohio Bobcats
The Ohio Bobcats enter the Mid-American Conference Tournament on a six game win streak. The Bobcats picked upa notable 74-67 victory over Akron on February 27. Ohio’s last loss was to Toledo. While Ohio lost to Toledo, they were able to draw things close in the second half, and the only time that Toledo and Ohio would meet would be in the championship.
Ohio is led by Jaylin Hunter who is currently averaging 13.9 points per game, 5.1 assists per game, and 1.6 steals per game.
Ohio looks to make it out of the first round with a win over Western Michigan. Western Michigan currently holds a 12-19 record, and is the six seed in the tournament. There might be more to this match up than meets the eye as Western Michigan won the meeting between the two earlier in the season 81-79.
Dark Horse: Central Michigan Chippewas
Central Michigan enters the 2024 Mid-American Tournament as a four seed. Central Michigan is set to take on Bowling Green, a team that Central Michigan already beat twice this year. If Central Michigan advances out of the first round, they would take on the winner of Toledo and Kent State. Central Michigan defeated Toledo 65-62 in their lone meeting this season, and split the two games they played against Kent State.
Brian Taylor will have to have a strong tournament for Central Michigan to have a shot at winning the championship.Taylor currently averages 11.4 points per game, and eight rebounds per game. Taylor normally pairs with Anthony Pritchard to make a strong 1-2 combo for Central Michigan. Pritchard did not play in the Chippewas final regular season game against Eastern Michigan. If Central Michigan is without Pritchard, Taylor will have to have an even bigger impact on the floor than he usually does.
While there are some question marks roster wise for Central Michigan, they are in a good spot on the bracket. If the Chippewas make it out of the first round, there is a chance that they could make it to the Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship.
My Pick: Ohio Bobcats
The Ohio Bobcats are playing their best basketball right now. Ohio finished out the regular season on a six game win streak, and they open with a Western Michigan team who has lost six of their last ten games.
If Ohio makes it out of the first round they will take on the winner of Akron and Miami-Ohio. Ohio beat both Akron and Miami-Ohio over this six game win streak. I expect Ohio’s forward momentum to take them through the Mid-American Conference Tournament and into the NCAA Tournament.