MAC basketball: 2018 Conference Tournament preview
Bracketology and First Round predictions
As I mentioned at the outset, the MAC will be a one-bid league on Selection Sunday. Currently, Buffalo projects as a 13-seed in the Midwest region. Should the Bulls win the championship in convincing fashion, they may be able to sneak up to the 12-line.
If Toledo or Eastern Michigan win the league, my guess is that these teams would find themselves as 14-seeds. Anyone else that wins the conference will likely be a 15 or 16-seed.
First Round (seeds in parentheses)
(12) Northern Illinois – (5) Kent State
Kent State can be sloppy offensively (they average more turnovers than assists). The Golden Flashes are also not a great shooting team. Yet somehow, they still find ways to score points. Their primary guards, Jaylin Walker and Kevin Zabo, are effective drivers. Big man Adonis De La Rosa provides an interior scoring presence. Northern Illinois won the only previous matchup this season. However, the Huskies have struggled throughout the second half of the conference schedule. The Huskies will hang around but Kent State will win.
70-60 Kent State
(11) Akron – (6) Western Michigan
Akron is a fascinating team. In a recent game against Buffalo, they led for much of the first half and were successful from beyond the arc. The Zips have three solid scoring options in Daniel Utomi, Malcolm Duvivier, and Jimond Ivey. However, they also turn the ball over a lot as a team. Western Michigan has struggled lately, but the Broncos should still win this one. They have the best player in this game in Wilder and a capable supporting cast. This should be a high-scoring game.
80-72 Western Michigan
(10) Ohio – (7) Miami (OH)
Miami (OH) is another team that shows glimpses of great play. The Red Hawks have a good group of freshmen including point guard Nike Sibande, the leading scorer. Sibande is capable of leading the Red Hawks to wins. His fellow freshmen Jalen Adaway, Dalonte Brown, and Isaiah Coleman-Lands have shown confidence and the ability to score in bursts. I think this is a coin-flip game, but I’ll pick the Red Hawks because I think their young team will benefit from playing at home.
68-62 Miami (OH)
(9) Bowling Green – (8) Central Michigan
Bowling Green is slumping as they enter the tournament mired in a five-game losing streak. Central Michigan has balance on offense and plays at a methodical tempo. If the Chippewas succeed in controlling the pace, they should be able to win at home. I expect it to be a close game given the seeds involved, but Bowling Green has struggled lately especially on defense. I’ll go with Central Michigan in an entertaining one.