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MAC Basketball: Buffalo leads a strong group of contenders in 2019 tournament

BOISE, ID - MARCH 15: Dontay Caruthers #22 of the Buffalo Bulls celebrates defeating the Arizona Wildcats 89-68 during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Taco Bell Arena on March 15, 2018 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
BOISE, ID - MARCH 15: Dontay Caruthers #22 of the Buffalo Bulls celebrates defeating the Arizona Wildcats 89-68 during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Taco Bell Arena on March 15, 2018 in Boise, Idaho. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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SYRACUSE, NY – DECEMBER 18: Buffalo Bulls players celebrate during the second half against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome on December 18, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NY – DECEMBER 18: Buffalo Bulls players celebrate during the second half against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome on December 18, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

Conference tournament week is an exciting time of the year, and MAC Basketball provides a competitive tournament for college basketball fans.

Regular Season Recap

Buffalo has been the main attraction in the MAC this season, and rightly so. The Bulls earned their first-ever AP Top-25 ranking and have looked to improve on last season’s team that destroyed Arizona in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

But, the league as a whole has stepped it up this year. The MAC sits at ninth in the overall conference NET rankings, led by Buffalo and Toledo’s top-100 spots.

All but two teams (Ohio and Eastern Michigan) rank in the NET’s top 150, which showcases the conference’s depth.

Bowling Green, Kent State, and Central Michigan have all proven to be capable of knocking off anyone, while the middle of the pack teams will put up a fight in the tournament.

Buffalo only has three losses on the season, and two have come in conference play. With the Bulls’ status in the NCAA Tournament pretty much a lock at this point (more on that later), can someone else force the MAC into two bid status?

Toledo is the second-best team in the league, but the Bulls’ beat them twice in the regular season, including a 30-point blowout in Buffalo.

Bowling Green might be the best chance at dethroning Buffalo. The Falcons gave the Bulls their “biggest” MAC loss of the year (92-88 in Bowling Green).