MAC Basketball: 2020 conference tournament preview and predictions

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 20: Channel Banks #11 of the Akron Zips celelebrates a shot during a first round DC Holiday Fest college basketball game against the Tulane Green Wave at the Entertainment & Sports Arena on December 20, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

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AMES, IA – NOVEMBER 12: Head coach Mark Montgomery of the Northern Illinois Huskies (Photo by David K Purdy/Getty Images) /

Teams to watch

Favorite – Akron

The Zips who pulled away from Bowling Green in the East, winning the division by two games, and have split the season series with the Falcons with each team winning on their home floor rather easily. Jackson is the team’s best player but senior forward Xeryius Williams is another key cog in the offense averaging 13 points and a team-leading 9.5 rebounds and the Zips already hold a 15-point win over the No. 2 Falcons so they know they have what it takes to come away with the Mid-American auto bid.

Top contenders – Bowling Green and Northern Illinois

Bowling Green has the No. 2 seed in the tournament and should be considered on of the favorites going in, but they will have plenty of teams chasing them in a conference that has done a beat of beating up on each other this season as the top three teams have won a combined 63 games and were separated by three games in conference play. The Falcons are a balanced team that has a different player leading all the major statistical categories, with Turner and Frye leading in points and assists respectively and junior Daeqwon Plowden leading them in rebounding with 8.5 per game. If Bowling Green earns the auto-bid, they will have earned it with no shortage of competition.

Northern Illinois is one of the best defensive teams in the country, giving up just 64 points per game and allow opponents to shoot just 40% from the field and 30.5% from beyond the arc, both numbers are top three in the conference and are top-52 in the country. The Huskies need to hang their hat on their defense as they have only allowed 70-plus points seven times and with just German as the only player averaging double figures, the Huskies will have to ride their defense to a tournament title.

Possible darkhorse – Kent State

If you’re looking for a team that could surprise, take a look at a team with four players averaging at least 12 points and another on the cusp of double figures, the Kent State Golden Flashes. They are the top team in the conference in field goal percentage at 45%. They have a 3-2 record against the top three teams in the conference and Rob Senderoff’s team can certainly knock off the league favorites in a league that has devoured their own this season.