MAC Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2023-24 season

12. Western Michigan Broncos

Last Season: 8-23 (4-14 in MAC play)

After the recent hire of head coach Dwayne Stephens coming from an illustrious career as an assistant at Michigan State, the Western Michigan Broncos looked to stomp some conference opponents and rebuild into a prominent team. Unfortunately, things did not turn out that way in their 8-win campaign. It isn’t like they lack talent – their wins showed glimpses of a team that knows how to hoop.

Discipline was at the forefront of their issues throughout the year. In a conference that tends to follow a fast tempo of play, the Broncos were not careful with the ball and outperformed in a lot of metrics such as turnovers, assists, and defensive stats. However, the steppingstones were laid out as the Broncos did try to make some adjustments through the year.

This year, like the other four teams toward the bottom of this list, they should look to just set themselves up for a future to build on. Look for Western Michigan to try and get near the .500-mark record wise this season and hopefully turn things around in Kalamazoo.

11. Central Michigan Chippewas

Last Season: 10-21 (5-13 in MAC play)

Central Michigan has had some highs throughout their lows, but after losing Reggie Bass, this team faces a difficult time continuing to build. The program has done a good job at mostly keeping a central base to build off of. The difficulty lies in finding the ability to score and perform offensively.

They have the ability to do a lot of the basics which is a great start. They typically haven’t turned the ball over, and can make plays defensively, but what is important now is finding themselves in a spot by this time next year that Northern Illinois and Miami are finding themselves in right now.