Photo: Paul Nelson

Standing Tall in the Preseason
A little better than halfway through the non-conference portion of the Mid-American Conference schedule and the MAC is standing tall, playing a tough non-conference slate with some positive results. Nobody can accuse Mid-American Conference squads, at least for the most part, of ducking tough competition with a non--conference schedule that is rated as the seventh-toughest in the nation.

For games played through December 10, 2007, the MAC has five schools currently ranked in the Top 100 in RPI and two in the Top 65. But the MAC has also clearly stepped up its out of conference scheduling, with two teams, Toledo and Miami, currently ranked one and two respectively in strength of schedule nationwide.

Below is the breakdown of each MAC squad's RPI and Strength of Schedule (SOS):

Conference vs. Conference Breakdown
So, how has the MAC done overall against non-conference opponents? Here is the breakdown thus far of the MAC's record against other conferences:

Among some of the marquee victories so far this season for the MAC are wins by Miami over #22 Xavier (59-57), as the RedHawks handed the Musketeers their only loss of the season, and Mississippi State (67-60). Western Michigan also scored a win over a Top 25 team when the Broncos knocked off 25th ranked Davidson 83-76 on November 21 and Kent State defeated George Mason, a 2006 Final Four participant, 73-55.

Citizen Stovall
Anybody who has followed MAC hoops over the past year knows about the off-season turmoil that occurred at Ball State in the wake of former head coach Ronny Thompson's departure after only one season. Thompson's departure has made for a difficult transition for new head coach Billy Taylor who has had to deal with the aftermath and early in his tenure dismissed two players from the already-short handed Cardinals squad.

The Cardinals have had a rough start to the season (0-8) but have been competitive in most of their losses. One stabilizing force for the Cardinals has been the presence, both in on-the-court and off-the-court matters, of fifth year guard Peyton Stovall. Stovall, who is averaging 11.8 points per game, is being recognized for his significant off-court and community contributions.

Stovall has been named one of five finalists nationwide for The John Wooden Citizenship Cup which is presented to two distinguished athletes each year from any sport - one professional and one collegiate - based on character, teamwork and citizenship. The award is presented by Athletes for a Better World. Stovall, along with the other four finalists, will be honored January 24 in Atlanta. Past winners of The Wooden Cup include Peyton Manning, John Smoltz and John Lynch.

Early Season M*A*S*H* Report
We may be only one month or so into the season, but already several MAC teams have taken some serious hits as far as player injuries. Here is a quick rundown of the current/ongoing significant injuries that have hit some of the teams in the early going.

Akron - Freshman point guard Ronnie Steward remains sidelined with a hip flexor since suffering the injury in early October.

Ball State - Senior forward Anthony Newell, the Cardinals' leading scorer and rebounder, will be out until at least January after re-injuring his previously fractured foot.

Bowling Green - Junior power forward Erik Marschall has yet to see action this season and the timetable for his return is unknown after undergoing knee surgery in November.

Buffalo - Christian Schmidt, a junior forward who has battled injuries since his freshman season, is expected to be out until sometime in January due to a fractured foot.

Central Michigan - Shooting guard Jordan Bitzer, a sophomore, missed the first three games of the season recovering from knee surgery but is back in the starting rotation and CMU has gone 3-2 since his return.

Eastern Michigan - Sophomore forward Brandon Bowdry remains sidelined after undergoing off-season surgery to repair a fractured ankle. Bowdry is not expected to return and will likely redshirt.

Northern Illinois - Huskies' leading scorer, senior guard Ryan Paradise, suffered a fractured nose November 24 and has missed the last three games. His return date is not known.

Toledo - Though not out due to injury, the Rockets continue to be without the presence of senior guard Kashif Payne, who remains out on a personal leave and it is not know when or if the MAC Defensive Player of the Year will return.

Western Michigan - Sophomore forward Jon Workman has battled a degenerative foot condition that required off-season surgery and will redshirt this season while recovering. Also, senior forward Dan Hess appears to be finished with a shoulder injury and has elected not to pursue a medical redshirt.

Bum Rap
The Mid-American Conference has held its own so far this season against squads from the Missouri Valley Conference, a league whose road to success the MAC is trying to emulate. To date the MAC is 5-5 against teams from the MVC, including a pair of wins over Illinois State by Kent State (65-59) and Eastern Michigan (72-63). However earning respect may be another matter.

"In my opinion we lost to a bad team. We lost to some bums," Eldridge told the stunned press contingent. Eldridge's comments also came with Eastern Michigan head coach Charles Ramsey being present. Ramsey declined comment on Eldridge's comments about his team.

Afterward Illinois State Assistant Media Relations Director Brett McWethy addressed the rather intemperate remarks. "His (Eldridge's) closing remarks were uncharacteristic of him and Illinois State basketball," McWethy stated in an email response to an inquiry from MAC Report Online, adding that the comments "are not what the program, nor our athletics department, condones."

Illinois State gets another chance to record a win against the MAC when the Redbirds visit Bowling Green on Sunday, December 16.

Short Jumpers...
**Kent State head coach Jim Christian has moved into first place in terms of all-time winning percentage among MAC head basketball coaches. Currently Christian owns a winning percentage of .690 (118-53), just ahead of former Toledo head coach Jerry Bush's mark of .686 (129-59). Bush coached the Rockets from 1947-1954.

**Miami has held opponents under 70 points in 41 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the nation.

**Akron currently owns a 14-game home court winning streak, the seventh-longest streak nationally.

**Western Michigan's Joe Reitz recently became the Broncos' all-time leader in free throw attempts. Reitz currently has attempted 632 shots from the charity stripe and leads the MAC this season, making 49 free throws so far.

MAC Announces TV Package
The Mid-American Conference has announced a 59-game men's and women's basketball league television package that includes games carried by Fox Sports Net Ohio, Comcast Local, and the ESPN networks.

For the complete schedule, click here.

MAC Individual Statistical Leaders (through December 9, 2007)