 “Parity” has long been the word for the MAC. And indeed, teams tend to beat up on each other, resulting in little (if any) separation in the standings. This year, though, is looking like a complete and total cluster.
Three teams in the East are 2-1 and the other three are 1-2. The West has a clear frontrunner and a clear cellar dweller, but the rest is up in the air. I expect a lot of tiebreakers and maybe even a coin flip to decide seeding come March.
1. Ball State (11-4, 3-0) (LW: 3)
The Cardinals are sporting an average victory margin of 7.9 points, the highest differential since the 1997-98 season when BSU went 21-8. This is a team with some really interesting numbers. The average RPI of teams they’ve beaten is 220. The average RPI of teams they’ve lost to is 22 (there’s actually a team with a bigger disparity. Utah State ’s average RPI of beaten opponents is 209, teams they lost to is 6). No wins against the top 100, though Indiana State might sneak in there. How much does the Alaska debacle sting? In addition to losing to Alaska-Anchorage, not closing out St. John’s keeps a marquee win off the slate. Put those two in the win column and suddenly that’s a promising resume. BSU is doing a fantastic job sharing the ball, notching assists on 61% of their baskets (33rd nationally) and sports a 1.11 assist/turnover ratio, though in conference play those numbers have fallen to 53.1% and .756.
This week: @Eastern Michigan (Wednesday), @Toledo (Saturday)
2. Kent State (11-6, 2-1) (LW: 1)
Getting more offensive rebounds than your opponent gets defensive rebounds is a great plan for winning on the road. With Carlton Guyton back and apparently not missing a beat, the Flashes have a nose on the rest of the East at the moment. Whipping BG was a statement. The next three games constitute their toughest stretch of the season.
This week: @Buffalo (Wednesday), Miami (Sunday)
3. Bowling Green (7-10, 2-1) (LW: 7)
There is very little separating the middle, oh, eight teams. Even though the Falcons got plucked at Kent , they’ve been largely consistent on defense, slowly suffocating Miami ’s offense Sunday. The offensive balance they’ve achieved will serve them well going forward; they had four double-digit scorers in back-to-back games and at least three in the last five.
This week: Ohio (Wednesday), @Akron (Saturday)
4. Miami (7-10, 2-1) (LW: 4)
Missed an opportunity to take in Bowling Green what would have amounted to a stranglehold on the East. Still, hard to argue with a split in the first two road games. The RedHawks are still looking for defense. The win against Buffalo was the first time they held an opponent to less than a point per defensive possession since Xavier Dec. 1.
This week: Akron (Wednesday), @ Kent State (Sunday)
5. Western Michigan (9-7, 2-1) (LW: 5)
The Broncos are settling nicely into second place in the West. And given the lack of separation in the East, they can easily slide into a first-round bye. Matt Stainbrook continues to impress, notching two double-doubles in the last five games. He’s now shooting 56.6% from the field.
This week: @Toledo (Wednesday), Northern Illinois (Saturday)
6. Akron (10-7, 1-2) (LW: 2)
Rough week for the Zips. Zeke Marshall isn’t ready to dominate the conference quite yet, turning in two poor performances after running roughshod on Kent in the opener. In general, you should win shooting 9-16 from three, but Akron found a way to mess it up (rebounding and foul shots, a theme of the weekend).
This week: @Miami (Wednesday), Bowling Green (Saturday)
7. Buffalo (9-6, 1-2) (LW: 8)
As great as Javon McCrea has been, it’s Byron Mulkey and Zach Filzen that make the difference for the Bulls. The Akron win was the first good game after stinkers in the first two. If Mulkey’s ankle is feeling better and he’s bouncing back, UB can make a run in the East.
This week: Kent State (Wednesday), @Ohio (Saturday)
8. Ohio (8-9, 1-2) (LW: 6)
Ohio will set a new record for losses in a Convo campaign if they don’t sweep the remaining six home dates. The Bobcats continue to get decimated on the defensive glass, and until they figure out a way to start snaring in opponent misses, it won’t matter how good their defense is (it’s not great anyway). They can’t shoot the lights out like they did in Akron every night.
This week: @Bowling Green (Wednesday), Buffalo (Saturday)
9. Northern Illinois (6-9, 2-1) (LW: 10)
Xavier Silas was scintillating against Eastern Michigan , making all 6 of his deep attempts and making 11 of 14 from the field. A more pedestrian 6-15 against Toledo led to only a 10-point win, so far the smallest margin of defeat for the Rockets in the MAC season.
This week: @Central Michigan (Thursday), @ Western Michigan (Saturday)
10. Eastern Michigan (4-12, 1-2) (LW: 9)
Brandon Bowdry was the Eagles’ leading scorer the first 14 games of the season. Then Derek Thompson exploded for 31 against Northern Illinois before scoring 17 in 29 minutes against Western Michigan . Could the sophomore guard be emerging as a scoring companion to Bowdry? He desperately needs one.
This week: Ball State (Wednesday), Central Michigan (Sunday)
11. Central Michigan (4-12, 1-2) (LW:11)
This space might turn into a Trey Zeigler watch unless the Chippewas exhibit some semblance of being anything other than Trey’s NBA audition. His 12-21 day against Toledo was the first time he shot 43% or better from the field since Nov. 24 against Illinois-Chicago. He backed that up with a decent 9-20 day against Ball State, but continues to be ineffective at the line, only going 3-6 for the week.
This week: Northern Illinois (Thursday), @ Eastern Michigan (Sunday)
12. Toledo (3-14, 0-3) (LW: 12)
The Rockets have managed better than a point per offensive possession just twice this year. What looked like progress in December has disappeared. All five losses in their streak have been by double digits.
This week: Western Michigan (Wednesday), Ball State (Saturday)
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