MAC Madness Begins Tonight!
MBB Release: https://bit.ly/2FZvrJ8
Updated Statistics: https://bit.ly/2STKuGG
Monday, March 11th — MAC Men’s Basketball Tournament First Round
Game 1: No. 9 Miami (15-16, 7-11 MAC) vs. No. 8 Akron (16-15, 8-10 MAC), 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
Watch LIVE on ESPN+:
https://es.pn/2TrG3Xm
Game 2: No. 12 Western Michigan (8-23, 2-16 MAC) vs. No. 5 Central Michigan (21-10, 10-8 MAC), 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
Watch LIVE on ESPN+:
https://es.pn/2SY9Qls
Game 3: No. 10 Ohio (14-16, 6-12 MAC) vs. No. 7 Northern Illinois (15-16, 8-10 MAC), 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Watch LIVE on ESPN+:
https://es.pn/2Tv6Jqo
Game 4: No. 11 Ball State (15-16, 6-12 MAC) vs. No. 6 Eastern Michigan (15-16, 9-9 MAC), 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
Watch LIVE on ESPN+:
https://es.pn/2SRWKGx
2018-19 All-MAC, All-Freshman & All-Defensive Teams Announced
Release:
https://bit.ly/2XTbN6g
All-MAC First Team
Justin Turner, G, Bowling Green, R-So.
C.J. Massinburg, G, Buffalo, Sr.
Nick Perkins, F, Buffalo, Sr.
Jaylin Walker, G, Kent State, Sr.
Jaelan Sanford, G, Toledo, Sr.
All-MAC Second Team
Demajeo Wiggins, F, Bowling Green, Sr.
Jeremy Harris, G, Buffalo, Sr.
Larry Austin Jr., G, Central Michigan, Sr.
James Thompson IV, F/C, Eastern Michigan, Sr.
Eugene German, G, Northern Illinois, Jr.
All-MAC Third Team
Tayler Persons, G, Ball State, R-Sr.
Shawn Roundtree Jr., G, Central Michigan, Sr.
Nike Sibande, G, Miami, So.
Jason Carter, F, Ohio, R-So.
Seth Dugan, C, Western Michigan, Sr.
All-MAC Honorable Mention
Daniel Utomi, F, Akron, Jr.
Paul Jackson, G, Eastern Michigan, R-Sr.
Elijah Minnie, F, Eastern Michigan, R-Sr.
Nate Navigato, F, Toledo, Sr.
Marreon Jackson, G, Toledo, So.
All-Freshman Team
Anthony Roberts, G, Kent State, Fr.
Mekhi Lairy, G, Miami, Fr.
Ben Vander Plas, F, Ohio, Fr.
Jason Preston, G, Ohio, Fr.
AJ Edu, F, Toledo, Fr.
All-Defensive Team
Dontay Caruthers, G, Buffalo, Sr.
Davonta Jordan, G, Buffalo, Jr.
Larry Austin Jr., G, Central Michigan, Sr.
James Thompson IV, F/C, Eastern Michigan, Sr.
Darrian Ringo, G, Miami, Sr.
Team-By-Team Notes
AKRON
The Akron men's basketball program makes its 22nd appearance in the Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Tournament as the Zips host No. 9 seeded Miami RedHawks on Monday, March 11 at 8 p.m. at James A. Rhodes Arena. Akron will host the opening round for the eighth time and is 3-4 in opening round games at Rhodes Arena and 6-6 all-time in opening round action. A win would give Akron its 15th consecutive season with at least one win in the MAC Tournament. The Zips head into the matchup ranked 22nd in the NCAA for scoring defense only allowing 63.7 points per game
BALL STATE
No. 11 seed Ball State opens MAC Tournament play at No. 6 seed Eastern Michigan for the third meeting between the teams this season and the second in seven days. The Eagles won both regular season contests, defeating the Cardinals in overtime in Muncie in January and earning a 68-61 victory last week in Ypsilanti. Senior center Trey Moses broke the Ball State record for career games played when he took the court for the 130th time in the regular season finale. Moses, who ranks second in school history for blocks (138), also climbed to fourth on BSU's all-time rebounding list with 898, moving ahead of both Theron Smith (1999-03) and Steve Payne (1992-95).
BOWLING GREEN
The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team was defeated by the 19th-ranked University at Buffalo Bulls on Friday (March 8) night by a score of 84-73. Bowling Green will play as the No. 3 seed in the upcoming 2019 MAC Tournament. The Falcons will play the winner of a first-round matchup featuring No. 6 Eastern Michigan and No. 11 Ball State. BGSU's quarterfinal game will take place on March 14 at Quicken Loans Arena. The contest will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the 6:30 p.m. contest.
BUFFALO
With Houston's loss on Saturday, Buffalo is now tied with Tennessee for the longest home winning streak in the nation at 25 games. With their win on Friday night, the Bulls clinched at least a share of the 2019 MAC Regular Season title. Buffalo can earn the title outright on Tuesday night at Ohio. The win for Buffalo n Friday night was their 26th of the season, the most in school history in the regular season. UB is just one victory shy of last year's school record of 27. On Monday, the Bulls will increase their MAC record of consecutive weeks ranked in the Top 25 to 17 weeks. The Bulls will face the winner of the No. 8-9 matchup on thursday in the MAC Tournament quarterfinal.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Central Michigan (21-10), the No. 5 seed for the 2019 Mid-American Conference Tournament, will meet No. 12 seed Western Michigan (8-23) on Monday, March 11 at 7 p.m. in a first round matchup in McGuirk Arena in Mount Pleasant. The Chippewas are hosting a first round MAC Tournament game for the second consecutive year, after defeating No. 9 seed Bowling Green in overtime, 81-77, as the eighth seed last season. Shawn Roundtree Jr. needs 14 points to become the 34th player in CMU program history to reach 1,000 career points. He would become just the third Chippewa to reach that milestone in two seasons, joining Trey Ziegler and Ervin “Lightning” Leavy. Currently with 62, senior guard Larry Austin Jr. needs two steals to break the Central Michigan single-season record, held by Dave Grauzer (63, 1978-79).
EASTERN MICHIGAN
Monday marks the ninth Mid-American Conference Tournament game to be played in the Convocation Center, with Eastern holding an all-time record of 6-2. The Green and White are 9-7 under Rob Murphy during his tenure in Ypsilanti, with its best finish a trip to the 2013-14 semi-finals, where the Eagles fell 59-44 to the second seed University of Toledo. Eastern has a pair of redshirt seniors trying to become members of the 1,000 point club, as both Paul Jackson and Elijah Minnie are within striking distance of the milestone. Jackson needs 33 points to reach the mark while Minnie has slightly less ground to cover, needing just 17.
KENT STATE
Kent State finished the regular season with a 22-9 overall record and 11-7 in league play. Kent State has now reached a 20 win season for the 17th time in 21 years. With the win on Friday night, the Flashes clinch the No. 4 seed and will play in Thursday's MAC Tournament quarterfinal in Cleveland against the winner of Monday's matchup between No. 5 Central Michigan and No. 12 Western Michigan.
MIAMI
The Miami University men's basketball is the ninth seed in the MAC Tournament and has traveled to eighth seed Akron for a first round game on Monday. This is the 38th time Miami has qualified for the MAC Tournament, which ran for the first time in 1980. The Red and White are 40-33 all-time at the event and have won it four times in their history. The RedHawks hold a 32-30 lead in the all-time series with the Zips. The RedHawks split their two games with the Zips this season.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
The Northern Illinois University men's basketball team will open the 2019 Mid-American Conference Tournament on Monday night, March 11, as the seventh-seeded Huskies host No. 10 seed Ohio at the NIU Convocation Center. NIU closed the regular season with back-to-back road wins at Central Michigan and Ball State. In the regular season finale at Ball State (March 8), senior Levi Bradley scored a game-high 22 points, his second consecutive 20-plus point game, to lead the Huskies to a 64-57 victory over the Cardinals. Junior Noah McCarty posted his first career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds against Ball State.
OHIO
The 10th-seeded Ohio men's basketball team beings play in the 2-19 Mid-American Conference Tournament on Monday, March 11 when they take on No. 7 Northern Illinois in DeKalb, Ill. The Bobcats are 41-31 (.569) all-time in the MAC Tournament -- including 2-4 (.333) under head coach Saul Phillips -- and have captured six league tournament crowns. Ohio is 10-4 (.714) all-time in the first round of the MAC Tournament and will be the second-straight year the Bobcats have opened the tournament on the road. In the last three games, Jason Preston has averaged 7.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 6.6 assists and no turnovers in the last three games.
TOLEDO
The Toledo men's basketball team sent out seniors Chris Darrington, Nate Navigato and Jaelan Sanford with a 64-58 victory over Eastern Michigan on Friday night to earn the No. 2 seed in the 2019 Mid-American Conference Tournament. The victory gave the Rockets their 25th victory of the season, the second most in program history and two shy of the school record set by the 2013-14 squad. Toledo will play the winner of Northern Illinois, Ohio game on monday night.
WESTERN MICHIGAN
For the first time since 2015 Western Michigan will be on the road for the First Round of the MAC Tournament. The Broncos are in the No.12 seed in the conference tournament with an overall record of 8-23, 2-16 in MAC play. WMU has won five of its previous seven first round match-ups. Western Michigan has won five of its last seven first round tournament games and seeks a trip to Cleveland for the first time since 2016. Under head coach Steve Hawkins, WMU is 17-11 in the MAC Tournament with titles in 2004 and 2014.
