HERE WE GO: Final Week Of The Regular Season Tips-Off Tonight!
MBB Release: https://bit.ly/2FZvrJ8
Updated Statistics: https://bit.ly/2STKuGG
Tuesday, March 5th
Ball State at Eastern Michigan - 7:00 PM ET (
ESPN+)
Kent State at Miami - 7:00 PM ET (
ESPN+)
Buffalo at Ohio - 7:00 PM ET (
ESPN+)
Northern Illinois at Central Michigan - 7:00 PM ET (
ESPN+)
Bowling Green at Akron - 7:00 PM ET (
ESPN+)
Western Michigan at Toledo - 7:00 PM ET (
ESPN+)
What You Need To Know...
• With Houston's loss on Saturday, Buffalo is now tied with Tennessee for the longest home winning streak in the nation at 25 games.
• Buffalo, Toledo and Bowling Green have all clinched a top-four seed in the 2019 MAC Tournament.
• Kent State's Jaylin Walker moved into the No. 2 spot in all-time points with 1,741 career-points. He needs 79 points to pass the all-time leader, Trevor Huffman (1,820).
• The MAC is currently ranked as the ninth as a conference in the nation based on average NET Rankings. (Mar. 1, 2019). Buffalo (15) and Toledo (60) are currently ranked in the Top-100.
Team-By-Team Notes
AKRON
Akron will wrap-up the regular season at home against Bowling Green on Tuesday, March 5 at 7 p.m. at James A. Rhodes Arena. The game will serve as the Zips' Senior Night as Akron will honor its lone senior Jimond Ivey before the game. A win would move Akron closer to hosting a first round MAC Tournament game. The Zips are No. 28 in defense efficiency, and No. 119 overall team in Ken Pomeroy Rankings.
BALL STATE
Ball State begins the final week of the regular season on the road, looking to even the season series with Eastern Michigan. The Eagles defeated the Cardinals in Muncie in the second game of MAC play. Ball State snapped a three-game losing streak Saturday with a 60-58 win at Western Michigan. The Cardinals will return home Friday to close the regular season against Northern Illinois. Senior center Trey Moses will match former teammates Franko House and Sean Sellers for the most games played in program history when he takes the court for the 129th time Tuesday at Eastern Michigan.
BOWLING GREEN
Bowling Green and Akron will play for the second time in 2018-19 on Tuesday (March 5) night at James A. Rhodes Arena. BGSU defeated Kent State last time out to clinch a spot in the MAC Tournament Quarterfinals in Cleveland on March 14. The Falcons went 14-2 at home this season, marking the program’s fourth-highest win total at home and best home season since going 16-0 in 1947-48. Bowling Green has won 12-plus MAC games for just the seventh time in program history. BGSU is just one win away from its fourth 13-win conference season.
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.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN
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
Eastern Michigan snapped a three-game road losing streak to Northern Illinois with its 75-69 comeback win over the Huskies, March 2... The Eagles are one game back of Central Michigan and Kent State for the bye game to Cleveland for the MAC Tournament with two games to play... EMU's +19 rebound performance against NIU was its best since being +21 against Howard University, Nov. 18, 2017
KENT STATE
The Kent State University men's basketball team hits the road for the final time during the regular season and will look to complete a season sweep of the Miami RedHawks on Tuesday in Oxford. Walker moved into the No. 2 spot in all-time points with 1,741 career-points. He needs 79 points to pass the all-time leader, Trevor Huffman (1,820).
MIAMI
The Miami University men's basketball has its final home game of the season Tuesday as it welcomes Kent State to Millett Hall. The RedHawks are currently tied for seventh at 7-9 with Akron and hold the tiebreaker over the Zips due to their sweeping of the season series against Bowling Green. The RedHawks hold a 91-53 lead in the all-time series with the Golden Flashes. Kent State has won the past two meetings, including a tight, 70-67, victory in Kent earlier this season on Feb. 5.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
The Northern Illinois University men's basketball team will begin the final week of the regular season on the road at Central Michigan on Tuesday, March 5. NIU (13-16, 6-10 MAC) closed its home slate this past Saturday (March 2) with a 75-69 setback against Eastern Michigan. Senior Levi Bradley (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) set a new school record against the Eagles as he played in his 127th career game, breaking the previous mark of 126 set by Travon Baker (2012-16).
OHIO
The Ohio men's basketball team (13-15, 5-11 MAC) returns to action on Tuesday, March 5 for the first of the final two home games of the regular season when the Bobcats host Mid-American Conference East foe No. 19 Buffalo (26-3, 14-2 MAC). Senior Doug Taylor needs five more blocks to move into fourth all-time in program history in blocks. 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
Toledo (23-6, 11-5 MAC) can capture its second straight Mid-American Conference West Division title on Tuesday, March 5 when it hosts Western Michigan. The Rockets enter Tuesday's game with a two-game lead over Central Michigan with just two games remaining in the regular season. Toledo has won 20 games for the fourth time in the last six years. UT's 23 victories have tied last year's win total and are one shy of the second most in UT history.
WESTERN MICHIGAN
With 14 double-doubles, senior Seth Dugan ranks second in school history for most in a single-season and is three shy of breaking the program record set back in 1986-87 … senior Seth Dugan and Sophomore Michael Flowers became just the 16th duo in school history to each score 400 or more points in the same season…. Western Michigan is just two wins shy of earning it’s 500th Mid-American Conference win.
