AKRON
Akron enters Mid-American Conference Eastern Division play after coming off its first home and MAC setback of the season. The Zips own a 14-4 overall record with a 4-1 league mark. Akron is on the road for the next 3-of-4 games after opening league play against five consecutive western division opponents. All other league foes have played at least two divisional opponents during that stretch. Akron defeated Eastern Michigan on the road in the MAC season opener (69-45), Western Michigan (84-69, H), Ball State (75-60, H), Northern Illinois (72-49, A) and fell to Toledo (99-89, H).

BALL STATE
Ball State won twice last week to improve to 4-1 in MAC play for the first time since the 2012 season. The Cardinals took over sole possession of first place in the West Division and moved into a tie for first in the overall league standings with Akron and Bowling Green.  BSU head coach James Whitford recorded his 100th career victory Saturday against Miami. He became the third coach to reach the mark with the Cardinals, joining Jim Hinga (154) and Ray McCallum (126).  Saturday’s win over Miami came in Ball State’s only home contest in a five-game stretch. The Cardinals are off until Saturday when they return to the road to face the MAC West Division’s second-place team, Central Michigan. 

BOWLING GREEN
Bowling Green has won 13 of its first 18 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1948. • The Falcons are off to their second-best MAC start through five games in the Michael Huger Era. Last season, BGSU began the league slate a perfect 5-0. For just the fourth time since 2005, the Falcons have won at least four of their first five MAC games (2019-20; 2018-19; 2014-15; 2004-05). Bowling Green is riding a league-best four-game win streak. Bowling Green is 8-1 at home in 2019-20. The Falcons are now 48-24 inside the Stroh Center under head coach Michael Huger. • The Falcons are 22-3 in their last 25 games at Stroh Center.

BUFFALO
Buffalo has now won three straight games following an 86-67 road victory at Central Michigan on Saturday, handing the Chippewas their first home loss.  The Bulls are the only team in the nation that has all five of their starters averaging in double figures and one of just four teams to use the same starting five in all 18 games this year. Sophomore Jeenathan Williams has now scored in double figures in nine straight games, while senior Antwain Johnson is playing his best basketball of the season as he had 18 points in the win over Ohio and 10 points and nine rebounds in the victory over CMU.  The Bulls host Western Michigan and Kent State this upcoming week.

CENTRAL MICHIGAN
David DiLeo is 8 shy of breaking the CMU career 3-pointers record and moving into 3rd place on the all-time MAC list; with its next home win CMU will secure double-digit vicotories in McGuirk Area for the sixth consecutive season.

EASTERN MICHIGAN
Eastern Michigan begins a Mid-American Conference road test, as the Eagles travel to Bowling Green State University Tuesday, Jan. 21. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. at the Stroh Center. EMU leads both the nation and the Mid-American Conference in steals per game (11.3). Eastern Michigan has seen nail-biters slip from its fingers in the last three-of-four games, at Ohio (Jan. 7), at Northern Illinois (Jan. 11) , and versus Ohio (Jan. 18). EMU lost both games with a margin of six-or-less points. Before MAC play, the Eagles boasted a 5-0 record in games decided by six-or-fewer. 

KENT STATE
The Flashes look to bounce back after back-to-back road losses to Miami and Western Michigan. Tuesday night the Kent State hosts Northern Illinois on the home court, where the Flashes are 9-0 before they take on Buffalo on Friday night on the road.

MIAMI
The Ball State game was first time in MAC play that the opponent's bench outscored the RedHawks. Miami's bench has outscored the opposition in 16 of 19 games this season. 

NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Senior guard Eugene German has scored 1,932 career points, second-most in NIU history. German is just 64 points behind NIU’s career scoring leader, T.J. Lux, who scored 1,996 points during his time as a Huskie. Five of NIU’s last six games have been decided by three points or less. The Huskies are 2-3 in those five games, dating back to an 85-84 setback against Green Bay (Dec. 21) in the final non-conference game of the season. 

OHIO
Jordan Dartis needs 10 more made three-pointers to become the Bobcats' all-time three-pointers made leader. Since the start of conference play, Ben Vander Plas is averaging 20.2 points and 8.8 rebounds. 

TOLEDO
Toledo looks to register back-to-back road wins when it travels to Athens, Ohio on Tuesday, Jan. 21 to face MAC East Division foe Ohio.The Rockets handed Akron its first conference and home defeat with a 99-89 victory in Rhodes Are-na on Saturday afternoon. Junior Marreon Jackson is leading the Rockets in scoring and ranks second in the MAC with 18.2 ppg. Also scoring in double digits for Toledo is senior Luke Knapke at 15.4 ppg (9th in MAC), senior Willie Jackson at 12.1 ppg and junior Spencer Littleson at 11.4 ppg. Jackson is also averaging 12.5 rpg, a total that ranks third in the nation. He also is tied for fifth nationally with 11 double-doubles. Toledo has won six of its last eight matchups vs. Ohio, including a 91-57 victory in its last trip to Athens. Marreon Jackson ranks among the Top Five in the MAC with 18.2 ppg (2nd), 6.1 apg (2nd), 2.1 spg (T-2nd) and a 1.9 assist/turnover ratio (4th). Luke Knapke has scored in double digits in 17 of 18 games. He ranks second on the team with 15.4 ppg and 8.0 rpg to go along with a MAC-best 2.5 bpg. Willie Jackson scored a career-high 23 points to go along with 12 boards at Akron (Jan. 18) and also tallied 17 points and 13 rebounds at Kent State (Jan. 7).

WESTERN MICHIGAN
WMU has clinched 500 Mid-American Conference victories, the fifth MAC school to do so. WMU has had at least four score in double figures in eight games this season. WMU travels to Buffalo on Tuesday, seeking its first MAC Road victory since Feb. 23, 2017 at Ball State