MAC Men’s Basketball Upcoming Schedule – Friday, March 6
Buffalo at Bowling Green, 6 p.m. (ESPNU)
Kent State at Akron, 6:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
Eastern Michigan at Toledo, 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
Western Michigan at Central Michigan, 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
Ohio at Miami, 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
Ball State at Northern Illinois, 8 p.m. (ESPN3)
All times listed are ET
TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
AKRON
The Zips are back at the top of the league standings and secured at least a share of the 2020 regular season championship after a 74-67 win over Ohio on Tuesday. Akron is 23-7 overall with a 13-4 league-best mark. The Zips have won the regular season title five times since the 2012 season, including three of the last five seasons. In addition, the 2020 championship marks the first time head coach John Groce has won a league title in his tenure. A win over Kent State would give the Zips an outright MAC Regular Season title & the No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament.
BALL STATE
Ball State closes the regular season at MAC West Division leader Northern Illinois with a chance to sweep the season series with the Huskies and earn a share of the MAC West Division championship. It would be the Cardinals' third division title in five years. BSU also finished atop the West in 2016 and 2017. Both teams enter Friday's matchup having won three of their past four games. A win would also clinch a first-round bye in the MAC Tournament for BSU, which would leapfrog NIU and become the No. 3 seed based on beating the Huskies twice. (Akron and Bowling Green will be the top two seeds). A loss Friday would leave Ball State as either the No. 4 seed (also a first-round bye) or the No. 5 seed (hosting a first-round game Monday) depending on Friday's other results in the league
BOWLING GREEN
With a win over Buffalo and a Kent State win over Akron on Friday, Bowling Green can clinch a share of the MAC’s regular-season title and the No. 1 overall seed in the MAC Tournament. The Falcon have shared the MAC title four times (1959, 1981, 1997, 2009). BGSU has won five outright league championships (1962, 1963, 1968, 1983, 2000). BGSU can finish now lower than the No. 2 seed. BGSU’s 21 wins marks the most for the program in the regular season since winning 22 regular season games in 2001
BUFFALO
A win on Friday night would give the Bulls their 20th win of the season. It would be the ninth time in school history that Buffalo has had 20 or more wins in a season. It would also mark the fifth time in the last six years that UB wins at least 20 games in a season. Buffalo can clinch a bye to Cleveland in two different ways on Friday night. A win over the Falcons as well as a Northern Illinois win over Ball State will give the Bulls a bye. UB can also accomplish it with a loss, coupled with wins by Northern Illinois over Ball State and Akron over Kent State. In any other scenario, Buffalo will host a first round game on Monday.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Behind DiLeo is Morgan at 13.6 points per game and McKay with 13.1 per. McKay's shooting percentage of .593 is No. 16 in the country and best among guards. Both CMU and Western are 13-17, 6-11 MAC. The Chippewas are coming off an 85-68 loss to Ball State. The Chippewas, Broncos and Eastern Michigan are tied for fifth place in the MAC West and 10th in the overall league standings. David DiLeo leads CMU in scoring with 14.7 points per game. His 3-point percentage of .397 is fourth best in the MAC.
EASTERN MICHIGAN
Eastern Michigan would be seeded ninth and play at No. 8 seed Ohio in the first round of the MAC Tournament Monday, March 9. The Eagles fell twice to the Bobcats, 74-68 (Jan. 7) and 60-58 (Jan. 18) earlier this season. With its 67-63 victory over Central Michigan, Feb. 29, Eastern Michigan clinched the Michigan MAC Trophy. The trophy rotates and is held by the team who has the best head-to-head record in each season of each sport. The Eagles can finish anywhere between the No. 8-No. 12 seed based on Friday's results.
KENT STATE
Kent State remains the No. 6 seed for the 2020 MAC Men's Basketball Tournament with one game remaining and will host a First Round for the MAC Tournament on Monday, March 9 at 7 p.m. Final seeding and opponent will be determined at the conclusion of all MAC games being played Friday night. The Flashes have four players averaging in double-figure scoring with Troy Simons (12.8 ppg), Anthony Roberts (12.5 ppg), Antonio Williams (14.7 ppg), and Danny Pippen (14.1 ppg).
MIAMI
The Miami University men's basketball team closes the regular season Friday as it welcomes rival Ohio to town for the second Battle of the Bricks game of the season. Tip time is at 7 p.m. and it will air live on ESPN3. Miami will be honoring its one senior, forward Bam Bowman for his contributions the past three seasons. Bowman has appeared in 92 games during his time with the 'Hawks, making 56 starts. He has 681 career points, an average of 7.4 points per game, and 386 rebounds, an average of 4.2 caroms per contest.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
NIU enters its final regular season game with an 18-12 overall record, including an 11-6 mark in Mid-American Conference play. The Huskies clinched at least a share of the MAC West Division crown with their 71-50 victory on Tuesday night (March 3) against Toledo and will win the division outright with a victory over Ball State on Friday. German scored a game-high 22 points on Tuesday against the Rockets and currently leads the MAC, and ranks 20th nationally, in scoring at 20.6 points per game. The senior from Gary, Ind., has 2,186 career points, eighth best among active players in NCAA Division I and fifth-most in MAC history.
OHIO
he Bobcats are 15-15 on the season and 7-10 in MAC play losing to Akron, 74-67, Tuesday at James A. Rhodes Arena. Overall this season, the Bobcats are averaging 71.1 points, 35.2 rebounds, 14.5 assists and 6.5 steals per game. The Bobcats are shooting 44.5 percent from the field, 34.5 percent from three-point range and 68.8 percent from the free throw line. Jason Preston leads the Bobcats with 16.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 7.5 assis
TOLEDO
Toledo will be trying to gain a split of its season series vs. the Eagles after dropping a 61-57 decision in Ypsilanti, Mich. on Feb. 1. Juniors Dylan Alderson and Marreon Jackson each scored a team-high 14 points against EMU to lead a shorthanded Rocket squad that played without junior Spencer Littleson. Junior Marreon Jackson ranks among the MAC leaders with 19.5 ppg (3rd), 5.5 apg (2nd) and 3.0 three-point FGs per game (2nd).
WESTERN MICHIGAN
Western Michigan is riding a two-game win streak heading into the final game of the regular season. WMU currently has an overall record of 13-17 and 6-11 in Mid-American Conference play. The Broncos are currently the No.11 seed if the MAC Tournament began today and can move to the No.8 seed with a win followed by losses from EMU and Ohio. Redshirt junior Brandon Johnson is 18 points away from becoming the 44th member of WMU's 1,000-point club. Johnson ranks second on the team at 15.3 points per game and has scored in double figures in each of the last six games.
