CLEVELAND, Ohio – The 2024-25 Mid-American Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament opens today, March 13, with four quarterfinal matchups inside Rocket Arena.
Thursday, March 13th -- MAC Men’s Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals
Game 1: No. 1 Akron (25-6, 17-1 MAC) vs. No. 8 Bowling Green (14-17, 8-10 MAC)
Michael Reghi (PxP), Rhett Boyd (Analyst) | LIVE on ESPN+ | Live Stats | 11 AM ET (ESPN+)
Akron Zips
Akron is coming off an 88-77 victory over Buffalo on March 7 to conclude the regular season. Four players scored in double figures, with Nate Johnson and and Isaiah Gray both scoring 14 points to lead the Blue and Gold to the victory. James Okonkwo recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Nate Johnson leads the Zips in scoring (13.5) and steals (1.9). Nate is one of two Zips to average 10 or more points per game with Tavari Johnson (12.8) joining him. T. Johnson leads Akron in assists (4.0) while James Okonkwo leads the Zips in rebounds (7.4). Amani Lyles leads the Zips in blocks (36).
Akron is currently scoring 84.0 points per game and has outscored its opponents by 9.7 points per game. The Zips are shooting .470 from the field while shooting .360 from beyond the arc and averages 10.8 3-pointers per game. The Blue and Gold hold a .747 ft percentage while averaging 39.5 rebounds, 18.3 assists,12.4 turnovers, 7.5 steals and 3.6 blocks per game.
Akron is in the top five in the MAC for scoring offense (1st - 84.0), scoring margin (1st - +9.7), fg pct. (2nd - .470), opp. fg pct (2nd - .425), 3pt pct (2nd - .360), opp. 3pt pct (2nd - .309), 3pters made (1st - 10.8), ft pct (t3rd - .747), rebounds (1st - 39.5), off. rebounds (3rd - 12.0), def. rebounds (1st - 27.4), rebound margin (2nd - +4.6), assist-turnover margin (1st - +1.48), blocked shots (1st - 3.65), assists (1st - 18.29) and steals (t2nd - 7.55).
Bowling Green Falcons
The Falcons and Zips will be meeting for the 75th time in program history and the sixth time in the MAC Tournament. Akron holds the all-time advantage with a record of 46-28 while being 3-2 over BGSU in the MAC Tournament with BGSU's wins coming in 2001-02 (60-58) and 1998-99 (80-74, OT). Over the final 10 games of the regular season, BGSU posted the No. 1 defense in the MAC for scoring defense (66.8) and field goal percentage defense (41.4). Over the same 10-game span, Akron posted the No.1 offense in the MAC for scoring offense (83.9) and field goal percentage (49.9).
Over the final 10 games of the season, the Falcons posted a 7-3 record and owed a lot of their success to defense. During the 10-game stretch to close the season, Bowling Green led the MAC in nearly every defensive category. The Falcons allowed a MAC-best 66.8 points per game with the next-best being Miami (OH) with 72.6. The Falcons also led the conference in field goal percentage defense, holding teams to a mark of 41.4-percent, as well as three-point field goal percentage defense, keeping teams to 29.0-percent behind the arc. Oddly enough, Akron was on the other side, leading the MAC in points per game (83.9) and field goal percentage (49.9-percent).
Game 2: No. 4 Toledo (17-14, 10-8 MAC) vs. No. 5 Ohio (16-15, 10-8 MAC)
Michael Reghi (PxP), Rhett Boyd (Analyst) | LIVE on ESPN+ | Live Stats | 1 PM ET (ESPN+)*
Toledo Rockets
Sam Lewis and Sonny Wilson are leading Toledo with 15.9 and 15.3 ppg, respectively. Simmons is averaging 12.4 ppg and a team-high 6.6 rpg and a career-best 55.8 FG%. Sophomore Sam Lewis ranked sixth in the MAC with a team-high 15.9 ppg and was fourth in league play with a team-best 16.9 ppg. Lewis registered a team-high nine 20-point outings (3rd in the MAC) this season, including a career-high 23 points vs. Akron (March 4) and vs. Northern Illinois (Feb. 1).
Sophomore Sonny Wilson is leading the MAC with a 1.92 assist/turnover ratio and ranks eighth in the MAC with 15.3 ppg. He leads MAC guards and ranks ninth overall in the MAC with a 51.9 FG%. Sophomore Javan Simmons is averaging 21.7 ppg and 6.7 rpg with a 79.3 FG% (23-of-29) and a 100.0 FT% (18-of-18) in his last three games. He also has connected on 27 of his last 28 free-throw attempts to raise his season percentage to 75.0%.
Sophomore Bryce Ford joined the Rockets' starting lineup at the start of league play and averaged 9.3 ppg and 3.6 rpg with a 38.7 3PTFG% and 89.2 FT% in 28.0 mpg in conference action. Fifth-year senior Isaiah Adams leads UT with 3.5 apg, 1.3 spg and 0.7 bpg and shot 34.5% from three-point range in league play after posting a 20.5 3PTFG% in the first two months of the season.
Junior Seth Hubbard is Toledo's top scorer off the bench with 7.6 ppg. He tied his season high with 17 points vs. Ohio last Friday after scoring 15 points in UT's first meeting vs. the Bobcats. In two games vs. Ohio, Hubbard is averaging 16.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, and 3.0 apg with a 52.2 FG%.
Ohio Bobcats
Fifth-seeded Ohio is currently 16-15 overall after falling to Toledo on Friday in Toledo.
Ohio is averaging 79.6 points per game, while shooting .470 from the field, .358 from three and .761 from the line, while opponents are averaging 76.1 points per game, while shooting .458 from the field, .372 from three and .697 from the line.
Ohio is averaging 33.1 rebounds, 14.3 assists, 3.0 blocks and 7.4 steals per game, while forcing 13.0 turnovers a contest. Meanwhile, opponents are averaging 35.6 rebounds, 13.0 assists, 2.9 blocks and 6.7 steals per game, while forcing Ohio to turn the ball over 10.9 times a game.
Individually, AJ Clayton averages 14.2 points and 5.4 rebounds a game, while shooting .477 from the field, .372 from three and .787 from the line. AJ Brown averages 13.2 points a game, while shooting .471 from the field, .388 from three and .820 from the line, while Jackson Paveletzke adds 13.4 points, 4.8 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game, while shooting .512 from the field. Shereef Mitchell adds 13.2 points, while shooting .453 from the field and .397 from three,while Elmore James averages 8.2 points, while shooting .397 from the field and .384 from three.
Game 3: No. 2 Miami (23-8, 15-1 MAC) vs. No. 7 Eastern Michigan (16-15, 9-9 MAC)
Michael Reghi (PxP), Rhett Boyd (Analyst) | LIVE on ESPN+ | Live Stats | 3 PM ET (ESPN+)*
Miami RedHawks
Miami has reached 23 wins in a season for the first time since 1998-99 and has also secured the program's most MAC wins since 2005-06. In their final home game, the RedHawks set a program record for most team points scored in a single season. The Red and White also set a new record for the most consecutive home wins (15) in a single season and tied the program record for the most regular-season wins in program history (23).
Entering this game, the RedHawks rank seventh nationally in three-point percentage (.394), ninth in effective field goal percentage (.571), 14th in threes per game (10.5), 22nd in field goal percentage (.485), 31st in turnovers forced per game (14.61), 33rd in scoring offense (81.1) and 47th in turnover margin (2.4). Miami also leads the MAC in six statistical categories, including steals per game (8.4).
Eastern Michigan Eagles
Head Coach Stan Heath and the Eagles have 16 wins in the 2024-25 season, Heath's most as a collegiate head coach since the 2011-12 season.
Eastern, which finished 9-9 in MAC play, secured its bid to the MAC Tournament for the first time since 2020 and will play in postseason play in Cleveland for the first time since 2018.
By beating Ohio, March 4, the Eagles earned at least the No. 7 seed. Eastern, which led by 14 with 11:09 remaining against Kent State, March 7, would have claimed the No. 3 seed if the Eagles were able to hold on.
Eastern is playing in the MAC Tournament for the first time since the 2019-20 season and the first time in Cleveland for the conference tournament since the 2017-18 campaign. This season marks the first time Eastern has ever qualified for the MAC Tournament as the MAC went to eight-team maximum ahead of the 2020-21 season.
The Eagles, which are seeking their first MAC Tournament title and first NCAA Tournament berth since the 1997-98 season, are 32-35 all-time in the MAC Tournament. EMU is 5-4 against Miami in the conference tournament, which includes a 92-77 win in the 1998 championship game.
Senior Jalen Terry ranks second in the MAC at 16.5 points per game while senior Da'Sean Nelson is tied for fifth with 16.0 points per game.
Eastern Michigan's Stan Heath is in his fourth year at the helm of the Eagles, holding a 47-77 record at EMU and a 256-284 record over 17 years as a collegiate head coach.
Game 4: No. 3 Kent State (21-10, 11-7 MAC) vs. No. 6 Western Michigan (12-19, 9-9 MAC)
Michael Reghi (PxP), Rhett Boyd (Analyst) | LIVE on ESPN+ | Live Stats | 6 PM ET (ESPN+)*
Kent State Golden Flashes
The Golden Flashes and Broncos split the season series 1-1 with WMU winning in the M.A.C. Center on Jan. 14, 94-83, and Kent State winning at Read Fieldhouse on March 4, 77-76. Kent State has a winning record against Western Michigan all-time in neutral sight games at 3-2. This will be the first time Kent State and Western Michigan have met in the MAC Tournament since March 8, 2012, when KSU won 76-72. All-time, the blue and gold have a winning record over Miami (OH) in neutral sight games, 5-2 last meeting in Cleveland in 2022. Kent State all-time also has a winning record over Eastern Michigan in neutral sight games at 2-1.
Most recently the Golden Flashes came from behind to defeat Eastern Michigan on Friday, March 7. Kent State was down 14 with 11:50 left to play before battling back to win 76-70. Davis at 137 games played is now tied for the most games played in a Kent State University. Upon entry into the game on Thursday, March 13 in the MAC Tournament he will stand alone as having played the most in program history. Sullinger remains fourth in program history in made three-pointers and attempted three-pointers (225-579) He and Davis are 13th and 14th on the all-time Kent State scoring list respectively. Hornbeak is first in program history in field goal percentage (.630), and seventh in blocked shots with 103.
Western Michigan Broncos
Western Michigan begins MAC Tournament play on Thursday with a quarterfinal matchup against No. 3 seed Kent State.
WMU is 24-36 all-time in the MAC Tournament with two titles (2004, 2014). The Broncos punched their ticket to Cleveland last Friday night with a 64-63 win at Bowling Green.
JaVaughn Hannah paced WMU with 18 points, while Owen Lobsinger had 17 and added seven rebounds off of the bench.
Chansey Willis Jr. was named to the All-MAC Second Team on Wednesday. He is the first Bronco to earn Second Team honors since Thomas Wilder in 2016.
Kent State leads the all-time series between the two programs, 71-59. The Broncos and Golden Flashes split the regular season series, with each team winning on the other's home floor.
WMU and Kent State have met five times in the MAC Tournament, with KSU holding a 3-2 edge in those contests.
