CLEVELAND, Ohio - Kent State has been selected to win the MAC regular season and tournament title in the 2022-23 Men's Basketball Preseason Head Coaches Poll. The Golden Flashes received six first place votes to win the regular season championship, while grabbing four votes to win the Tournament title. Toledo was picked to finish second and received four first place votes, as well as four votes to win the Tournament Championship. Akron followed and was picked to finish third, receivng two first place votes. Ten of the league's top men's basketball players were also selected to the Preseason All-MAC first and second teams as announced by the league office.

2021-22 MAC Coach of the Year Rob Senderoff will return with ten players from last year's Golden Flashes squad, including five players with 14 or more starts from a season ago. Kent State senior Sincere Carry was nominated to the preseason All-MAC First Team. The Kent State point guard appeared in 34 games, starting in 33 during the 2021-22 season. Carry averaged a team-high of 17.9 points per game. Carry was also named 2022 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year, the ALL-MAC First team, and the ALL-MAC Defensive Team. All-MAC Defensive team member, senior Malique Jacobs, was nominated to the preseason All-MAC Second team. Jacobs appeared in 33 games, starting in 30 and averaged 12.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. The Golden Flashes senior was also the first point guard in Kent State since Demetric Shaw in 2001 to lead the team in rebounding and recorded the first triple-double in Kent State history against Ball State with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Toledo returns four starters from last year's 26-8 squad. Millner (15.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and Shumate (15.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg) will lead the Rockets' front court, while junior RayJ Dennis (12.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.1 apg) and sophomore Ra'Heim Moss (8.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg) are returning starters in the backcourt. The Rockets also have added three transfers with guards Tyler Cochran (Ball State) and Dante Maddox (Cal. State Fullerton) as well as forward Andre Lorentsson (Saint Louis).

Akron's Enrique Freeman and Xavier Castaneda led Akron to the 2022 MAC Tournament Championship and fifth appearance all-time in the NCAA Tournament a year ago. The Zips concluded the season 24-10 overall with a 14-6 league mark, finishing fourth in regular-season MAC play. The Zips defeated fifth-seeded Buffalo (70-68) and top-seeded Toledo (70-62) before posting a 20-point win over second-seeded Kent State (75-55) in the MAC title game. Akron entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 13 seed and played against the No. 4 seed UCLA Bruins in the First Round of the East Region at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon on March 17, 2022. The Zips fell 57-53.

A complete list of the MAC Coaches Preseason Coaches Poll and All-League Team can be found below.