CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Ohio Bobcats have been chosen as Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament champion favorites in the 2024-25 MAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league’s head coaches. The Bobcats received 11 first place votes to win the regular season championship and eight votes to emerge victorious at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in March.

Akron, last season’s tournament champion and MAC representative in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, was picked to finish second with 106 points and received a vote to win the regular season championship as well.

Kent State (99 points), Toledo (95 points) and Bowling Green (82 points) rounded out the top five in this year’s preseason poll. Additionally, the Golden Flashes and Rockets received votes to win the tournament title with Kent State garnering three and Toledo registering one.

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.

A complete list of the 2024-25 MAC Men’s Basketball Coaches Preseason Coaches’ Poll and All-Conference Teams can be found below.

2024-25 MAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
(First Place Votes)
1. Ohio (11) – 121  
2. Akron (1) – 106
3. Kent State – 99
4. Toledo – 95
5. Bowling Green – 73
6. Miami – 72
7. Ball State – 67
8. Central Michigan – 55  
9. Eastern Michigan – 36
10. Western Michigan – 33  
11. Northern Illinois – 24  
12. Buffalo – 11

Tournament Champion: Ohio (8), Kent State (3), Toledo (1)

2024-25 MAC Men’s Basketball Preseason All-MAC Teams
First Team
Payton Sparks, Senior, Center, Ball State
Anthony Pritchard, Senior, Guard, Central Michigan
VonCameron Davis, R-Senior, Forward, Kent State
AJ Clayton, Senior, Forward, Ohio
Javan Simmons, Sophomore, Forward, Toledo

Second Team
Isaiah Gray, Senior, Guard, Akron
Jalen Sullinger, Senior, Guard, Kent State
Shereef Mitchell, Graduate Student, Guard, Ohio
AJ Brown, R-Sophomore, Guard, Ohio
Isaiah Adams, Fifth Year, Guard, Toledo