Regular Season Recap
The regular season finished up Tuesday for all the teams in the MAC, and it came down to the last game for several teams. When all shots ceased there were many teams sitting in familiar places, and some new faces finishing at the top.
The Kent State Golden Flashes have been unbelievable in their consistency over the past six years. In that time, Kent State has finished the regular season as either the first or second team in the conference, and made it to the finals of the conference tournament in the every one of those seasons. Since the creation of the East and West divisions in 1997-98, KSU has finished on top of the East Division every year. So, it was no surprise that the Golden Flashes repeated as the East Division No. 1 and the top team in the conference in 2001-02. They are the number one seed for the tournament, and therefore receive a bye to the quarterfinals.
Ball State had a break-out year winning 21 games, a school record. The Cardinals finished a perfect 11-0 at home while flying to their first West Division title. Their 13-3 MAC record was good enough to tie Kent State. However, BSU lost the tiebreaker which was based on the Golden Flashes' 64-57 win on February 13. BSU goes into the tournament as the second seed, and also gets a bye to the quarterfinals.
Perennial powerhouse Toledo finishes as the third seed, after falling to BSU on Tuesday night at home. Toledo finished with a 12-4 record in the MAC, unfortunately they end up on the same side of the draw as BSU, who has beaten them twice this year.
Moving in the opposite direction, Buffalo went from finishing second in the East last year to finishing second last. The Bulls 4-12 conference record was their worst out of their four seasons in the MAC.
Bowling Green was not exactly a hot team this year. The Falcons did manage to put together two more wins last week to finish 6-10, though, so they will be the ninth seed which means they will play at Ohio. Away games are usually bad things, especially in the playoffs, but the Bobcats of Ohio finished the season with a whimper, losing three straight - including a home contest against BGU.
A Look at the Second Season
Here comes the second season, a second chance for some, a new hope for others - it's playoff time. The regular season is over and coaches from Alumni Arena to Worthen Arena are yelling, "a clean slate, we're 0-0." After the seedings, the regular season gets thrown out and it all comes down to win or walk. Here are a few things to keep your eyes in the 2002 Kraft MAC Tournament:
The top three teams automatically advance to the quarterfinals at Gund Arena in Cleveland on March 6. The 10 other teams begin tournament play this Saturday, March 2 at campus sites. This year, Western Michigan, Miami, Northern Illinois, Eastern Michigan and Ohio are the teams who have earned the right to host playoff games.
Nick's Picks
Buffalo (No. 11) at Northern Illinois (No. 6)
This could be a big-time upset for Buffalo, and I think that it will be. The Bulls have been up and down; they played KSU into a one-point game earlier this season, so they are capable of playing with anyone.
UB played at NIU earlier this season and won by over 10 points. Buffalo may be on a nasty losing skid, but they did play a much better game to end the season. The Bulls need to step it up for those one- or two-minute spans in the second half that seem to decide each game, beyond that they are playing well.
Akron (No. 13) at Miami (No. 4)
If Miami were to lose this game it would have to go down as one of their worst losses ever. However, that will not be a problem, as the 0-16 Zips have to play at Miami. Akron did pull out an upset last year when they played at UB, but this year is an entirely different story.
Central Michigan (No. 12) at Western Michigan (No. 5)
The Broncos of Western Michigan have lost their last two games. Interestingly their last victory came over CMU. WMU won both contests by convincing scores.
Central Michigan has floundered their regular season away for the second-straight year. WMU will win the third meeting between them this Saturday as the Broncos begin a run at the tournament title.
Marshall (No. 10) at Eastern Michigan (No. 7)
EMU has been on fire ending this season winning five of their last six, including a 57-44 win at Marshall. Eastern posted a 7-1 MAC record at home. Saturday night's game will make that 8-1, as the Eagles will soar over the Herd.
Bowling Green (No. 9) at Ohio (No. 8)
The Bowling Green Falcons should come out on top despite having to go to Ohio. The Bobcats lost the last time that the two teams played, and that was at home. BGU is on a two-game winning streak, while Ohio has lost their last three. The Falcons have to feel confident after finishing their season strong. A quick start by BGU should put them in the driver's seat right to Gund Arena.
