It's that time of the year when all 331 collegiate teams affiliated with college sports conferences have a chance to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament. For both the men and women's basketball teams, the Mid-American Conference tournament gives them an opportunity for a new start.
The men have one game left before they attempt to win four in a row in the MAC tournament. After their game at Ohio on Sunday, they will end up with the 11th or 12th seed. The women open up their tournament on Monday against Toledo.
Men's head coach Reggie Witherspoon believes that the tournament is not necessarily a bad thing for his team team.
"It's a burden sometimes to start all over if you had a great regular season, but for us it's a blessing," he said. "We can start all over and start fresh."
The Bulls will come into the tournament playing their best basketball of the season. They have gone 4-4 in eight games after suffering through a nine-game losing streak. They have a 10-18 record overall and are 3-12 in MAC play.
"We've played a little better of late. We're trying to just work on playing as hard as we can," Witherspoon said. "How hard we play will probably dictate how well we play."
The Kent State Golden Flashes, Western Michigan Broncos or Akron Zips will enter the tournament as the number one overall seed. Kent State was ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll last week and has a great shot at receiving an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament even if they don't win the MAC Championship. Western Michigan has already clinched the Western Division.
With some very good teams set to compete in Cleveland, Witherspoon knows his team must play very hard and play their best basketball of the year.
"We have to concentrate not so much on the result, but what will dictate the result. The guys have to check themselves and say 'Am I going as hard as I can?'" he said. "What happens with our team is we worry too much, and they can't be worrying during the tournament. "
Playing in the MAC tournament is something that every team enjoys, Witherspoon explained. The tournament, according to Witherspoon, is a much more unique experience than other conference tournaments.
"One of the unique things about our tournament is there are not a lot of tournaments left that are played at neutral sites," he said. "It leaves an opportunity for everyone to win it."
While the men are hoping to shock the world, the women have a legitimate shot of going far in the MAC tournament. They are heading to Cleveland as the fourth seed from the East. They play the Toledo Rockets, the fifth seed from the West, on March 10 at noon. The Bulls have lost to Toledo in the first round of the tournament the last two seasons.
The women finished the regular season with a 15-14 record, their best season since finishing with an 18-11 record during the 2002-2003 season. They went 8-8 in conference play this year.
Linda Hill-MacDonald, head coach of the women's squad, is excited about the upcoming tournament.
"The team is definitely more confident heading into the tournament than in other years," Hill-MacDonald said. "They've had more success, more experience and a much higher confidence level heading into Cleveland."
The fact that the Bulls have lost to the Rockets two straight times in the tournament works as motivation.
"That's in the back of the players' heads," Hill-MacDonald said. "Toledo has knocked us off in the first round the last two years, so the players want retaliation."
The Bowling Green Falcons come into the tournament as the number one overall seed as the winners of the Eastern Division. The Ball State Cardinals and the Eastern Michigan Eagles are tied for the lead in the Western Division.
There are five seniors on the women's team. During their tenure with Buffalo, the team has not made it past the first round.
"The seniors have been determined all season. This is a very special group of players," Hill-MacDonald said. "They know this is their last chance to take part in a tournament like this, so they're going in determined to play as well as they can."
Throughout the course of the year, the Bulls have grown up and matured as a team. Hill-MacDonald has seen a lot of changes throughout the year.
"The freshmen have taken huge steps. I don't consider them freshmen anymore," she said. "The offensive flow and the defensive intensity have improved greatly from the beginning of the season."
The men's tournament begins on March 12 and ends with the championship on March 15. The women's game against Toledo on Monday is set to tip-off at noon and the championship game is scheduled for March 15.
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
