Falcon Fodder

Men’s basketball season review: Part 3

Now that the winter sports seasons have ended, Falcon Fodder is taking a look at BG’s hockey, women’s basketball and men’s basketball teams as all three prepare for the 2013-14 season. This week the focus is on the men’s basketball program.

In this installment, our focus shifts to how the Mid-American Conference looks entering the 2013-14 season.

Here we go …

EAST DIVISION OVERVIEW

AKRON: 26-7, 14-2 (T1st)

THUMBNAIL: The Zips’ graduation losses include Zeke Marshall (13.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.7 bpg) as well as sharp-shooter Brian Walsh (7.2 ppg) and Chauncey Gilliam (5.6 ppg). The future of point guard Alex Abreu (10.3 ppg, 6.0 apg) also is in doubt, although there’s a possibility Quincy Diggs, the MAC’s top sixth man in 2011-12, will return to school. Juniors Nick Harney (9.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and Demetrius Treadwell (11.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg) give this team a foundation for success.

BUFFALO: 14-20, 7-9 (T4th)

THUMBNAIL: The Bulls bring back a stacked team for new coach Bobby Hurley. The returnees include All-MAC forward Javon McCrea (18.0 ppg, 7.9 rpg) as well as Will Regan (11.1 ppg). Expect guard Jarod Oldham (10.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.4 apg) to bounce back from the wrist injury that ended his season early, while Jarryn Skeete gained valuable minutes as his replacement and averaged 10.4 ppg and 3.1 apg in MAC play.

KENT STATE: 21-14, 9-7 (3rd)

THUMBNAIL: The Golden Flashes took a hit similar to BG, losing the team’s top two scorers in Chris Evans (16.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Randal Holt (14.7 ppg). Among the returnees are Kris Brewer (9.2 ppg), who proved to be a solid 3-point shooter. KSU certainly has numbers returning, but this team also will need some players to step forward to contend for a league title.

MIAMI: 9-22, 3-13 (6th)

THUMBNAIL: The RedHawks had a number of post-season defections as Allen Roberts (12.3 ppg), Jon Harris (8.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and Drew McGhee (5.2 ppg) are expected to transfer. But as Branch Rickey famously said, “We finished last with you, and we can finish last without you.” Will Felder (11.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg) will be the most notable returnee, with the RedHawks expecting to rely on newcomers and a few transfers, most notably Blake McLimans from Michigan, to turn around last season’s dismal results.

OHIO: 24-10, 14-2 (T1st)

THUMBNAIL: The Bobcats arguably took the league’s largest graduation hit, with MAC player of the year D.J. Cooper (14.1 ppg, 7.1 apg) and all-league players Reggie Keely (12.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and Walter Offutt (10.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg) lost along with Ivo Baltic (7.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg). There are pieces in place for the Bobcats to keep rolling, most notably guards Nick Kellogg (8.0 ppg) and Stevie Taylor (3.1 ppg) along with forwards T.J. Hall (4.8 ppg, 1.6 rpg) and Jon Smith (4.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg).

WEST DIVISION OVERVIEW

BALL STATE: 15-15, 8-8 (3rd)

THUMBNAIL: The Cardinals have a new coach in James Whitford, who most recently was an assistant at Arizona but spent 11 seasons at Miami. He must replace the scoring lost by Jauwan Scaife (16.6 ppg), but nearly every other key player returns. Central among the returnees are a senior class who will need to lead next season: forwards Majok Majok (10.7 ppg, 9.8 rpg), Matt Kamieniecki (4.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg) and Chris Bond (8.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg) along with guard Jesse Berry (12.8 ppg).

CENTRAL MICHIGAN: 11-20, 4-12 (5th)

THUMBNAIL: The Chippewas suffered a big loss with the graduation of Kyle Randall, who averaged 18.7 ppg and 20.8 ppg in league play. But at this point he wasn’t even a part of the program, so a quick reload always is a possibility. CMU does have a few building blocks in place thanks to a pair of players who saw extensive action as freshmen, point guard Chris Fowler (8.1 ppg, 5.7 apg) and forwards John Simons (7.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg) and Blake Hibbitts (8.8 ppg, 67 3’s).

EASTERN MICHIGAN: 16-18, 7-9 (4th)

THUMBNAIL: The Eagles lost their leading scorer in Derek Thompson (11.1 ppg), and may lose their second-leading scorer as Glenn Bryant (10.6 ppg) was suspended after he was arrested and charged with aggravated domestic violence. But the team’s 2-3 zone returns, as do a several players who made it a force, most notably Da’Shonte Riley (4.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.0 bpg). EMU has a number of players returning who saw significant minutes, as well as Duquesne transfer Mike Talley.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS: 5-25, 3-13 (6th)

THUMBNAIL: The building has been slow for the Huskies, who again struggled with an extremely young roster. The transfer of leading scorer Abdel Nader (13.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg) won’t help, but the experience gained by last year’s large freshmen class will help. Too bad one of those freshmen, Akeem Springs, also will transfer after averaging 7.7 points per game. Among the most notable freshmen who will return is Darrell Bowie (5.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg). Transfer Pete Rakocevic, who stands 6-11, also may help.

TOLEDO: 15-13, 10-6 (T1st)

THUMBNAIL: The Rockets return two All-MAC performers in forward Rian Pearson (17.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and Julius “Juice” Brown (13.1 ppg, 6.0 apg). Continued development by Matt Smith (9.8 ppg) and Nathan Boothe (5.2 rpg as a freshman) will help improve the team as well. But one of the team’s biggest problems last season, depth, should be solved to a degree by the end of scholarship sanctions due to APR problems and an influx of new players.

WESTERN MICHIGAN: 22-13, 10-6 (T1st)

THUMBNAIL: The Broncos bounced back nicely after a disappointing season the year before, as several players stepped up their games. Unfortunately, WMU will lose some of those players as Nate Hutcheson (10.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg) graduates along with Brandon Pokley (8.9 ppg), while MAC freshman of the year Darius Paul (10.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg) transfers. Much of the load will fall to seniors Shayne Whittington (13.2 ppg, 8.8 rpg) and David Brown (11.0 ppg), but they will need to get help from players such as junior Austin Richie (6.1 ppg, 3.0 apg).

LEAGUE OVERVIEW: In the East, Buffalo returns a talented team that has to be considered a favorite, while perennial title contenders Akron and Ohio will give the Bulls a run for the top spot. Kent State, which always seems to reload rather than rebuild, will need to do that again. Because of the losses suffered by both Bowling Green and Miami –- and the uncertainty of who will fill the shoes of those lost –- both the Falcons and RedHawks will be picked near the bottom of the division.

In the West, Toledo returns as much talent as any MAC school and should be the favorite. The two teams most likely to challenge the Rockets for the division title are Ball State and Western Michigan, although both have some losses to overcome. Eastern Michigan is a dark horse candidate to push those three teams, and the Eagles’ tough zone allows them to be a thorn in any team’s side. Central Michigan and Northern Illinois both are expected to follow that pack, although the Chippewas do have a few bright spots returning.

Click here to read Wednesday’s overview of the BG program. Click here to read Thursday’s look at the Falcons returning players. Click here to read Wednesday’s Blade story about the team.

Related articles

Men's basketball season review: Part 2

Men’s basketball season review: Part 1

Now that the winter sports seasons have ended, Falcon Fodder will take a look at BG’s hockey, women’s basketball and men’s basketball teams as all three prepare for the 2013-14 season. This week the focus will be on the men’s basketball program.

On Wednesday we’ll provide an overview of the program, followed by a look at the returning players on Thursday. Friday we will focus on what the Mid-American Conference will look like next season.

Here we go …

OVERVIEW: BG finished the season with a 13-19 record after posting a 16-16 mark the previous year. The Falcons were 7-9 in Mid-American Conference play, which is two fewer league wins than the previous season. Bowling Green finished tied with Buffalo for fourth in the MAC’s East Division and was the sixth seed in the league tournament.

“I thought we were pretty good at home and struggled on the road,” BG coach Louis Orr said. “If you look at it, 11 of our 13 wins came at home. … Not being consistent on the road [was a problem]. We weren’t able to close out games – that was the difference between the road and home.”

POST SEASON: The Falcons suffered a 63-52 loss to Miami, the 11th seed, at the Stroh Center in the first round of the MAC tournament. It marked the second year in a row BG had lost a first-round home tournament game to a lower-seeded team.

EXPLANATION: A number of Blade readers are getting their undies bunched over the headline on the BG men’s basketball story in Wednesday’s paper. Click here to read that story.

I am hearing from fans saying, in effect, “After the team’s struggles the past few years, I would think coach Orr would WANT to change.” Those fans are missing the point of his comment. The point is this: It would be easy for Orr to change what he’s doing to try and save his job -– for example, bring in a player who may be extremely talented but also a problem in the classroom or in the public at large, or playing an easy schedule to pick up extra wins. Orr’s point is that he’s NOT going to make a move that might ruin the program in order to save his job. He should be APPLAUDED for that attitude … it’s in the best interests of the program. If you disagree, think about this: How many of us would cut a corner to try and save our jobs? Orr’s point is that he won’t do that.

BY THE NUMBERS: The raw numbers, from 16 conference games, show that the Bowling Green offense ranked ninth in the 12-team league with its average of 61.8 points per game. The Falcons struggled to shoot the ball, making 43.3 percent of their shots (eighth in MAC) and just 30.8 percent of their 3-point attempts. While BG did a good job of not turning the ball over more than its opponents over the course of the season (plus-0.34 turnovers per game), in MAC play the Falcons were minus-1.38 in turnovers (ninth in MAC).

If you would like to read a pretty thorough analysis of the offense from a statistical perspective, click here to read this analysis by FalconBlog.

Defensively, Bowling Green tied for fourth in scoring defense, allowing 62.6 points per game. The Falcons did a nice job of contesting shots, forcing opponents to shoot just 42.1 percent overall (fifth in MAC) and 30.3 percent of their 3-pointers (third in MAC).  In terms of rebounding, the number I look at is defensive rebounding percentage (in short, what percentage of the available rebounds on the defensive boards did a team grab?), and BG ranked fifth at 69.4 percent.

If you would like to read a pretty thorough analysis of the defense from a statistical perspective, click here to read this analysis by FalconBlog.

If you didn't read those two analyses, here's the executive summary ... the offense was bad by MAC standards, the defense was good.

PLAYERS LOST: The Falcons graduate four seniors in A’uston Calhoun, Jordon Crawford, James Erger and Luke Kraus. By the numbers …

• CALHOUN: 15.1 ppg (6th MAC), 7.1 rpg (6th MAC), 78.2 FT% (11th MAC)
• CRAWFORD: 15.0 ppg (7th), 2.6 rpg, 4.3 apg (5th MAC), 75.6 FT% (15th MAC), 1.7 spg (5th MAC), 1.7 3’s per game (12th MAC), 1.2 assist-to-turnover ratio
• KRAUS: 4.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 52 assists (only 30 turnovers), 38 steals, 22 3’s
• ERGER: 1.5 ppg, 0.9 rpg, 20 assists (only 13 turnovers), 11 steals

Offensively, it’s worth noting that while Calhoun and Crawford scored a large percent of the team’s points (Calhoun had roughly 45 percent, Crawford 39 percent), the pair also took the lion’s share of BG’s shots: Calhoun took 412 of 1795 (23.0 percent) while Crawford took 459 (25.6 percent). In MAC play

COACH LOUIS ORR SAID: “Even with A’uston and Jordon, our game plan wasn’t to go out and try to outscore people. We weren’t going out to play run-and-gun basketball. You still have to defend and rebound, you still have to win the battle of the loose balls. How you generate offense and make up for these lost points is something [we have to deal with]. …

“None of our players have reached their peak yet -– they all have a big upside. To me, as a coach, that’s the exciting part of it. And that’s the challenge of it. We have guys who have not played their best games yet, and you want them to play their best basketball. You know there’s room for growth based on their potential and talent. But a lot of that also is based on their work: You have to put the work in between now and November. When you have a team full of players with a high ceiling, with a high potential for growth, you have a chance to get better.”

THURSDAY: A look at the Falcons’ returning players.

Related articles

Why Orr will return as BG men's coach

Orr will return as coach for 2013-14 season

MAC women's basketball tournament update

Here is an update on the Mid-American Conference women's basketball tournament pairings ...

FIRST ROUND

Saturday, March 9

At Campus Sites

Game 1: No. 9 Western Michigan 80, No. 8 Eastern Michigan 72

Game 2: No. 7 Buffalo 56, Northern Illinois 46

Game 3: No. 6 Miami 83, No. 11 Ohio 61

Game 4: No. 5 Bowling Green 76, No. 12 Kent State 36

SECOND ROUND

Wednesday, March 13

At Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland

Game 5: Western Michigan v. Bowling Green, noon

Game 6: Buffalo v. Miami, 2:30 p.m.

THIRD ROUND

Thursday, March 14

At Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland

Game 7: Winner Game 6 v. No. 4 Central Michigan, noon

Game 8: Winner Game 5 v. No. 3 Akron, 2:30 p.m.

SEMIFINALS

Friday, March 15

At Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland

Game 9: Winner Game 7 v. No. 1 Toledo, noon

Game 10: Winner Game 8 v. No. 2 Ball State, 2:30 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP

At Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland

Saturday, March 16th

Game 11: Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.

Mid-American Conference men's basketball 2013 Tournament pairings, tiebreakers and schedule

Here is a breakdown for the Mid-American Conference men's basketball tournament pairings ...

FIRST ROUND
March 11 - Campus Sites
Game 1: #9 Central Michigan (4-12) at #8 Buffalo (7-9), 7 p.m.
Game 2: #10 Northern Illinois (3-13) at #7 Eastern Michigan (7-9), 7 p.m.
Game 3: #11 Miami (3-13) at #6 Bowling Green (7-9), 7 p.m.

SECOND ROUND
March 13 - Quicken Loans Arena
Game 4: #5 Ball State (8-8) vs. Game 1 winner, 6:30 PM (STO)
Game 5: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 9 PM (STO)

THIRD ROUND
March 14 - Quicken Loans Arena
Game 6: #4 Kent State (9-7) vs. Game 4 winner, 6:30 PM (STO)
Game 7: #3 Western Michigan (10-6) vs. Game 5 winner, 9 PM (STO)

SEMIFINALS
March 15 - Quicken Loans Arena
Game 8: #1 Akron (14-2) vs. Game 6 winner, 6:30 PM (STO)
Game 9: #2 Ohio (14-2) vs. Game 7 winner, 9 PM (STO)

CHAMPIONSHIP
March 16 - Quicken Loans Arena
Semifinal winners, 6:30 PM (ESPN2)

Here's how the Mid-American Conference standings look ...

1.    Akron (14-2)

2.    Ohio (14-2)

3.    Western Michigan (10-6)

4.    Kent State (9-7)

5.    Ball State (8-8)

6.    Bowling Green (7-9)

7.    Eastern Michigan (7-9)

8.    Buffalo (7-9)

9.    Central Michigan (4-12)

10.    Northern Illinois (3-13)

11.    Miami  (3-13)

Here is how I broke the ties …

• First and second seeds: Akron defeated Ohio twice head-to-head.
• Sixth through eighth seeds: Bowling Green wins the tiebreaker at this point because of its 2-1 record (1-1 v. Buffalo, 1-0 v. EMU), compared to 1-1 for Eastern Michigan (beat Buffalo, lost to BG) and 1-2 for Buffalo.
• Tenth and 11th seeds: Northern Illinois defeated Miami head-to-head.

Here is how the MAC breaks ties …

1. Between TWO teams:

A. Head-to-head competition

B. Division Record (10 games)^

C. Winning percentage* vs. ranked conference teams (top to bottom, regardless of division, vs.

common opponents regardless of the number of times played)

D. Coin flip

^ - For the purpose of determining the Division champion only

* - Winning percentage is used instead of record because of situations where teams do not play each other the same number of times. Therefore, a team that is 1-0 (1.000) would win the tiebreaker over a team that is 2-1 (.667).

2. For MULTIPLE (3 or more) team ties:

E. Total won-lost record of games played among the tied teams

F. Two (2)-team tie-breaker procedure goes into effect (refer to A)

NOTE: Once a three-team tie has been reduced to two teams, the two-team tiebreaker will go into effect

Mid-American Conference women's basketball 2013 Tournament pairings, tiebreakers and schedule

Here is a breakdown for the Mid-American Conference women's basketball tournament pairings ...

FIRST ROUND

Saturday, March 9

At Campus Sites

Game 1: No. 9 Western Michigan at No. 8 Eastern Michigan, 2:30 p.m.

Game 2: No. 10 Northern Illinois at No. 7 Buffalo, 2 p.m.

Game 3: No. 11 Ohio at No. 6 Miami, 2 p.m.

Game 4: No. 12 Kent State at No. 5 Bowling Green, 1 p.m.

SECOND ROUND

Wednesday, March 13

At Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland

Game 5: Winner Game 1 v. Winner Game 4, noon

Game 6: Winner Game 2 v. Winner Game 3, 2:30 p.m.

THIRD ROUND

Thursday, March 14

At Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland

Game 7: Winner Game 6 v. No. 4 Central Michigan, noon

Game 8: Winner Game 5 v. No. 3 Akron, 2:30 p.m.

SEMIFINALS

Friday, March 15

At Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland

Game 9: Winner Game 7 v. No. 1 Toledo, noon

Game 10: Winner Game 8 v. No. 2 Ball State, 2:30 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP

At Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland

Saturday, March 16th

Game 11: Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.

Here's how the Mid-American Conference standings looked. ...

1.    Toledo (15-1)

2.    Ball State (12-4)

3.    Akron (12-4)

4.    Central Michigan (12-4)

5.    Bowling Green (11-5)

6.    Miami (10-6)

7.    Buffalo (8-8)

8.    Eastern Michigan (6-10)

9.    Western Michigan (6-10)

10.    Northern Illinois (2-14)

11.    Ohio (1-15)

12.    Kent State (1-15)

Here is how the ties were broken …

• Second through fourth seeds: The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record. Akron beat Ball State but lost to Central Michigan (1-1); Ball State swept Central Michigan and lost to Akron (2-1); Central Michigan beat Akron but lost to Ball State twice (1-2). Based on winning percentage, it's Ball State as the second seed (.667), Akron as the third seed (.500) and Central Michigan as the fourth seed (.333).
• Eighth and ninth seeds: Eastern Michigan swept two games against Western Michigan to win the tiebreaker.
• Eleventh and twelveth seeds: This came down to a coin flip because the tie could not be broken, and Ohio won the coin flip to become the 11th seed. Since Kent State lost, it was the 12th seed.

MAC men's hoops tourney pairings as of March 6

Here is a breakdown for the Mid-American Conference men's basketball tournament pairings IF THE TOURNAMENT STARTED TODAY ...

FIRST ROUND
March 11 - Campus Sites
Game 1: #9 Central Michigan (4-11) at #8 Bowling Green (6-9), 7 p.m.
Game 2: #10 Northern Illinois (3-12) at #7 Ball State (7-8)
Game 3: #11 Miami (3-12) at #6 Buffalo (8-7)

SECOND ROUND
March 13 - Quicken Loans Arena
Game 4: #5 Eastern Michigan (8-7) vs. Game 1 winner, 6:30 PM (STO)
Game 5: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 9 PM (STO)

THIRD ROUND
March 14 - Quicken Loans Arena
Game 6: #4 Kent State (8-7) vs. Game 4 winner, 6:30 PM (STO)
Game 7: #3 Western Michigan (9-6) vs. Game 5 winner, 9 PM (STO)

SEMIFINALS
March 15 - Quicken Loans Arena
Game 8: #1 Akron (14-1) vs. Game 6 winner, 6:30 PM (STO)
Game 9: #2 Ohio (13-2) vs. Game 7 winner, 9 PM (STO)

CHAMPIONSHIP
March 16 - Quicken Loans Arena
Semifinal winners, 6:30 PM (ESPN2)

Here's a how the MAC standings would look, the remaining games for each team, and the best- and worst-case scenarios for each team (in other words, the best and worst finishes possible for each team) as well as the “realistic” finish for each team (“Real” column). ...

Seed	Team	MAC	MAC Games Remaining	Best	Real	Worst
No. 1	Akron	14-1	KSU	1	1	1
No. 2	Ohio	13-2	MU	2	2	2
No. 3	WMU	9-6	CMU	3	3	3
No. 4	KSU	8-7	@UA	4	4	4
No. 5	EMU	7-8	UT	5	5-6	7
No. 6	Buffalo	7-8	@BG	5	5-6	8
No. 7	BSU	7-8	NIU	5	5-7	8
No. 8	BG	6-9	UB	5	8	8
No. 9	CMU	4-11	@WMU	9	9	11
No. 10	NIU	3-12	@BSU	9	10	11
No. 11	Miami	3-12	@OU	9	11	11

Here is how I broke the ties at this point …

• Third seed: If Western Michigan and Kent State finish tied, WMU wins the tiebreaker with a head-to-head victory.
• Fourth seed: Kent State wins potential tiebreakers with Ball State, Buffalo and Ball State with head-to-head victories. In any combination of ties, KSU remains unbeaten and wins the tiebreaker as well.
• Fifth through seventh seeds: Eastern Michigan wins the tiebreaker at this point because of its 2-1 record compared to 1-1 for Buffalo and 1-2 for Ball State. Buffalo is next because of its head-to-head win over Ball State.
• Ninth through 11th seeds: Another three-way tie with winning percentage breaking the tie. Northern Illinois is 2-1 (66.7 percent), followed by Miami at 1-1 (50 percent) and Central Michigan at 1-2 (33.3 percent).

Here is how the MAC breaks ties …

1. Between TWO teams:

A. Head-to-head competition

B. Division Record (10 games)^

C. Winning percentage* vs. ranked conference teams (top to bottom, regardless of division, vs.

common opponents regardless of the number of times played)

D. Coin flip

^ - For the purpose of determining the Division champion only

* - Winning percentage is used instead of record because of situations where teams do not play each other the same number of times. Therefore, a team that is 1-0 (1.000) would win the tiebreaker over a team that is 2-1 (.667).

2. For MULTIPLE (3 or more) team ties:

E. Total won-lost record of games played among the tied teams

F. Two (2)-team tie-breaker procedure goes into effect (refer to A)

NOTE: Once a three-team tie has been reduced to two teams, the two-team tiebreaker will go into effect

Here’s a breakdown of the seedings…

• First seed. Akron has clinched the top seed.
• Second seed. Ohio has clinched the second seed.
• Third seed.Western Michigan has clinched the third seed.
• Fourth seed.Kent State has clinched the fourth seed.
• Fifth seed. Some actual work, finally … Eastern Michigan would almost certainly be the fifth seed if it wins against Toledo. The only way the Eagles would not be fifth after a win is if Ball State wins and Buffalo loses; in that scenario Ball State is the fifth seed (the two teams split head-to-head, but BSU swept Western Michigan while EMU was 1-1 against the Broncos). Ball State also would be the fifth seed with a win against Northern Illinois AND losses by EMU and Buffalo. … Buffalo also would be the fifth seed if it won at Bowling Green AND both EMU and BSU lost. Buffalo would be fifth if it won AND only EMU loss (regardless of BSU result) because UB loses head-to-head with the Eagles but wins head-to-head with the Cardinals. … Believe it or not, Bowling Green also could claim the fifth seed, but the Falcons need help. BG needs to beat Buffalo AND have BOTH Eastern Michigan AND Ball State lose. In that scenario there would be a four-way tie for fifth which BG would claim with a 3-1 record against the other teams (BSU is 1-3, UB is 2-2, EMU is 2-2).
• Sixth seed. Buffalo would be the sixth seed in a number of different scenarios. If the Bulls win AND Eastern Michigan wins, the Bulls would be sixth. UB also could be sixth despite a loss if Ball State also loses. … Eastern Michigan would be the sixth seed if it wins ONLY if Ball State wins AND Buffalo loses. With a loss, EMU would be the sixth seed ONLY if Bowling Green beat Buffalo. … Ball State must win AND Eastern Michigan must lose AND Buffalo must win for the Cardinals to be the sixth seed. … Bowling Green would be the sixth seed ONLY if it wins AND Eastern Michigan loses AND Ball State wins.
• Seventh seed. Eastern Michigan would be the seventh seed ONLY if it loses AND Buffalo wins. … To be the seventh seed, Buffalo must lose AND Ball State must win. … To be the seventh seed, Ball State has several opportunities. The Cardinals will be the seventh seed if they win AND both Eastern Michigan AND Buffalo win. If Ball State loses, the Cards will be the seventh seed IF Eastern Michigan wins. … Bowling Green will be the seventh seed if it wins AND Eastern Michigan wins AND Ball State loses.
• Eighth seed. Bowling Green will be the eighth seed if it loses to Buffalo Friday. If the Falcons win AND Ball State wins AND Eastern Michigan wins, BG will be the eighth seed. … These other scenarios obviously require a BG win. Ball State will be the eighth seed if BG wins AND the Cards lose. … Buffalo would be the eighth seed if BG wins AND Ball State wins.
• Ninth seed. Central Michigan would clinch the ninth seed with a win at Western Michigan. The Chippewas also would be the ninth seed if both Northern Illinois AND Miami lose. … Northern Illinois would be the ninth seed if Central Michigan loses AND the Huskies win. … Miami would be the ninth seed in Central Michigan loses AND Northern Illinois loses AND the RedHawks win.
• Tenth seed. Central Michigan will be the tenth seed if it loses AND Northern Illinois wins AND Miami loses. … Northern Illinois will be the tenth seed if Central Michigan wins if the Huskies remain tied with Miami – if both teams win or both teams lose (NIU wins the tiebreaker with a head-to-head win over the RedHawks). NIU also will be tenth if it wins and Miami loses (for obvious record reasons)… Miami will the tenth seed if it wins UNLESS both Central Michigan AND Northern Illinois lose. The RedHawks also would be tenth if they win AND Northern Illinois loses.
• Eleventh seed. Miami would be the 11th seed if the RedHawks finish tied with Northern Illinois (and not tied with Central Michigan). A loss would guarantee 11th, as would a Northern Illinois win UNLESS Central Michigan lost. … Northern Illinois would be the 11th seed if it loses AND Central Michigan wins AND Miami wins… The only way Central Michigan would be the 11th seed is if the Chippewas lost AND Northern Illinois won AND Miami won.

If you see anything amiss (or want to add anything, click on the "comment" link below and let me know!

MAC women's hoops tourney pairings as of March 3

Here's a how the Mid-American Conference standings would look, the remaining game for each team, and the best- and worst-case scenarios for each team (in other words, the best and worst finishes possible for each team and the realistic finishing place for every MAC squad (“Real” category). ...

Seed	Team	MAC	Game Remaining	Best	Real	Worst
No. 1	Toledo	14-1	BSU	1	1	1
No. 2	BSU	12-3	@UT	2	2	3
No. 3	CMU	11-4	@EMU	3	3	4
No. 4	Akron	11-4	@UB	2	4	4
No. 5	BGSU	10-5	@KSU	3	5	6
No. 6	Miami	9-6	@OU	5	6	7
No. 7	Buffalo	8-7	UA	6	7	7
No. 8	EMU	6-9	CMU	8	8	8
No. 9	WMU	5-10	NIU	9	9	9
No. 10	NIU	2-13	@WMU	10	10	10
No. 11	KSU	1-14	BG	11	11-12	12
No. 11	OU	1-14	MU	11	11-12	12

Here is how I broke the ties in the standings …

• Third seed: Central Michigan beat Akron head-to-head.
• 11th seed: I believe this will come down to a coin flip. The tie currently cannot be broken since the two teams split their season series against one another and did not win another game (at least to this point). One of them will have to win another game to claim the 11th seed without a coin flip.

Here’s a breakdown of the seedings…

• First seed. Toledo has clinched the top seed.
• Second seed. If Ball State loses AND Akron wins AND Central Michigan loses, Akron will be the second seed. In any other scenario, Ball State will be the second seed. Central Michigan cannot be the second seed (the best the Chippewas can do is tie with BSU, and their 0-2 record against the Cardinals will cause them to lose tiebreakers). Akron needs CMU to lose also because the Zips lose a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Chippewas.
• Third seed. If Ball State doesn’t win the second seed, Ball State must be the third seed. Assuming that doesn’t happen … IF Bowling Green wins at KSU AND Central Michigan loses at EMU AND Akron loses at Buffalo, Bowling Green will be the third seed. … IF Akron wins at UB AND Central Michigan loses at EMU, Akron will be the third seed. … In all other scenarios Central Michigan would be the third seed.
• Fourth seed. IF Bowling Green wins at Kent State AND Central Michigan loses at Eastern Michigan AND Akron wins at Buffalo, Bowling Green is the fourth seed. … IF CMU wins, Akron is the fourth seed regardless of its result. … If CMU loses at Eastern Michigan AND Akron wins at Buffalo AND Bowling Green loses at Kent State, Central Michigan is the fourth seed.
• Fifth seed. IF Central Michigan loses at EMU AND Bowling Green wins at KSU AND Akron wins at Buffalo, Central Michigan would be the fifth seed (BG wins tiebreaker with head-to-head win). … IF Bowling Green loses at Kent State AND Miami wins at Ohio, Miami would be the fifth seed. … If BG wins at KSU but is shut out of the third and fourth seeds, Bowling Green would be the fifth seed. Akron cannot be the fifth seed since it wins a head-to-head tiebreaker with BG (East Division victories: even with a loss UA would be 8-2, BG can do no better than 7-3) and would not lose a three-way tiebreaker involving CMU (both UA and BG would be 2-1, CMU would be 1-1).
• Sixth seed. IF Bowling Green loses at Kent State AND Miami wins at Ohio, Bowling Green would be the sixth seed. Assuming BG wins at KSU, IF Buffalo beats Akron AND Miami loses to Ohio, Buffalo would be the sixth seed. If any other scenario, Miami would be the sixth seed.
• Seventh seed. If Buffalo beats Akron AND Miami loses to Ohio, Miami would be the seventh seed. In any other scenario, Buffalo will be the seventh seed. UPDATED: This isn't completely true ... in the first scenario (UB beats UA and MU loses to OU), it assumes Akron still finishes in front of BG so Buffalo wins the tiebreaker. If BG finishes in front of Akron, Miami wins the tiebreaker with its 2-0 record vs. BG (Buffalo is 1-1). See why my brain is bleeding?
• Eighth seed. Eastern Michigan has clinched the eighth seed. Even if the Eagles lose and Western Michigan wins, EMU wins the tiebreaker with a 2-0 record against the Broncos.
• Ninth seed. Western Michigan has clinched the ninth seed. The Broncos cannot beat the Eagles and no one can catch them at this position.
• Tenth seed. Northern Illinois has clinched the tenth seed. The Huskies cannot catch WMU and win tiebreakers with Kent State and Ohio (and a three-way tiebreaker) thanks to wins over the Golden Flashes and Bobcats.
• Eleventh and twelfth seed. Currently tied. If Kent State beats Bowling Green, Kent State would be the 11th seed. If KSU loses and Ohio beats Miami, Ohio would be the 11th seed. If both teams lose, this will come down to a coin flip.

Want to check my work? Then you need to know how to break ties in standings. And here's how to break them …

• Ball State: WINS a tiebreaker with Central Michigan (2-0 head-to-head). LOSES a tiebreaker with Akron (lost head-to-head).
• Akron: WINS a tiebreaker with Ball State (won head-to-head). LOSES a tiebreaker with Central Michigan (lost head-to-head). WINS a tiebreaker with Bowling Green (since two teams would tie for East Division title, tiebreaker is division record: Akron can do no worse than 8-2, BG no better than 7-3).
• Central Michigan: WINS a tiebreaker with Akron (won head-to-head). LOSES a tiebreaker with Ball State (0-2 head-to-head). LOSES a tiebreaker with Bowling Green (lost head-to-head).
• Bowling Green: WINS a tiebreaker with Central Michigan (won head-to-head). LOSES a tiebreaker with Akron (Zips have better East Division record). LOSES a tiebreaker with Miami (0-2 head-to-head).
• Miami: WINS a tiebreaker with Bowling Green (2-0 head-to-head). LOSES a tiebreaker with Buffalo (to tie, Buffalo would have to beat Akron; UB would be 1-1 against Zips, Miami is 0-2).
• Buffalo: WINS a tiebreaker with Miami (to tie, Buffalo would have to beat Akron; UB would be 1-1 against the Zips, Miami is 0-2).
• Eastern Michigan: WINS a tiebreaker with Western Michigan (2-0 head-to-head).
• Western Michigan: LOSES a tiebreaker with Eastern Michigan (2-0 head-to-head).
• Northern Illinois: WINS a tiebreaker with Kent State (won head-to-head). WINS a tiebreaker with Ohio (won head-to-head).
• Kent State & Ohio: Both LOSE a tiebreaker with Northern Illinois (both lost head-to-head). IF both teams win Tuesday, Kent State would WIN the tiebreaker (1-1 vs. Bowling Green while Ohio is 0-2). If both teams lose, there is no way to break the tie.

Here is a breakdown for the Mid-American Conference women's basketball tournament pairings IF THE TOURNAMENT STARTED TODAY ...

FIRST ROUND

Saturday, March 9

At Campus Sites

Game 1: No. 9 Western Michigan at No. 8 Eastern Michigan

Game 2: No. 10 Northern Illinois at No. 7 Buffalo

Game 3: No. 11 Kent State/Ohio at No. 6 Miami

Game 4: No. 12 Kent State/Ohio at No. 5 Bowling Green, 1 p.m.

SECOND ROUND

Wednesday, March 13

At Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland

Game 5: Winner Game 1 v. Winner Game 4, noon

Game 6: Winner Game 2 v. Winner Game 3, 2:30 p.m.

THIRD ROUND

Thursday, March 14

At Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland

Game 7: Winner Game 6 v. No. 4 Akron, noon

Game 8: Winner Game 5 v. No. 3 Central Michigan, 2:30 p.m.

SEMIFINALS

Friday, March 15

At Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland

Game 9: Winner Game 7 v. No. 1 Toledo, noon

Game 10: Winner Game 8 v. No. 2 Ball State, 2:30 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP

At Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland

Saturday, March 16th

Game 11: Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.

Finally, for Bowling Green fans: The Falcons in a nutshell. Here's what BG needs to have happen in the final set of regular-season games Wednesday ...

• Third seed: The only way the Falcons can finish third is if Bowling Green wins at Kent State while Akron loses at Buffalo and Central Michigan loses at Eastern Michigan. In that scenario the three way tie breaks BG's way thanks to a 2-1 record; Central Michigan is 1-1 while Akron is 1-2.
• Fourth seed: The only way the Falcons can finish fourth is if Bowling Green wins at KSU while Central Michigan loses at EMU and Akron WINS at UB. In that scenario BG and CMU are tied, and the Falcons win the tiebreaker thanks to their regular-season win over the Chippewas.
• Fifth seed: Every circumstance except the ones I have listed here.
• Sixth seed: The only way the Falcons finish sixth is if Bowling Green loses at Kent State while Miami wins at Ohio. In that scenario BG and Miami tie, and the RedHawks win the tiebreaker with two regular-season victories over the Falcons.

MAC men's hoops tourney pairings as of March 2

Here is a breakdown for the Mid-American Conference men's basketball tournament pairings IF THE TOURNAMENT STARTED TODAY ...

FIRST ROUND
March 11 - Campus Sites
Game 1: #9 Northern Illinois (3-11) at #8 Ball State (6-8)
Game 2: #10 Miami (3-11) at #7 Bowling Green (6-8)
Game 3: #11 Central Michigan (3-11) at #6 Buffalo (7-7)

SECOND ROUND
March 13 - Quicken Loans Arena
Game 4: #5 Eastern Michigan (7-7) vs. Game 1 winner, 6:30 PM (STO)
Game 5: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 9 PM (STO)

THIRD ROUND
March 14 - Quicken Loans Arena
Game 6: #4 Kent State (7-7) vs. Game 4 winner, 6:30 PM (STO)
Game 7: #3 Western Michigan (9-5) vs. Game 5 winner, 9 PM (STO)

SEMIFINALS
March 15 - Quicken Loans Arena
Game 8: #1 Akron (13-1) vs. Game 6 winner, 6:30 PM (STO)
Game 9: #2 Ohio (12-2) vs. Game 7 winner, 9 PM (STO)

CHAMPIONSHIP
March 16 - Quicken Loans Arena
Semifinal winners, 6:30 PM (ESPN2)

Here's a how the MAC standings would look, the remaining games for each team, and the best- and worst-case scenarios for each team (in other words, the best and worst finishes possible for each team) as well as the “realistic” finish for each team (“Real” column). ...

Seed	Team	MAC	MAC Games Remaining	Best	Real	Worst
No. 1	Akron	13-1	MU, KSU	1	1	2
No. 2	Ohio	12-2	@UB, MU	1	2	2
No. 3	WMU	9-5	BSU, CMU	3	3	3
No. 4	KSU	7-7	BG, @UA	3	4-6	8
No. 5	EMU	7-7	@CMU, UT	4	4-6	8
No. 6	Buffalo	7-7	OU, @BG	4	4-6	8
No. 7	BGSU	6-8	@KSU, UB	4	4-7	8
No. 8	BSU	6-8	@WMU, NIU	4	8	8
No. 9	NIU	3-11	@UT, @BSU	9	9-11	11
No. 10	Miami	3-11	@UA, @OU	9	9-11	11
No. 11	CMU	3-11	EMU, @WMU	9	9-11	11

Here is how I broke the ties …

• Fourth through sixth seeds: It’s a three-way tie, so winning percentage against the group rules the day. Kent State is 3-0 (100 percent), followed by Eastern Michigan at 1-1 (50 percent) and Buffalo at 0-3 (00 percent).
• Seventh seed: Bowling Green beat Ball State head-to-head.
• Ninth through 11th seeds: Another three-way tie with winning percentage breaking the tie. Northern Illinois is 2-1 (66.7 percent), followed by Miami at 1-1 (50 percent) and Central Michigan at 1-2 (33.3 percent).

Here is how the MAC breaks ties …

1. Between TWO teams:

A. Head-to-head competition

B. Division Record (10 games)^

C. Winning percentage* vs. ranked conference teams (top to bottom, regardless of division, vs.

common opponents regardless of the number of times played)

D. Coin flip

^ - For the purpose of determining the Division champion only

* - Winning percentage is used instead of record because of situations where teams do not play each other the same number of times. Therefore, a team that is 1-0 (1.000) would win the tiebreaker over a team that is 2-1 (.667).

2. For MULTIPLE (3 or more) team ties:

E. Total won-lost record of games played among the tied teams

F. Two (2)-team tie-breaker procedure goes into effect (refer to A)

NOTE: Once a three-team tie has been reduced to two teams, the two-team tiebreaker will go into effect

Here are a few thoughts about the seedings and tiebreakers …

• The first three seeds are pretty much set: Even with Saturday’s loss to Buffalo, Akron needs only one more win (or one more Ohio loss) to claim the top seed. Ohio can finish no lower than second, and Western Michigan wins all the tiebreakers I can find (beat Kent State, beat Buffalo, and wins tiebreaker with EMU thanks to 2-0 record vs. Toledo) to claim third.
• Seeds four through eight are anything but set: Kent State sits in the best position to claim the fourth seed, having a 2-0 record against Buffalo, a win over Eastern Michigan and a win over Ball State. At this point the Golden Flashes lose a tiebreaker with Bowling Green, but KSU can fix that with a win over the Falcons Tuesday. Losing to BG would really throw a monkey wrench into Kent State’s plans, though.
• Assuming Kent State earns the fourth seed, here is how the other tiebreakers play out. Eastern Michigan is 1-0 vs. Buffalo, 0-1 vs. Bowling Green and 1-1 vs. Ball State (EMU would lose a tiebreaker if BSU beats WMU). Buffalo is 1-0 vs. Bowling Green (with a game on Friday; even if it loses, UB would win the tie with its victory over Akron) and Buffalo is 1-0 vs. Ball State. Bowling Green is 1-0 vs. EMU and BSU and 0-1 vs. UB (and will lose that tiebreaker even with a win Friday). Ball State is 1-1 vs. EMU (with the tie still to be broken), 0-1 vs. UB and 0-1 vs. BG.
• Assuming the three teams at the bottom finish tied, here’s how the ties are broken. Northern Illinois is 2-1 (66.7 percent), Miami is 1-1 (50 percent) and CMU is 1-2 (33.3 percent). NIU split with CMU and beat Miami; CMU split with NIU and lost to Miami. If CMU doesn’t win at home against Eastern Michigan, I would predict all three teams will finish 0-2.

Here are a few notes about BG's tournament possibilities, courtesy of the Falcons' media guru, Jason Knavel ...

• BGSU has clinched no worse than a home game in the first round of the MAC Tournament. Miami, CMU, NIU will all be on the road for the first round as the No. 9, 10, and 11 seeds.

• Based on likely results of other games around the MAC, if BGSU splits its final two games or loses its final two games, Falcons should host a first round home game.

• Based on likely results of other games around the MAC, if BGSU wins its final two games, BGSU would likely earn the No. 4 seed for the MAC Tournament.

• With a split of the final two games, BGSU could still earn a bye with the No. 5 seed IF Eastern Michigan were to lose at Central Michigan Tuesday night. If EMU beats CMU, Falcons could not earn the No. 5 seed with a split.

MAC releases BG football schedule for 2013

On Friday the Mid-American Conference released it 2013 composite football schedule, which included dates (but not times) for all 13 league schools as well as a preliminary television schedule with ESPN dates.

If you haven't seen the schedule, here it is ...

Aug. 29        Tulsa

Sept. 7          *at Kent State

Sept. 14        at Indiana

Sept. 21        Murray State

Sept. 28        *Akron

Oct. 5          *UMass

Oct. 12        at Mississippi State

Oct. 26        *Toledo

Nov. 5         *at Miami, 8:00 pm ET (ESPN2/ESPNU)

Nov 12        *Ohio, TBA (ESPNU/ESPN3)

Nov. 23       *at Eastern Michigan

Nov. 29       *at Buffalo, TBA (ESPNU/ESPN3)

              * Indicates Mid-American Conference games

A few thoughts about this schedule ...

• Well, at least the first MAC game isn't against the Falcons' arch-rival. Bowling Green again starts league play very early, but not against Toledo. The Falcons still play their second game of the season in the league ... on the road ... against Dri Archer and Kent State. Might as well hit the ground running, right?

• If you notice, the MAC portion of the schedule is against the same eight teams BG played last season. While the order of the games changes, the only other change is the venue. Last season the Falcons played at Toledo, at Ohio, at UMass and at Akron, and those are BG's home opponents this season. The road games are at Kent State, at Miami, at Eastern Michigan and at Buffalo.

• The chance for good weather for the home games is pretty good, since the home schedule is front-loaded. After playing two of their first three games on the road, the Falcons play three straight at home from Sept. 21 through Oct. 5. There's also only one home game in November.

• Did anyone else notice when the Falcons' bye appears on the schedule? After playing at Mississippi State on Oct. 12, BG will have the following Saturday off. Their opponent the following week? Toledo, which will have played at home against Navy the previous week.

• There are plenty of midweek games in November, which can't be a surprise. I am a bit surprised that BG's Tuesday, Nov. 12 game against Ohio could possibly NOT be on an ESPN station. Buffalo plays at Toledo that day, and that could be the game on ESPNU, potentially pushing the Ohio at BG game off television. If you're going to have a midweek game, I think it's a must to have it on television. Why play midweek otherwise?

• The MAC continues its tradition of "Black Friday" games with five league games on that date. I haven't given enough thought to solving the problem of playing the final set of league games that day. But until that problem gets resolved, dreadful attendance numbers will continue to be the norm.

• There will be a total of 13 midweek nationally televised games during the month of November on ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN3. The 13 mid-week games represent an increase of five national television games from last season. I know many MAC fans dislike them ... but it's a great marketing tool -- basically a three-hour informercial for the conference on a night where there is no other college football. Whether you or I like them or not, one thing is certain: They aren't going away.

MAC women's hoops tourney pairings as of March 1

Here's a how the Mid-American Conference standings would look, the remaining games for each team, and the best- and worst-case scenarios for each team (in other words, the best and worst finishes possible for each team and the realistic finishing place for every MAC squad (“Real” category). ...

Seed	Team	MAC	Games Remaining	Best	Real	Worst
No. 1	Toledo	13-1	EMU, BSU	1	1	2
No. 2	BSU	11-3	WMU, @UT	1	2-3	5
No. 3	CMU	10-4	@NIU, @EMU	2	2-3	6
No. 4	Akron	10-4	MU, @UB	2	3-4	6
No. 5	Miami	9-5	@UA, @OU	3	4-6	6
No. 6	BGSU	9-5	OU, @KSU	2	5	7
No. 7	Buffalo	7-7	KSU, UA	7	7	9
No. 8	EMU	6-8	@UT, CMU	7	8	9
No. 9	WMU	5-9	@BSU, NIU	8	9	9
No. 10	NIU	2-12	CMU, @WMU	10	10	12
No. 11	KSU	1-13	@UB, BG	10	11-12	12
No. 11	OU	1-13	@BG, MU	10	11-12	12

Here is how I broke the ties …

• Third seed: Central Michigan beat Akron head-to-head.
• 11th seed: I believe this will come down to a coin flip. The tie currently cannot be broken since the two teams split their season series against one another and did not win another game (at least to this point). One of them will have to win another game to claim the 11th seed without a coin flip.

A few other nuggets to consider when looking at tournament byes…

• Toledo almost certainly has clinched the top seed in the tournament. The Rockets can clinch the top seed with a win in either of their final two games or a loss by Ball State (the two play head-to-head at season’s end). The only way UT loses the top seed is if the Rockets lose their final two games and BSU wins their final two; in that scenario both would be 13-3 and they would be 1-1 head-to-head, but BSU would have better divisional record (9-1) than UT (7-3).
• Right now Ball State has the inside track on the second seed. If the Cardinals win out, they will have the second seed. If they tie with Akron they would lose a tiebreaker (head-to-head); currently BSU would win a tiebreaker with CMU (swept the Chippewas head-to-head). Ball State would lose a head-to-head tie with Bowling Green but win against Miami (both decided head-to-head).
• Central Michigan has the inside track on the third seed. If the Chippewas win their final two games, they will be the third seed because they hold the tiebreaker over Akron. CMU also would win a tiebreaker with Miami (head-to-head) but would lose a tiebreaker with Bowling Green (head-to-head).
• Akron has the inside track on the fourth seed. A win over Miami almost certainly would secure the fourth seed with the Zips, who would win a tiebreaker over Bowling Green (the two teams split during the season, but Akron has the better record in the division) and Miami (two head-to-head wins) as well as a three-way tie (3-1 record against those two teams). With a loss to Miami, Akron would still win the tiebreaker with Miami (they would have split head-to-head, have the same record in the division, but Akron beat Ball State while Miami lost to BSU) and BG (still division record).
• Bowling Green and Miami are the two most plausible choices for the fifth and sixth seeds. If the two finish with the same record, Miami wins the tiebreaker by sweeping the regular-season series. BG would win tiebreakers with Ball State and Central Michigan if it could manage to tie those two schools but would lose a tiebreaker with Akron (the Zips will have a better record in the division, and that matters for first-place teams). Obviously a Miami loss to Akron and a BG sweep would give BG fifth.
• Buffalo would clinch the seventh seed by winning either of its final two games. The Bulls have beaten both Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan head-to-head so it would win all tiebreakers in any scenario involving those teams. Buffalo cannot move any higher because it loses tiebreakers with the teams ahead of them.
• Eastern Michigan has the advantage over Western Michigan for the eighth seed. Eastern Michigan has swept the season series with the Broncos so it would win that head-to-head tiebreaker. The only way WMU can finish eighth is if it wins its final two games and EMU loses its final two.
• Northern Illinois is almost certainly the 10th seed. NIU wins tiebreakers with both Kent State and Ohio. To lose that seed, the Huskies must lose both of their games and have either KSU or OU win both of their final games.
• As mentioned above, at this point there is no way to break the Kent State/Ohio tie without flipping a coin.

Here is a breakdown for the Mid-American Conference women's basketball tournament pairings IF THE TOURNAMENT STARTED TODAY ...

FIRST ROUND

Saturday, March 9

At Campus Sites

Game 1: No. 9 Western Michigan at No. 8 Eastern Michigan

Game 2: No. 10 Northern Illinois at No. 7 Buffalo

Game 3: No. 11 Kent State/Ohio at No. 6 Bowling Green

Game 4: No. 12 Kent State/Ohio at No. 5 Miami

SECOND ROUND

Wednesday, March 13

At Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland

Game 5: Winner Game 1 v. Winner Game 4, noon

Game 6: Winner Game 2 v. Winner Game 3, 2:30 p.m.

THIRD ROUND

Thursday, March 14

At Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland

Game 7: Winner Game 6 v. No. 4 Akron, noon

Game 8: Winner Game 5 v. No. 3 Central Michigan, 2:30 p.m.

SEMIFINALS

Friday, March 15

At Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland

Game 9: Winner Game 7 v. No. 1 Toledo, noon

Game 10: Winner Game 8 v. No. 2 Ball State, 2:30 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP

At Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland

Saturday, March 16th

Game 11: Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.

Related articles

MAC Power Rankings - Feb. 28

MAC women's hoops tourney pairings as of Feb. 25