Every team in the conference has now played its way through six out of 18 MAC games, meaning we are officially a third of the way through the MAC schedule.
Three things have become apparent at this benchmark in the season.
First, although it is still early, it is shaping up to be a nine-team race for the eight spots in the MAC Tournament. Northern Illinois, Ohio, and Eastern Michigan have far and away been the bottom three teams so far this year, each on losing streaks reaching four games or more.
Second, Ball State is still the favorite to win the regular season MAC title. They are two games up on the four-way tie for second place and haven’t lost a game in almost a month and a half.
Lastly, the in-between teams are close. The second through eighth place teams include four 4-2 teams and four 3-3 teams. With how close this in-between group is, the standings could shift dramatically at any given moment. What we do know now is that some of the teams in this group are trending up and some are trending in the wrong direction.
Here’s a look at how all the teams are trending, how each team has fared through this first third of the season, and what they will need to accomplish in this next week of MACtion.
- Ball State (14-4, 6-0 MAC)
Senior guard Ally Becki (Ball State athletics website)
The Cardinals look unstoppable! They aren’t just beating conference opponents; they are destroying them. In their most recent game on Saturday against Akron they won by 13 points. Ball State’s win streak now stands at a season-high eight games and they are still undefeated in MAC play.
Ball State is looking like the team to beat through this first third of the year and they are getting it done on both sides of the ball. Offensively, they lead the league in field goal % (45.6 %) and are third in scoring offense (74.8 PPG). Defensively, they lead the league in blocks per game (3.8) and are third in points allowed per game (60.2).
Leading the charge for the Cardinals has been senior guard Ally Becki. Becki leads the conference in assists (5.7 per game), is eighth in PPG (13.7), and is third in steals (2.3 per game). Her veteran leadership has also brought a lot of poise to the Cardinals this season which has kept them calm and collected, even as everyone in the MAC is gunning for their spot atop the league standings.
Ball State will take on a top-three Toledo squad this week before facing off against struggling Northern Illinois.
- Buffalo (15-2, 4-2 MAC)
Senior guard Chellia Watson (Buffalo athletics website)
The Bulls still have the best overall record in the MAC despite being 2 games back of Ball State in the conference standings. They are one of three teams on a two-game winning streak as they beat Miami 59-51 on Saturday after clobbering EMU by 22 points in their previous contest. Despite this streak, they also lost by 22 points to first-place Ball State a game prior.
So which Buffalo team are we going to see in the next third of the season? Statistically, they are one of the best teams in the conference. The Bulls are the top-scoring offense in the MAC thus far (76.3 PPG). They are also the second most efficient team (44.8 FG %). Fifth-year senior guard Chellia Watson is a huge reason for this success. Watson leads the MAC in PPG with 19.4.
The biggest area Buffalo needs to improve in is their three-point shooting. The Bulls make 4.1 threes per game, which is by far the lowest in the conference.
Buffalo will look to separate itself from the pack of 4-2 teams as they take on Akron and Ohio this week, two teams who are on downward slides in the standings as of late.
- Toledo (12-4, 4-2 MAC)
Sophomore guard Ella Weaver (Toledo athletics website)
The Rockets offense took off against Ohio on Saturday, putting up 80 points on the Bobcats stuttering defense. The 15-point win was encouraging after they only scored 38 in a loss to Western Michigan the game prior. Toledo is trending in the right direction since three of their four conference wins have been double-digit blowouts and both losses were settled by three points or less. They could easily be undefeated in the MAC right now if a few baskets went their way.
Besides the Western Michigan game, Toledo’s offense has been fantastic. They rank fourth in the league in scoring (70.4) and are the third-best rebounding team in the MAC with 39.3 RPG.
Grad student guard Sammi Mikonowicz has been the pulse for Toledo this season, leading the team in both points (12.7 PPG) and rebounds (5.6 RPG). She ranks 12th in the conference for both stats.
The Rockets have a showdown with undefeated Ball State up next on their schedule. They then play their arch-rival Bowling Green in the Battle of I-75 on Saturday.
- Kent State (11-7, 4-2 MAC)
Senior center Bridget Dunn (Kent State athletics website)
Kent State hopped up on Western Michigan early on Saturday and never took their foot off the gas pedal, eventually winning 80-50. The 30-point victory for the Golden Flashes was a great way to end off the first third of conference play, especially since WMU was in second place at the time.
The Golden Flashes are inching their way toward the top of the standings with high-quality play in a variety of areas. The Golden Flashes lead the conference in rebounding (42.5 RPG) as well as three-pointers made (8.3 per game). This deadly combination gives them the second-best scoring offense in the MAC right now (76.1 PPG).
As for star power, senior Bridget Dunn has been a force to be reckoned with this season. The 6-foot-3 center leads the league with 10.5 rebounds per game and shoots a deadly 43.4 % from the field (7th in the MAC).
Kent State faces off against Central Michigan and Miami this week.
5. Western Michigan (7-9, 4-2 MAC)
Broncos players huddling up against Kent State (Western Michigan athletics website)
Yikes! Was the hot start to the season a fluke for the Brown & Gold? A 30-point meltdown loss against Kent State has Broncos fans left with a bad taste in their mouth after such a promising start to conference play. Although they are 4-2 in the conference, they are the only 4-2 team with a losing record overall and the only 4-2 team to be in the bottom half of the league in scoring.
WMU is dead last in the MAC in scoring offense (57.1 PPG). This is something that they need to fix going forward. Right now, their fourth-ranked defense is carrying them in most games and this might not be sustainable going forward.
Leading this defense is senior guard/forward Hannah Spitzley who leads the conference in steals (2.9 per game). She has also been the most efficient offensive player for the Broncos, leading the team in FG % (45.3%), which is tied for sixth in the conference.
WMU will face off against two of the hottest teams in the MAC right now in Bowling Green and rival CMU this week. Both teams are on two-game winning streaks.
- Miami (10-6, 3-3 MAC)
Sophomore guard Enjulina Gonzalez (Miami athletics website)
After two blowout victories over Bowling Green and Northern Illinois, Miami lost a close one to Buffalo on Saturday. The eight-point loss was a tough pill to swallow for the Redhawks because they were winning 46-39 heading into the final quarter. However, A 5-point offensive performance for Miami in the fourth was enough to put the game away for Buffalo.
Like WMU, this has been the problem for Miami thus far. The Redhawks have the best defense in the MAC so far, giving up only 56.1 PPG. However, they are in the bottom half of the following offensive statistics (PPG, FG%, REB, threes per game, and APG).
Sophomore guard Enjulina Gonzalez has been a bright spot in this struggling offense. The Mercer University transfer ranks third in the MAC in PPG (16.9) and is fifth in the league in FG % (46.6%).
The Redhawks will have two big games this week against Akron and Kent State. These teams are in eighth and fourth place in the MAC right now so it would be huge for Miami to come away with a week sweep.
7. Bowling Green (9-8, 3-3 MAC)
Falcons congratulating Lexi Fleming for scoring her 1,000th career point against NIU (Bowling Green athletics website)
The Falcons beat Northern Illinois by 14 points on Saturday, giving them wins in back-to-back games. On one hand, Bowling Green is on an upswing and is back to a .500 record in MAC play. On the other hand, they have beaten the three worst teams in the league to get those three wins and have lost by double digits in each of their three losses to top-half teams.
With this being said, Orange & Brown is a team with a low floor but also high ceiling. They have a multitude of players that can contribute every night and also have one of the deepest teams, playing 8,9, or 10 players consistently a night.
One of these bench contributors is freshman guard Johnea Donahue, whose fiery presence on defense has given her the second-most steals per game (2.6) in the conference! On the offensive side, the senior duo of Amy Velasco and Lexi Fleming is one of the best guard combos in the MAC. Velasco is fourth in the league in scoring (16.4 PPG) and Fleming is fourth in the league in threes made per game (2.3).
The Falcons will need this depth and stellar guard play this week as they take on a Western Michigan team looking for a win after their 30-point loss to Kent State and Toledo in a rivalry game on Saturday.
- Akron (9-9, 3-3 MAC)
Akron players huddling (Akron athletics website)
The Zips currently hold the last spot in the MAC tournament a third of the way through the season. However, if they keep playing like they are right now, they may very well fall out of the tournament altogether. Akron is .500 in conference play as well as in their overall record, but they are on a two-game losing streak.
The losses are brutal for Zips fans, losing by 20 to CMU and 23 to Ball State. Because of this, Akron is the team that is going downhill the fastest. With Central Michigan red hot and right behind them in the standings, they need something to change fast.
In my opinion, senior forward Shelbee Brown needs to become a bigger catalyst for the Akron offense. Brown is a great rebounder (7.9 RPG) and is fourth in the league in FG % (47.0%). However, she needs to be getting more touches down low in an offense that opts to shoot the three-pointer a whopping 22.1 times a game while only making 6.3 of them. This comes out to a 28.5 3-pt % (11th in the MAC).
The Zips will play Miami and Buffalo this week with a chance to get right back in the hunt with a week sweep.
- Central Michigan (7-10, 3-3 MAC)
Senior guard Jess Lawson with Assistant coach Chelsie Butler (Central Michigan athletics website)
The Chips are firing up! Central Michigan’s 9-point victory over EMU has given them back-to-back conference wins for the first time this season and it brings their conference record back to .500. Their 20-point win against Akron last week was also huge for possible tiebreakers down the road.
Although it has been an up-and-down season in Mt. Pleasant, the Chippewas are trending upward and are doing it with amazing rebounding. Their 42.2 RPG is second in the MAC and their 15.6 offensive rebounds per game is the most in the league, near doubling last place Ohio’s 8.2.
Getting so many second-chance points is huge for CMU’s offense since they ironically shoot the worst in the league (36.7 FG %). Because of this, the offensive rebounding is not only helpful but is NEEDED for CMU to be successful. Senior guard Jessenia Lawson is instrumental in this rebounding renaissance. The Illinois Springfield transfer’s 8.4 RPG is currently third in the league.
To continue their winning streak, CMU will have to beat Kent State and WMU next week.
- Northern Illinois (7-10, 1-5 MAC)
Senior guard Chelby Koker (Northern Illinois athletics website)
Now we have entered the bottom tier of the MAC at this 1/3 season benchmark. Although Northern Illinois has shown flashes at times of a team worthy of moving higher in the standings, their often-stagnant offense and poor defense continue to hand them conference losses, five of them in a row to be exact.
The defense has been the main problem this year for the Huskies. Their 68.8 points allowed per game this year ranks 10th in the league despite often stellar defensive performances from senior center Brooke Stonebraker. Her 1.1 blocks per game is second in the league and she is also the top rebounder on the team.
Offensively, their problem seems to be that only senior guard Chelby Koker can consistently drive to the basket to score. Koker scored at will against Bowling Green on Saturday and leads the team with 11.9 PPG.
The Huskies will hope to improve their defense and their ability to get more offensive variety in their next matchup against Eastern Michigan before playing Ball State at home in DeKalb.
- Ohio (3-13, 1-5 MAC)
Grad student guard/forward Aliah McWhorter (Ohio athletics website)
The Bobcats’ losing streak has now reached four games after a 15-point loss to Toledo on Saturday. Ohio is slipping fast right now and they are struggling for answers.
They have the second-worst defense in the league, giving up 73.9 PPG. They also have the second-worst offense in the league, scoring an abysmal 58.6 PPG.
They have turned to the three-point ball to be their saving grace this season, shooting more three-point attempts per game (26.9) than any other team in the conference. Ironically, they have the WORST three point % in the MAC, shooting 27.9 % from beyond the arc.
Nothing has seemed to go right for Ohio so far and they will need leaders like senior guard Kennedi Watkins to continue to step up if they want to have a chance to make the MAC tournament at the end of the season.
The Bobcats will play Buffalo and Eastern Michigan this week.
- Eastern Michigan (1-15, 0-6 MAC)
Junior forward Sisi Eleko (Eastern Michigan athletics website)
Every MAC game in this first third of the season has ended in a loss in the scoring column for the Eagles. EMU is not only the worst team in the MAC so far, but they have also looked like one of the worst teams in the country this year. They enter the second third of the MAC season on a 10-game losing streak.
Although their offense isn’t great (60.1 PPG, 10th in the MAC), it’s the Eagle’s defense that has dug them into this hole. EMU gives up 79.3 PPG which is by far the worst in the conference. There are only 5 teams in Division 1 with a worse mark on defense, ranking the Eagle’s defense at 348th in the country.
Something has to change for the Eagles or else this season may be over really soon. The biggest light of hope for the team is junior forward Sisi Eleko. The Canisius University transfer is second in the MAC in PPG (18.8).
The Eagle’s chance to get back into tournament contention may come in this next week’s slate of games as they are set to take on Northern Illinois and Ohio.
