A couple of rivalry games went in opposite directions this week, while a logjam of 4-5 teams has started to form in the middle of the conference standings.
With the Mid-American Conference (MAC) tournament just a little over a month away, here’s how all 12 teams performed this week:
Akron (16-5, 9-0 MAC)
Akron continues to be one of the best and most consistent mid-major programs in the country, extending their win streak to nine after two double-digit victories over Northern Illinois and Kent State.
One of the best stories in college basketball, Akron hasn’t lost a game in 2025 by playing great defense and good team basketball. No player is averaging more than 13.7 points per game, and 10 players chip in at least five points a night.
If he wants it, John Groce could be in line for his second crack at rebuilding a major program.
Miami (16-5, 8-1 MAC)
After last week’s dismantling at the hands of Akron, the RedHawks are back to winning, beating Eastern Michigan by nine on Tuesday and edging out rival Ohio on Saturday in the first edition of ‘The Battle of the Bricks.’
Transfers Peter Suder (Bellarmine) and Kam Craft (Xavier) continue to be a strong one-two punch for Miami, with Suder supplying 15 points and Craft chipping in 14 in Saturday’s win over the Bobbies.
Miami’s turnaround has been strong, landing head coach Travis Steele a new deal lasting through 2032.
8-1 is Miami’s best MAC start since the Wally Szczerbiak-led RedHawks in 1999.
Toledo (13-8, 7-2 MAC)
Toledo improved to 2-0 this past week, with a couple of close wins over Ohio on Tuesday (86-83) and Northern Illinois (89-85).
Five Rockets scored in double figures in Saturday’s win over the Huskies, including a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double from reigning MAC Freshman of the Year, Javan Simmons.
Sam Lewis and Sonny Wilson continue their great seasons, with 23-point and 19-point performances on Saturday, respectively.
Ohio (11-10, 5-4 MAC)
After losing their two starts, Ohio is beginning to feel the black hole. OU lost both of their games by a combined seven points, dropping a home game to Toledo on Tuesday and falling to Miami on the road.
Jackson Paveletzke had the chance to tie Saturday’s game with two ticks left but missed a layup in the paint to seal defeat for the Bobcats.
Ohio still sits firmly in the fourth seed with a game advantage over Kent State.
Kent State (13-8, 4-5 MAC)
The Flashes split their home games this week, blowing Bowling Green out on Tuesday before being blown out themselves by rival Akron.
Kent State still owns the league’s worst offense (70.0), but with back-to-back 70+-point showings, they’re closing in on 11th place Western Michigan.
VonCameron Davis and Jalen Sullinger have held it down for Kent, with Davis scoring 24 points on Tuesday and Sullinger putting up 23 in Saturday’s loss to Akron.
Ball State (10-11, 4-5 MAC)
Ball State also split their games this week, falling by three points to Western Michigan on Tuesday, then beating Buffalo on the road by 13 points.
Payton Sparks had back-to-back double-doubles, scoring 19 points and gathering 17 boards against Western Michigan, then following it up with a season-high 27 points and 14 rebounds against Buffalo.
Central Michigan (10-11, 4-5 MAC)
Another team with a split week, the Chippewas lost by six to Buffalo on Tuesday, before bouncing back in a major way against Bowling Green on Saturday night.
Belmont transfer Kyler Vanderjagt exploded for a career-high 25 points on Saturday night, shooting 8-for-10 from the field and making six of his seven 3-pointers.
Eastern Michigan (10-11, 4-5 MAC)
Eastern Michigan struggled this week, falling to Miami by nine on Tuesday and Western Michigan by seven on Saturday.
Christian Henry and Da’Sean Nelson paced EMU in scoring, with Nelson putting up a 20-point double-double on Saturday and Henry putting up 25 points and six assists on Tuesday.
Eastern Michigan is barely clinging on to the eighth and final seed for March’s MAC tournament.
Western Michigan (7-14, 4-5 MAC)
The Broncos jumped up a spot from last week to this week, taking advantage of a 0-2 week by Bowling Green and a 2-0 week of their own.
On Tuesday, Western Michigan snuck out of Muncie with a three-point win over Ball State, then took care of Eastern Michigan at home, 61-54.
WMU is the tail end of this clog we have in the middle of the conference and is one game out of the final tournament seed.
Bowling Green (7-14, 2-7 MAC)
BG had a brutal week, dropping both road contests by nearly 20 points over the past seven days.
On Tuesday, they fell on the road at Kent State by 18 points, then lost to Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant by 19 on Saturday night.
Bowling Green continues to struggle from the perimeter on both sides, allowing both Kent State and Central Michigan to shoot over 40% from deep while failing to make 30% of their own threes in either game.
BG has now lost five straight games, which is the longest streak in the conference. The Falcons haven’t won a game since January 14.
Marcus Johnson still leads the conference in scoring with 16.8 points per game, with Buffalo’s Ryan Sabol, Ball State’s Jermahri Hill, and Northern Illinois’ Quentin Jones closely in tow.
Buffalo (7-14, 2-7 MAC)
Buffalo split this week, beating Central Michigan in Buffalo, then dropping a home game to Ball State on Saturday.
Ryan Sabol continues to be one of the best scorers in the conference, scoring a game-high 24 points on Tuesday against the Chippewas and managing to put together a 12-point performance on Saturday despite shooting 2-of-10 from three.
Anquan Boldin Jr. (Yes, the son of that Anquan Boldin) led the Bulls with 16 points on Saturday.
Northern Illinois (5-16, 1-8 MAC)
After winning their first conference game last week, NIU is back on another losing streak, dropping both of their games this week.
They kept both games close, losing to juggernaut Akron by just 10 points, then dropping a close game in Toledo on Saturday.
In Tuesday’s game against the Zips, the Huskies had three double-digit scorers, including 22 and 25-point performances from James Dent Jr. and Quentin Jones, respectively.
Against Toledo, the Huskies began the second half down by 13 points and managed to pull all the way back within just one with seconds to go, but weren’t able to close it out.
