All eight tickets to Cleveland are punched as CMU and WMU each won their games on Wednesday, while NIU got eliminated after losing nine to Toledo.

Toledo’s victory clinched the second seed for the Rockets, while Buffalo will get the third seed after losing by 12 to Ball State.

Ball State’s win makes them the top seed in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament for the first time in 22 years.

Saturday’s final regular-season MAC matchups should be very exciting, as five seeds remain up for grabs depending on a variety of outcomes.

Top Three Seeds

1. Ball State (23-7, 15-2 MAC)

The Ball State Cardinals are MAC regular-season champions for the first time since 2003 after beating Buffalo 72-60.

The Cardinals’ defense was stifling, holding MAC points leader Chellia Watson to just 12 points on 25% from the field.

Ball State will match up against either Central Michigan or Western Michigan in the first round of the MAC Tournament in Cleveland next week.

2. Toledo (22-6, 13-4 MAC)

Toledo couldn’t have scripted it any better than what happened on Wednesday. The Rockets’ win over NIU, combined with Buffalo’s loss to Ball State, locks Toledo in as the number two seed in the MAC Tournament.

According to the MAC Tournament tiebreaker rules, although Toledo and Buffalo could end up with the same conference record, Toledo’s two-game sweep over Buffalo gives them the edge since the tiebreaker is between two teams.

Toledo will play either CMU or WMU in the first round. The Rockets are 2-0 against the Chippewas but are 0-1 against the Broncos, scoring a season-low 38 points against WMU back in January.

3. Buffalo (23-6, 12-5 MAC)

Although Buffalo has been the second seed most of the year, they will finish in third place, thanks to a Ball State loss and getting swept by Toledo this season.

The loss to Ball State should be a bit concerning to Buffalo fans as the Bulls were held to 38.1% from the field and their fifth-lowest point total of the season.

The Bulls cap off their regular season with a home game against Western Michigan. Buffalo will then play either Bowling Green or Miami in the first round of the MAC Tournament next week.

Middle of the Pack

4. Kent State (19-11, 11-6 MAC)

The Golden Flashes suffered a brutal 27-point loss to Bowling Green on the road on Wednesday. Kent State’s fourth-ranked MAC defense was no match for Bowling Green’s fourth-ranked MAC offense, as the Falcons scored 30 points in the first quarter and left Kent State in the dust.

Kent State has a tough matchup against Toledo to close out the season. A win would automatically make Kent State the fourth seed in the MAC Tournament, whereas a loss could drop them to fifth with a Miami win over NIU.

Either way, Kent State has the best chance to play Miami in the first round in the 4 vs. 5 matchup. The only way this wouldn’t happen is if Bowling Green wins and Miami loses on Saturday, which would make Kent State the fourth seed and Bowling Green the fifth.

5. Miami (18-10, 10-7 MAC)

Miami lost by three points in a well-fought game against CMU in overtime. The loss gives Miami the most seeding options of anyone in the tournament as the Redhawks could still finish in fourth, fifth, or sixth.

• Miami will finish as the fourth seed if they win AND Kent State loses.
• Miami will finish as the fifth seed if they win AND Kent State wins.
• Miami will finish as the sixth seed if they lose AND Bowling Green wins.

The Redhawks face NIU on Saturday to determine their tournament fate. Miami will play Kent State in the first round if they finish in fourth or fifth but will play Buffalo if they finish in sixth

6. Bowling Green (17-12, 10-7 MAC)

Bowling Green bounced back big from their NIU loss with an 84-61 steamroll over Kent State. Four Falcons scored double digits, including fifth-year guard Lexi Fleming, who led the team with 25 points and six assists.

If the Falcons stay as the sixth seed in the MAC Tournament, they will play Buffalo in the first round.

Bowling Green would move up to fifth and rematch Kent State only if Bowling Green wins AND Miami loses on Saturday.

Bottom Two Seeds

7. Central Michigan (13-16, 8-9 MAC)

The Chippewas won an overtime thriller against Miami to clinch a spot in the MAC Tournament. CMU outrebounded Miami 53-33 in the contest, proving once again why they are the best rebounding team in the conference.

CMU will enter the tournament as the seventh seed as long as they beat Akron on Saturday. If CMU and WMU both lose, then CMU will still be the seventh seed due to sweeping WMU in the regular season. This would result in the Chippewas playing Toledo in the first round.

CMU will only become the eighth seed if they lose to Akron and WMU upsets Buffalo. In this case, the Chippewas would have to play Ball State in the first round.

8. Western Michigan (12-16. 8-9 MAC)

The Broncos clinched the final spot in the MAC Tournament with an impressive 19-point win over Ohio. The Broncos’ 75 points was their third-best offensive performance of the season.

As seen above, WMU will likely be the eighth seed and face off against Ball State in the first round.

The only way the Broncos could move up to seventh and play Toledo would be if they win and CMU drops their game against Akron.

Eliminated

9. Northern Illinois (13-16, 6-11 MAC)

NIU’s longshot hope of getting the eighth seed has officially come to an end. The Huskies lost 79-70 against Toledo, while CMU and WMU each won their respective contests.

NIU simply couldn’t figure out MAC opponents this year. Their 7-5 non-conference record may have more wins than their MAC record if they lose Saturday to Miami.

10. Akron (10-20, 4-13 MAC)

The Zips finally ended their 13-game losing streak with a 70-53 beatdown over Eastern Michigan.

Redshirt senior forward Shelbee Brown possibly had the best single-game performance of the MAC season against EMU, scoring 27 points while collecting a season-high 19 rebounds.

This offensive jolt was too little too late for Akron as the Zips will likely finish in 10th place.

11. Ohio (6-22, 4-13 MAC)

The Bobcats got pummeled by Western Michigan 75-56, bringing Ohio back down to 11th place in the MAC standings.

Ohio will likely stay in 11th as they have a tough matchup against Ball State on Saturday to end a disappointing year in Athens.

12. Eastern Michigan (2-26, 1-16 MAC)

Junior power forward Sisi Eleko had another monstrous game on Wednesday, scoring 21 points and grabbing 11 boards. However, it wasn’t nearly enough, as the Eagles lost by 17 to a spiraling Akron team.

EMU plays Bowling Green on Saturday to wrap up their tumultuous 2025 season.