With the Mid-American Conference (MAC) men’s basketball season at its conclusion, the remaining eight teams will take the trip up to Cleveland, Ohio, for the MAC Tournament.
Several teams remain on the outside looking in, with Ball State, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, and Northern Illinois seasons coming to an end, all just on the outside of the qualifying spots.
But now, with the standings set, the final regular-season standings are as follows:
- Miami OH
- Akron
- Kent State
- Toledo
- Bowling Green
- Ohio
- Buffalo
- UMass
Now—here’s where things stand in the standings and the first games of the tournament on March 11
Miami OH (1) vs. UMass (8)
Record: 31-0, 18-0
At this point of the season, everything that needs to be said about the RedHawks has been said: they are the only remaining undefeated team in the nation, they have a swarm of national media attention, and they have a fiery school spirit that includes a student section filled with a swim team.
The RedHawks enter the tournament as the number one seed, with 31 wins in a single season, done through a fast-paced offensive attack, shooting 52.6% from the field and 39.3% from three and scoring 90.9 points per game—all of which are conference highs.
The RedHawks are led by senior guard Peter Suder, who is averaging 14.8 points per game and is widely considered a frontrunner for the MAC player of the year award. The RedHawks have solid guard play, getting solid scoring numbers from Brant Byers and Eian Elmer, both averaging double-digit points per game.
Miami is not going into the tournament unscathed—guard Evan Ispario has missed most of the season due to injury, and Luke Skaljac has been dealing with an injury as well.
Last season, the RedHawks lost to Akron in the MAC Championship on a last-second shot by Nate Johnson—all that remains to be seen is if they can complete their storybook season with a conference championship.
Record: 16-15, 7-11
The lowest-ranked team in the tournament, UMass, sneaks into the eighth seed after snapping a six-game losing streak with a 94-82 win over Ohio.
The Minutemen have a solid offensive attack, scoring 80.5 points per game- their team strength, however, lies in rebounding—they are a top-three rebounding team in the MAC with 37.4 rebounds per game.
UMass is led by the two-headed attack of forward Leonardo Bettiol (17.8 ppg) and Marcus Banks Jr. (16.9 ppg). The Minutemen are shooting 46.9% from the field and 35.4% from three-point range.
The Minutemen fell in both games to the RedHawks, losing 86-84 on Jan 27 and 86-77 on Feb 17.
Akron (2) vs Buffalo (7)
Record: 26-5, 17-1
The reigning and defending champions of the MAC- Akron is searching for its fourth championship in five years and is searching to complete a three-peat after capturing the MAC title in 2023 and 2024.
After capturing the championship in 2024, Akron saw six players leave the team for graduation and the transfer portal- including MAC defensive/player of the year Nate Johnson transferring to Kansas State.
The Zips have come back swinging harder than ever—with an undefeated 15-0 record on home court and winning seven games in a row to finish the season.
Akron is averaging 89.6 points per game, shooting 50.7% from the field and 38.5% from three. The Zips’ rebounding game is stronger than ever with 38.2 per game, in part due to the efforts of forward Amani Lyles, who is grabbing 7.2 rebounds per game—a team high.
Guard Tavari Johnson has stepped up for the Zips, averaging a career- and team high 20.2 points per game in his senior season.
Buffalo Bulls
Record: 17-14, 7-11
For the first time since the 2022-23 season and under head coach George Halcovage III, the Bulls have made the MAC tournament as the seventh seed.
The Bulls had major struggles in MAC play, starting with a 3-0 record vs the conference before falling into a five-game losing streak, which resulted in a 4-11 record after the hot start.
Buffalo went 0-2 vs Akron this season, with both losses being decided by double-digit margins. To start the first round with an upset, the Bulls will have to play through guard Ryan Sabol, as leading scorer Daniel Freitag has been out for the past three games.
Buffalo is averaging 78.3 points per game- while shooting 38.3% from three-point range—the third-best three-point shooting in the MAC.
Kent State (3) vs Ohio (6)
Record: 23-8, 14-4
The Golden Flashes captured the MAC championship in 2023, but fell in the championship game to Akron in 2024 and were eliminated in the second round by Miami OH in a 72-64 final last year.
Kent State’s offense is as explosive as ever, shooting 36.1% from three and scoring 85.6 points per game. Kent State’s offense and rebounding attack is led by Delrecco Gillespie– averaging 18.1 points and 11.2 rebounds (the 4th most in the nation)- resulting in 39.7 rebounds per game.
The rest of the defense is a different story for the Golden Flashes, allowing a conference-high 79.9 points per game.
Kent State finished the regular season with a 6-1 record. Kent State and Ohio only faced each other once this season, with the Golden Flashes picking up the 72-57 win.
Record: 15-16, 9-9
While the Golden Flashes are on a hot streak entering the tournament, Ohio comes in limping, suffering three losses in a row at the end of the season.
Ohio suffered a 110-108 loss in overtime to Miami OH to end their regular season. The Bobcats went 4-6 over the past 10 games of the regular season.
The Bobcats are averaging 78 points per game, but are shooting a conference-worst 31.0% from three-point range. Ohio does not have the strongest rebounding either, ranking as the fourth-worst team in the MAC with 33.6 per game.
Ohio is led by star player Jackson Paveletzke—averaging 17.5 points and 5.2 assists per game—leading the team in both categories.
Toledo (4) vs. Bowling Green (5)
Record: 17-14, 11-7
For the 16th year in a row under head coach Tod Kowalczyk, the Toledo Rockets have qualified for the MAC Tournament. The Rockets are still searching for their first MAC Tournament championship since the inaugural 1980 tournament.
The Rockets finished the season with a 4-1 record, with a 98-78 win over Buffalo in their regular-season finale.
Toledo is scoring 81.5 points and shooting 48.6% from the field this season. The Rockets are led by a two-headed monster of guards, Sonny Wilson (17.4 points) and freshman Leroy Blyden Jr. (16.2).
An underrated part of Toledo’s game is taking away the basketball, as a collective nabbing 7.1 steals per game. They’ll need to make full use of this skill as they face their rivals and the top steals team in the MAC.
Record: 18-13, 9-9
Bowling Green enters their third straight season in the MAC tournament under the helm of head coach Todd Simon. Last season, the Falcons lost in the first round in dominating fashion, 96-67, to the eventual champion Akron Zips.
The Falcons picked up back-to-back wins against UMass and Eastern Michigan to end their season. Against Eastern Michigan, forward Sam Towns scored 15 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, as well as recording 15 rebounds vs. UMass.
The Falcons are led by star guard Javontae Campbell, who is averaging 18.8 points per game and 3.1 steals per game (96 total—a school record). Due to his efforts, the Orange and Brown are averaging 81.5 points and 9.81 steals per game.
Bowling Green and Toledo have split the series 1-1 this season; a rare third Battle of I-75 will be decided in Cleveland.
