The third day of the 2026 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Basketball Tournament is complete, with the championship matchups set for Saturday.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Tyler Kavalecz and Lucas Kleimeyer recapped the full day of games and gave their Falcon Four takeaways from action at Rocket Arena in Cleveland.
Miami (OH) proved why they are the top seed on the women’s side
The RedHawks won most of their regular season games with their elite defense.
However, Miami showcased their offense Friday, making 16 3-pointers against Ohio, tied for the second-most in a game in program history, trailing just the 17 triples they made against the Bobcats earlier this season.
Miami obliterated Ohio 80-52, providing the first real blowout on the women’s side of the bracket.
The performance marked just the fifth time this season the RedHawks have scored at least 80 points in a game, and Glenn Box’s team will enter Saturday’s championship game with as much confidence as ever.
Patricia Anumgba is a star
The first player that comes to most people’s minds when they think about Toledo women’s basketball is Kendall Carruthers.
However, Anumgba has been as good, if not better than Carruthers this season.
The graduate student guard, who leads the Rockets with 12.8 points per game after transferring from Towson, is averaging 24.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals in her two MAC Tournament games.
While she was already highly-valued in Toledo, Anumgba has captured the attention of the entire conference in Cleveland.
Additionally, despite injuries and adversity, head coach Ginny Boggess has taken the Rockets to the conference tournament championship game in each of her first two years leading the program, following in the footsteps of her predecessor, Tricia Cullop.
Toledo has a different feel this year
Toledo and head coach Tod Kowalczyk have been known to choke in March, seemingly never winning the big game.
However, the Rockets are aiming to erase that narrative.
Toledo defeated their rival, Bowling Green, in the quarterfinals, before taking down UMass, who just defeated previously undefeated Miami, in the semifinals.
The difference from previous seasons is this year’s Toledo team feels like they have flown under the radar and are playing with house money.
The Rockets have not won a MAC Tournament Championship since the first in 1980, but they will have a chance to change that Saturday, reaching their fourth championship game under Kowalczyk after finishing runner-up in 2014, 2018 and 2023.
Akron is a well-oiled machine
It does not seem to matter who is on the court for Akron, as the John Groce-led Zips always find a way to win.
First Enrique Freeman won MAC Player of the Year and led Akron to a MAC Tournament Championship. After Freeman got drafted by the Indiana Pacers, Nate Johnson did the same thing.
Now, after Nate Johnson transferred to Kansas State, Tavari Johnson has a chance to lead Akron to another tournament championship after leading the conference in scoring.
Groce and the Zips will attempt to win their third straight MAC Tournament Championship Saturday, a feat that has never been accomplished on the men’s side of the bracket.
