Whether a season is considered a “building year” or not, the competition in the Mid-American Conference never falters. Each MAC team has its eyes on the prize and thus is relentless in its pursuit of a championship.
After a few weeks of conference basketball, Akron and Ball State have targets on their backs. Both teams are 4-1 in conference play, though their records will no longer be tied after the Zips travel to Cardinal territory Tuesday.
Akron, which has appeared in the past five MAC championship games, has kept its label as a strong shooting team. The Zips lead the MAC with 39 percent shooting from behind the arc.
“We’ve always been a pretty good outside-shooting team. We’re probably shooting less numbers this year, but probably taking better 3s than we have in the past,” Akron coach Keith Dambrot said. “It’s a key thing. You have to be able to make the (3-pointer) to be a consistent, good team. We have to get more of those up somehow.”
Besides Ohio, another team making a splash in the MAC East is Buffalo. The Bulls are tied for second place at 3-2 in conference play, and they have shown they have the talent to return to the top of the division.
Through 16 games this season, the Bulls average a conference-high of 74.1 points per game and are shooting 46 percent from the field.
In the MAC West, the top teams have been dominant at the other end of the court. Ball State and Eastern Michigan have suffered only one conference loss each, and they lead the MAC in two major defensive categories.
The Cardinals and the Eagles take the top two slots in scoring defense. Combined, the teams allow an average of 58.5 points per game.
In field-goal percentage defense, the schools are equally as potent. The Cardinals have held their opponents to a conference-best 37.7 percent mark on field goals, while the Eagles are third in the MAC at 40.6 percent.
“Last year, we were good defensively, but we really relied upon Malik Perry,” said Ball State coach Billy Taylor. “Losing Malik, I think it was really a point of emphasis for our team that it wasn’t going to be one guy that could replace that kind of energy. We needed everybody to step up.”
Another team coming on strong out of the MAC West is Western Michigan. The Broncos, fresh off a nail-biting victory against Central Michigan, are the only remaining MAC team yet to be beaten on its home court.
Western Michigan’s success has come primarily from its rebounding prowess. Sophomore forward Matt Stainbrook leads the Broncos with an average of 7.1 boards per game.
mm938910@ohiou.edu
