Mid-American Conference play has been in session for less than a week, and if its early slate is any indication, there’s plenty to anticipate over the coming months.
Ohio, which is among the three teams that began their conference schedule by putting a pair of notches in the win column, is in search of its first regular season MAC crown since 1994.
The Bobcats were picked alongside fellow undefeated foe Akron to contend for the conference championship in the preseason media poll and have backed up the prediction with solid play in each of their early conference games.
But plenty lies ahead before the Bobcats can make their dreams of a second-straight NCAA Tournament berth a reality.
As everyone from commentators to coaches often say, “It’s why we play the game.”
MAC EAST
Kent State
Jan. 26 at Kent
Feb. 16 at Ohio
2012 MAC Tournament Semi finalist
The Golden Flashes boast possibly the most impressive reserve play of any MAC team, as their group of potential starters slides as deep as the bench is long.
Only one other conference team, Northern Illinois, comes close to matching the Golden Flashes’ versatility, which Kent State coach Rob Senderoff will look to use to its full capability as conference play continues.
Nine of the 10 players that have been announced before a game this season average 15 or more minutes per game — the exception being sophomore guard Devareaux Manley, who is buried on the Golden Flashes’ depth chart.
Notably, freshman forward Chris Ortiz returned to the lineup Saturday for the first time since suffering a foot injury Nov. 28 against Youngstown State. He did not score in 11 minutes of game play but will add depth to the Golden Flashes’ frontcourt with time.
Although Kent State’s strength is in its depth, its explosiveness stems from senior scorers Chris Evans, a forward, and Randal Holt, a guard. Evans leads the team with almost 17 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
“We’ve talked a lot about the difference between 211 degrees and 212 degrees. At 211, water is just hot. But if you turn it up just that one degree to 212, it creates the steam that can move a steamboat or a railroad.” — coach Rob Senderoff
Miami
Jan. 23 at Miami
March 8 at Ohio
March 9 at Ohio
Former Miami coach Charlie Coles might be best known around Athens for his adoration of the O Zone and snappy postgame snippets, but for the first time in 16 years, Ohio’s student section will have a new target in front of the RedHawks’ bench during the teams’ three meetings this season.
Stepping into Coles’ role is John Cooper, formerly of the same position at Tennessee State.
He has led a youthful Miami squad, missing departed all-MAC forward Julian Mavunga, to a 6-8 record on the year. The RedHawks have been successful at home, as they have won four of six on the familiar floor of Millett Hall.
A pair of redshirt juniors, guard Allen Roberts and forward Will Felder, are Cooper’s court generals.
Roberts paces the RedHawks with more than 13 points per game, while Felder’s 4.4 rebounds per contest tie junior forward Jon Harris for the team lead.
The RedHawks’ weakness is on the defensive end, where they allow a conference-worst 70 points per game. However, they are second only to Ohio in three-point efficiency among MAC teams.
“Every home game brings confidence, and you start to understand how important they are and how you have to protect home court. You can’t win championships without learning that.” —coach John Cooper
Akron
Feb. 2 at Akron
Feb. 27 at Ohio
2012 MAC Tournament Runner-up
If Akron’s last-second heave in the 2012 MAC Championship game would have swished through the net at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, much could have changed — Ohio would likely not have advanced to the NCAA Tournament, and Illinois may have looked elsewhere in search of its next head coach.
The Zips almost battled back from as much as an eight-point lead, with 3:30 remaining, but fell short in the game’s waning seconds.
This season isn’t about avenging what-ifs for Akron but offers it another chance to claim what it came so close to capturing at the end of conference play last season.
Picked to rival Ohio for the MAC East crown, the Zips return four of their starters from a year ago, though key reserve Quincy Diggs — the reigning MAC sixth-man of the year — was suspended from the university and team through the end of the academic year for a violation of its student code of conduct.
“I felt like going into the season, we were a really good shooting team, but we really haven’t shot well. We’re shooting good around the rim, but we’re not shooting it at the three-line at all. I feel like we’re open on every shot, we’re just not making them.” —coach Keith Dambrot
Bowling Green
Feb. 9 at Ohio
March 2 at Bowling Green
The Falcons will rise and fall by the performance of senior forward A’uston Calhoun, who earned a MAC second team nod in 2012.
In his nearly 36 minutes per game — a MAC high — Calhoun contributes Bowling Green’s highest total of rebounds (7.6 per game) and second-best point production ( 15.7 points per game.)
Only senior guard Jordon Crawford paces him offensively, as he averages a shade more than 16 points in 34.8 minutes per game.
Bowling Green’s offense is unhealthily seeded in the pair; the Falcons’ next-best scorer, sophomore utility man Chauncey Orr, tops off at about six points a game.
The Falcons average only 61.3 points on 39 percent shooting per game but give up less than two more per contest, which ranks sixth in the conference. Calhoun and Crawford lead a strong six-man unit of upperclassmen.
“One thing: if you learn to defend, learn to bring energy, and you don’t always depend on your offense, when your offense does come around, you have a chance to be a really good team, because you know you can win with defensive energy.” —coach Louis Orr
Buffalo
Lost to Ohio 86-68 Wednesday
The Bulls could have used the services of injured junior guard Jarod Oldham in their conference play-opening blowout loss to Ohio on Wednesday, as they fell well short of contention at any point in the contest.
Oldham, who is sidelined with a broken wrist, averaged 10 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while leading the team in assists before succumbing to injury. He hasn’t played since Dec. 8 and isn’t on track to return this season.
In his absence, the Bulls lean heavily on leading scorer Javon McCrea, a junior forward and 2012 MAC second team selection who averages almost 16 points and seven rebounds per game.
He and sophomore forward Will Regan combined for 24 points and 12 rebounds against Ohio and will have to push the envelope for the Bulls to be competitive as conference play wears on.
“The tempo of the (Ohio) game was a huge concern for us going in. When the pace of the game got to the point where we were changing ends of the court too quickly, fouls and miscues happen.” —coach Reggie Witherspoon
MAC WEST
Central Michigan
Feb. 13 at CMU
The Chippewas played “Flip This House” with their roster and coaching staff this season, and thus far, the response has been relatively positive.
Central Michigan fired coach Ernie Zeigler in March after six seasons — none of which yielded particularly impressive results, as his best record was an even 15-15 in 2009-10.
Out the door with him marched his son, junior guard Trey Zeigler, who worked his way well into the Chippewas’ record books during his short tenure. He has since been suspended indefinitely from Pittsburgh after being charged with driving under the influence in November.
Then-freshman guards Jorddan Myrick and Austin McBroom also transferred, and impact forward Andre Coimbra was lost to graduation.
The Chippewas have responded well to the changes under the leadership of coach Keno Davis and have split their conference games to this point.
“Our guys are excited; we know now that every time we step onto the court, the competition isn’t going to intimidate us. After playing at Michigan and against other power conference schools and coming through and improving, our guys are looking forward to the test. Early in the season, I don’t think we could have said that.” —coach Keno Davis
Ball State
Feb. 6 at Ball State
Relief from last season’s conference collapse came in a big way for the Cardinals.
The only bright news for the Ball State basketball program last spring was import Majok Majok, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound big man from Australia.
The Cardinals are hoping Majok can push them from MAC cellar to conference contender in just one season, with the help of a primarily new cast of characters.
Only one of Ball State’s top four scorers from a year ago, junior guard Jesse Berry, remains. He has averaged a team-high 13 points this season, while Jauwan Scaife, a senior of the same position, has upped his quota to 11 points per game.
Majok has averaged a double-double so far this season, and his 10.2 rebounds per game are two better than the next-best MAC player.
“I expected some inconsistencies, and there have been times where we have played extremely well, where I’ve loved our defensive effort or our rebounding or our ball movement. There have been other times where we have just not gotten it done in those key areas. —coach Billy Taylor
Eastern Michigan
Jan. 30 at Ohio
In nine games at home this season, the Eagles have played in front of an average of 1,065 fans. On six road occasions, they’ve been put to task in front of a cumulative crowd of 67,000-plus.
Onslaughts at the hands of Syracuse, Kentucky and Michigan dot the early portion of the Eagles’ schedule, but it was a home win against fellow big-name opponent Purdue that served as the high point for Eastern Michigan’s non-conference campaign.
Second-year coach Rob Murphy intends to change the losing culture that inhibits the more northerly Convocation Center, as the Eagles didn’t have a winning MAC record during past coach Charles Ramsey’s six seasons.
So far, he’s doing relatively well. The Eagles won nine conference games in 2012 despite finishing with a 14-18 record and are 7-9 this season despite their obscenely harsh non-conference schedule.
The Eagles’ defense leads the conference, but its offense has limited its results, as it generates a mere 57 points per game.
“Each and every day we come in together, believe in each other (and) are like a family. Each and every guy is fighting hard for each other every day. It’s not about the individual; it’s about us. That’s why you’ll see a nine- or 10-man rotation, because I, as a head coach, believe in each and every guy on this team, and at some point, you never know who’s going to come through for you.” —coach Rob Murphy
Northern Illinois
Jan. 16 at Ohio
Most could have guessed heading into the season that, barring injury, forward Abdel Nader would be the Huskies’ go-to guy after being named to the MAC all-freshman team last season.
It wasn’t a sophomore slump that got to Nader, as he averaged 14 points in his first six games, but a suspension handed down from coach Mark Montgomery before the start of the season because of unspecified team rules.
The Huskies’ Jan. 9 win against Miami to open conference play was their first with Nader active, as they went winless from his Dec. 7 return through the end of non-conference play.
Almost half of Northern Illinois’ roster is freshman, the most promising of whom is explosive guard Akeem Springs, who topped the scoring column in Nader’s absence and averages close to 10 points per game on the year.
“We have a young team that is mostly freshmen and sophomores … if we can put full games together, we are going to have a chance.” —coach Mark Montgomery
Toledo
Jan. 19 at Ohio
2012 MAC Tournament Quarterfinalist — not eligible for 2013 postseason play
Perhaps the most interesting result of the opening week of conference play was the Rockets’ 12-point win against Kent State on Wednesday.
Toledo’s first win on Kent State’s campus since 2000 snapped the Golden Flashes’ 31-game winning streak against MAC West foes.
The Rockets also beat Central Michigan by four in overtime on Saturday.
Their first conference win shows what the Rockets need to see in order to improve upon their 19-17 record of a year ago.
Junior guard Rian Pearson, a 2012 MAC second-team selection, had a breakout performance of 27 points. And Dominique Buckley, a starting senior guard, provided secondary scoring to make up for a poor shooting performance from Julius Brown, the remaining piece of their three-guard starting set.
The Rockets will need consistently great performances from the backcourt trio to compensate for its defense, which ranks 10th in the MAC and is average at best.
“I can tell you this: when they went home for Christmas, they were sick and tired of practice, and they were sick and tired of me. But I do think we got better during that time. We changed some things for the better.”
—coach Tod Kowalczyk
Western Michigan
Lost to Ohio 61-59 Saturday
After the Broncos’ two-point loss to Ohio on Saturday, coach Steve Hawkins pointed out the positives that remained after a game that came down to the wire.
The Broncos showed their mettle by racing back from a 12-point deficit midway through the second half and trailed by as little as a single point in the game’s waning seconds.
He said they did well in combatting the Bobcats’ stout defensive pressure, which produces an average of 9.5 steals per game. The Bobcats picked up only two steals on the day and produced a pedestrian nine turnovers.
But, unlike him, most will remember the turnovers and missed shots, Hawkins said.
Although the Bobcats’ defense did not produce as pretty of numbers as Ohio coach Jim Christian may have liked, it got the job done and limited leading scorer Shayne Whittington to seven points and no field goals until midway through the second half.
Western Michigan was picked to finish third in the MAC West in the preseason conference poll and has lost in each of its conference matchups thus far.
“If anybody smiles between now and Wednesday night, then they don’t belong in this uniform. Because if you fail at anything in this world, it should really bother you until you have a chance to succeed again.” —coach Steve Hawkins, after Western Michigan’s Saturday loss to Ohio.
jr992810@ohiou.edu
