By Vince Nairn

The lesson as always, which I really should know by now, is that anything can and will happen in the Mid-American Conference. Miami’s injuries finally wore the team down, as the RedHawks were blown out by a surging Akron. The Zips have won five straight, Ohio is above .500 in-conference for the first time in two years, and Buffalo continues to lose despite what I think is superior talent to the rest of the MAC. Wow. What a week. Let’s get to it.

Last week’s rankings can be seen here

1. Kent State (19-9, 10-3; Last Week: 2)

The Flashes followed up a tough BracketBuster loss to Drexel with a good wins at Western Michigan and at home against Buffalo, the latter avenging a 25-point embarrassment to the Bulls earlier in the season. Anybody see Michael Porrini raise up on Javon McCrea last night? Pretty impressive.

2.  Akron (18-10, 8-5; LW: 4)

I don’t think the Zips are sneaking up on anybody anymore. After a terrible start, Akron has won five MAC games in a row by an average of 15.4 points per game. Their 72-55 smattering of Miami legitimizes the run of good basketball.

3. Miami (14-14, 9-4; LW: 1)

It was only a matter of time before the loss of Antonio Ballard would hurt the RedHawks. The starters are all playing 32-34 minutes a game, and they really miss Ballard’s leadership. We’ll see how far they can go in the MAC Tournament without him.

4. Buffalo (16-10, 7-6; LW: 3)

The Bulls are fading and have dropped four of their last five in the MAC. But I don’t get it. I look at their roster and see one of the most talented teams in the league. They should be better. I wouldn’t sleep on them come tournament time.

5. Western Michigan (16-11, 8-5; LW: 5)

If not for a Michael Porrini buzzer beater, the Broncos would be 9-4 and in the driver’s seat for a MAC West championship and No. 2 seed in the MAC Tournament. Western Michigan has played well, though, and still controls its own destiny to the No. 2 seed.

6. Ohio (15-13, 7-6; LW: 7)

The “enigmatic enigmas” as I like to call them, the Bobcats have won seven of nine. But none of them has been overly impressive and Ohio hasn’t done anything to make me believe it will play consistent through the MAC Tournament. But it is possible. The offensive talent on this team is staggering. If they play some defense, look out.

7. Ball State (16-11, 8-5; LW:

Why no love for the 8-5 Eagles? Their 1-5 mark against the MAC East. Don’t let the record fool you, Ball State is not an elite team in the MAC. The Eagles are the gigantic beneficiary of playing against the four worst teams in the conference a combined eight times.

8. Bowling Green (12-16, 7-6; LW: 6)

After a loss to Ohio in Athens in which they looked over-matched for all 40 minutes, the Falcons’ early-season MAC success is looking more and more like a fluke.

9. Central Michigan (9-18, 6-7; LW: 9)

The Chippewas have been competitive despite a lack of talent. Trey Zeigler has gotten better throughout the season, despite being the central — and sometimes only — focus of the opposing defense.

10. Eastern Michigan (8-19, 4-9; LW: 10)

I’m sure Brandon Bowdry is using the last few games of this season for one reason: scouts. I’m not sure if Bowdry has the maturity or potential to play in the NBA, but if Armon Bassett can try to go to the draft, anything is possible.

11. Northern Illinois (7-19, 3-10; LW: 11)

It’s rock-bottom for the Huskies. A 12-point loss to Seattle? Xavier Silas has scored 23 points combined in the last three games (he scored 34 in the previous one), and the Huskies have dropped eight games in a row. Ouch.

12. Toledo (4-24, 1-12; LW: 12)

The rebuilding process continues. A small bright spot for the Rockets has been freshman Reese Holiday, who is averaging 11.6 points per game in MAC play.