By Michael Stainbrook
I apologize for not posting rankings last week. Each team has played three conference games in the past two weeks, and it appears all is close to as it should be — sort of.
Here is my previous set of rankings from Feb. 4.
1. Toledo (19-6, 11-1 MAC) — Previous Ranking: No. 1
The Rockets hold on to the top spot by picking up their fifth, sixth and seventh straight conference victories. Each was a decisive win, too, especially the 76-39 whooping they gave Western Michigan. Only Central Michigan should pose a threat to Toledo’s win streak, but the game will be played at Savage Hall this time around. If the Rockets close out the regular season without dropping another game, they could make a serious case for an at-large NCAA tournament bid if things go south at the MAC tournament.
2. Bowling Green (21-4, 9-3 MAC) — Previous Ranking: No. 4
Fact: The Falcons are not playing their best basketball of the season. Fact: Only Bowling Green can get away with playing B+ basketball and still win four conference games in a row. The Falcons know when they need to turn it on, and they have the experience and discipline to do it. Of course, the threat of having their six straight conference titles come to an end in Lauren Prochaska’s senior season provides plenty of motivation as well. Bowling Green has a much better chance of beating Kent State at Anderson Arena when the teams square off for a second time Feb. 26.
3. Central Michigan (16-8, 8-4 MAC) — Previous Ranking: No. 5
Going 4-2 against the MAC East should be satisfying for the Chippewas. But it’s not, especially because of their 92-89 loss to Buffalo. And I’m sure the 28-point blowout against Bowling Green isn’t sitting too well, either. But neither loss compares to the 59-45 defeat against Northern Illinois Wednesday. The highest-scoring team in the conference shot only 26.7 percent from the field against the Huskies. Central Michigan climbs to third only because Eastern Michigan and Kent State deserved the spot even less.
4. Eastern Michigan (17-9, 8-4 MAC) — Previous Ranking: No. 2
Twelve games into the conference schedule, Eastern Michigan has only one convincing win to its credit. Seven of the team’s eight victories came against squads at or below .500 in conference play. Only a 75-66 win on the road against Kent State is a resume builder. The Eagles could fall or rise quickly, depending on how they fare against Central Michigan and Toledo the second time around.
5. Kent State (17-7, 8-4 MAC) — Previous Ranking: No. 3
The Flashes went 2-4 against the MAC West after sweeping the East. Kent State should have beaten Ball State and Eastern Michigan but lost both games. The team must beat Bowling Green on the road to regain the East Division lead. It’s a shame, really: The Flashes could have singlehandedly dethroned the Falcons from their six-year reign, but now they must rely on the Rockets to maintain their success in order to keep Bowling Green from claiming yet another title.
6. Buffalo (13-12, 6-6 MAC) — Previous Ranking: No. 6
Please excuse me while I imitate a broken record: there is no reason the Bulls should be .500 in the conference when they have one of the top players in the country on the team. Kourtney Brown averages 21.7 points (10th nationally) and 12.2 rebounds (third nationally) and shoots 59 percent from the field (eighth in the country). No player can win games by herself, but Buffalo would be in tough shape without her. Losses to Miami and Akron will haunt the team as it looks to improve its tournament seed.
7. Akron (12-12, 5-7 MAC) — Previous Ranking: No. 10.
The Zips are finally coming around. Three straight wins have infused this team with the confidence needed to make a little noise in the conference. Akron started its second stint against the MAC East with a solid outing at Buffalo, where the Zips avenged a 16-point loss by coming away with a 71-67 victory. Wins against Northern Illinois and Ball State are quality accomplishments for this squad. Saturday’s contest at Ohio will show if Akron is the team no one will want to play come tournament time.
8. Northern Illinois (11-14, 5-7 MAC) — Previous Ranking: No. 8
The Huskies have the most quality wins of any MAC team with a losing record. Victories against Buffalo and Central Michigan have kept this pesky squad on the radar. It’s far too late for Northern Illinois to have its eye on a top-four seed in the tournament, but knocking off Toledo or Eastern Michigan in the near future is a definite possibility. The Huskies probably should be ranked above the Zips because they have more quality wins, but Akron came away with the head-to-head victory.
9. Ball State (9-16, 4-8 MAC) — Previous Ranking: No. 7
The Cardinals continue to fall in the rankings by losing bad games. They ride a five-game slide into games against Toledo and Central Michigan this week. Translation: Ball State is about to lose its sixth and seventh games in a row (yes, I am aware that it beat Central Michigan in their first meeting) . None of the losses has been that close, either. An eight-point loss to Eastern Michigan is the team’s best result this month.
10. Ohio (7-18, 3-9 MAC) — Previous Ranking: No. 9
Imagine what would happen if a hockey team pulled its goalie for four minutes at any point during the game. Every game. Probably not too many shutouts for that squad, eh? Good guess.
That’s what has become the norm when Ohio takes the floor. The Bobcats are dangerous when they play 40 minutes of basketball. When they only show up for 35 or 36, things can get ugly. Having Thia Gholson missing games with a knee injury is not helping matters, nor is playing teams with twice as many players (Bowling Green used 15 players against Ohio Wednesday. The Bobcats played eight). Ohio needs a home win against Akron to regain composure following harsh losses to Central Michigan, Toledo and Bowling Green.
11. Western Michigan (7-18, 3-9 MAC) — Previous Ranking: No. 12
Out of the depths rise the Broncos, overcoming all odds and disappointment to escape the cellar. Welcome to 11th place, Western Michigan. The Broncos lost to Kent State and Buffalo, as expected, so they do not get the complimentary two-position boost I promised. A 19-point win against Miami helped alleviate a lot of frustration, but the ensuing loss to Toledo brought Western Michigan back to earth.
12. Miami (10-15, 2-10 MAC) — Previous Ranking: No. 11
A bad loss initiated a terrible streak for the RedHawks. Their loss to Ohio at home Jan. 18 began an eight-game losing streak during which they have surrendered 70 points on six occasions. During the same length of time, Miami has scored more than 65 point just once — they lost that game 100-84 to Central Michigan. Once the defense comes, maybe the wins will follow.