Sports
2026 MAC Men’s Basketball Tournament Preview
By: Andrew Bowlby
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The 2026 MAC Men’s Basketball Tournament kicks off March 12 in Cleveland, Ohio. Miami and Akron lead the way as favorites for the tournament, but the conference has eight teams fighting for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Those will eight battle at Rocket Arena in what is one of the biggest MAC Tournament’s in conference history.
No. 1 Miami RedHawks (31-0, 18-0)
Last MAC Championship: 2007
NET Rank: 55th
Kenpom: 91st
Head Coach: Travis Steele, 4th season at Miami (83-46)
Scoring Offense: 90.9 ppg (1st) | Scoring Defense: 74.9 (5th)
Whatever people may think of Miami’s 2025-26 season, one thing is true; it was the greatest regular season in MAC history. The RedHawks completed a perfect regular season and have not lost a game since last season’s MAC Championship game against Akron. There have been a number of close calls, but at the end of the day Miami wins, and they are an incredibly efficient team while doing so.
Miami’s offense scores the most points per game in the MAC and the second most in the country only trailing Alabama. The RedHawks have the second highest effective FG% at 61.3% (2nd NCAA to Liberty), the highest field goal percentage (52.6%), the ninth highest three-point percentage (39.4%) and the highest true shooting percentage in the nation (64.1%).
The RedHawks have a deep roster and a group of players who are all capable of shooting. There are seven players averaging over 10 points per game (including Evan Ipsaro who was injured in December). Of the players who take the court on a nightly basis, the lowest shooting percentage belongs to Almar Atlason who still shoots at 46.1%.
Head coach Travis Steele can put just about any lineup on the court and have success, and that has happened all year. The RedHawks have had to battle and fight for their undefeated record. They have consistently gotten their opponent’s best shot and have stared a loss in the face numerous times.
Miami is led by their guards including Peter Suder (14.8 ppg), Brant Byers (14.1 ppg), Eian Elmer (12.5 ppg) and Luke Skaljac (10.3 ppg). Those four are nearly impossible to stop and teams have to pick and choose which ones they want to limit.
The one concern Miami will take into the tournament is can they defend well enough. There’s no question they score the points, but if they have a poor shooting performance and struggle offensively, the defense hasn’t been perfect.
Tournament Outlook: Despite everything Miami has accomplished, there are still plenty of doubters. Many do believe that regardless of the results in Cleveland that Miami will be heading to the NCAA Tournament. But even as the No. 1 seed, they are not the favorite to win a title, that belongs to Akron. Regardless, they are seemingly impossible to beat.
No. 2 Akron Zips (26-5, 17-1)
Last MAC Championship: 2025
NET Rank: 52nd
Kenpom: 61st
Head Coach: John Groce, 9th season at Akron (194-93)
Scoring Offense: 89.6 (2nd) | Scoring Defense: 73.7 (4th)
There has not been a program in the MAC as consistently dominant as Akron. The Zips have won back-to-back and three of the last four MAC Tournament titles. They won 26 regular season games this year, marking the fifth-straight season with at least 22 wins.
Akron is at the top of the country in scoring, shooting, bench production and more. They have won 16-straight MAC games coming into the tournament, and despite that, it feels like their season has been overlooked because of what Miami has accomplished. If things shake out right in the tournament, there’s a good chance the MAC becomes a two-bid league to the NCAA Tournament.
The Zips won each of their final seven games of the season, and the final six by at least 13 points, and have been incredibly dominant.
Akron has arguably the best player in the conference in point guard Tavari Johnson. He leads the MAC in scoring at over 20 points per game, he also ranks fourth in assists, 16th in field goal percentage and 24th in three-point percentage. Johnson has made 443 field goals and ranks in the top 15 nationally.
The success Akron has had goes far beyond Johnson though. Amani Lyles, Shammah Scott and Evan Mahaffey all score more than 10 points per game and help make Akron as good as they are.
Lyles is one of the better big men in the conference ranking at the top of rebounding and shooting leaderboards. His 57.2% field goal percentage ranks top 40 in the country as well.
The advantage Akron holds over Miami going into this tournament is their defense. The Zips are the best FG defense in the conference and force the second most turnovers.
Tournament Outlook: Akron looks to win its seventh MAC Tournament Championship title which would tie Ohio, Ball State and Kent State for the most all-time. It would also be their fourth in five years and the Zips would be the first MAC school to accomplish that feat. They enter as the favorite and could get a rematch with Miami to make another trip to the NCAA Tournament.
No. 3 Kent State Golden Flashes (23-8, 14-4)
Last MAC Championship: 2023
NET Rank: 147th
Kenpom: 154th
Head Coach: Rob Senderoff, 15th season at Kent State (311-184)
Scoring Offense: 85.6 (3rd) | Scoring Defense: 79.9 (13th)
Kent State had yet another successful and consistent regular season under long-time head coach Rob Senderoff. KSU’s only regular season MAC losses came against Miami in overtime, a pair of defeats to Akron and an upset loss to Central Michigan. The Golden Flashes have a top 20 scoring offense in the country and are a difficult team to defend.
Kent is led by a guard forward duo of Delrecco Gillespie and Cian Medley. Gillespie is one of the best big men in the country and has recorded the most double doubles in the nation with 21. He scores 18.1 points per game, good for second in the MAC, but his rebounding is where he dominates.
Gillespie leads the MAC in rebounds at 11.2 per game. But more impressively, he has over 100 more total rebounds than Eastern Michigan center Mohammad Habhab who ranks second. Gillespie ranks in the top four in the nation for total rebounds and defensive rebounds. He is also in the top 50 for offensive rebounds.
Medley is also nationally ranked for his play. Not for his scoring, however, Medley has the 18th most assists in the country. Medley’s 195 dimes lead the MAC and he is one of the best passers that will be in Cleveland.
The biggest issue and challenge the Flashes’ face is their defensive struggles. Kent’s defense ranks dead last in the MAC for total points given up. Part of the issue has been foul trouble. The Flashes have committed a high volume of fouls and have given up the most amount of opponent free throws.
Their defensive efficiency ranks in the 220’s in the country and will have to be cleaned up if Kent wants any chance at winning an eight all-time MAC Tournament title.
Tournament Outlook: Kent State is the most recent MAC champion that isn’t Akron. The come in as the three seed and hold a favorable first round matchup. The path to a championship does likely go through Akron or Miami which will make winning an eight title all the more difficult. However, the stars Kent has could be enough in winner take all games in Cleveland.
No. 4 Toledo Rockets (17-14, 11-7)
Last MAC Championship: 1980
NET Rank: 146th
Kenpom: 135th
Head Coach: Tod Kowalczyk, 16th season at Toledo (313-210)
Scoring Offense: 81.5 (5th) | Scoring Defense: 76.8 (7th)
It’s been a long 46 years waiting for another MAC Tournament title in Toledo. The Rockets won the first ever MAC Tournament title and have yet to win one since. This year, Toledo was up-and-down all season but won enough games to earn a top four seed. The Rockets don’t have a bad MAC loss though. All of their seven defeats came to other tournament teams.
They are led by an incredible guard duo of Sonny Wilson and Leroy Blyden Jr. Both are top 10 scorers in the conference and highly skilled. Wilson has scored in double figures in all but one game this season, Blyden has done it is all but two. They also combined for around nine assists per game.
Wilson plays an average of 36 minutes a night which ranks him in the top 30 of the NCAA. He’s also top 30 in field goals made at 412.
Toledo’s front court is led by Sean Craig and Austin Parks. While they are not as dominant as the guards, they are still very effective. Craig scores close to 12 points per game with over seven rebounds. For Parks, he’s at 11 points a night and 5.6 rebounds.
Defensively Toledo has been solid but not excellent. They rank seventh in the MAC in opponent scoring, 11th in field goal defense and eight in three-point defense. The Rockets best quality defensively is their ability to play without fouling. Toledo is in the top 25 of the country for the least number of fouls and they have allowed the fewest opponent free throws in the MAC this season.
Tournament Outlook: Toledo hasn’t won a MAC Tournament title in a long time but have come close a number of times. The Rockets have been able to beat lower seeds but have struggled against the heavyweights in the tournament over recent seasons. They have a dynamic group this year and if they put the pieces together will compete for the conference championship.
No. 5 Bowling Green State Falcons (18-13, 9-9)
Last MAC Championship: N/A
NET Rank: 155th
Kenpom: 146th
Head Coach: Todd Simon, 3rd season at Bowling Green (52-45)
Scoring Offense: 81.5 (4th) | Scoring Defense: 71.4 (2nd)
Bowling Green improved from their eight seed line in last year’s conference tournament and took a good step forward this season. They are one of only two teams in the MAC to have a top four scoring offense and scoring defense (Akron).
Additionally, outside of Miami and Akron at the top of the conference, Bowling Green is the only other MAC team with a positive double digit scoring margin at +10.1.
The key to the dominant defensive numbers has been Javontae Campbell. He leads the NCAA in both total steals and steals per game. The pressure he puts on opponents is immense and is critical for the Falcons to have success.
As a team, BG has the fourth most steals per game in the country, one of the highest turnover margins and they force almost 15 opponent turnovers a game. The Falcons field goal defense ranks third in the MAC and their three-point defense is at fifth.
For Campbell, his excellent play also stretches to the offensive side of the ball. He scores almost 19 points a game, trailing on Akron’s Tavari Johnson at the top of the conference. Campbell also gets over five assists per game and 4.6 rebounds. He is the driver for this BG team and is a big-time layer the Falcons need to knock off higher seeds.
Outside of Campbell, Bowling Green still has multiple scorers. Sam Towns is having his best career season in year number six of college basketball scoring 12.0 points per game. Josiah Shackleford is at 11.4 ppg and Mayar Wol adds 10.6 points a night.
One interesting number from the season for BG is their Kenpom luck rating. According to Kenpom, Bowling Green has a -0.079 luck rating ranking them the 344th most lucky team in the nation.
Tournament Outlook: BG comes into the MAC Tournament with one of the best defenses in the conference and will high a high-upset potential. They haven’t won a MAC Tournament game since the 2023-24 season but get a shot to face their rival in the first round after splitting the regular season series.
No. 6 Ohio Bobcats (15-16, 9-9)
Last MAC Championship: 2021
NET Rank: 227th
Kenpom: 227th
Head Coach: Jeff Boals, 7th season at Ohio (129-92)
Scoring Offense: 78.0 (8th) | Scoring Defense: 78.4 (11th)
For the first time in the Jeff Boals era in Athens, the Bobcats had a winning percentage under .500 regular season losing more games than they won. Part of that comes from the incredibly tough non-conference schedule they played, and part of it from under-performing in a number of MAC games.
The biggest issue Ohio has had during the regular season has been their defense. The Bobcats simply have not defended at a high enough level to except to win games. Their scoring defense is second to last among tournament teams. They allow their opponents to shoot 46.1% from the field, which ranks in the middle of the conference, but they have the highest opponent three-point percentage at 36.3%.
Another issue Ohio faces is their rebounding disadvantage. The Bobcats are an undersized group and that has shown through the year. Ohio has a -2.7 rebounding margin, the second worst in the MAC.
Ohio also has issues with shooting. The Bobcats are 319th in the country in three-point shooting. Ther 31.0% mark also ranks last in the MAC. They’ve had a tough go in many games and struggle in a number of categories.
They do have one of the MAC’s best player in point guard Jackson Paveletzke. He has a proven ability to score and has been one of the most difficult players to stop in the MAC. Paveletzke ranks sixth in the MAC in scoring and fourth in the conference in assists.
He is helped by Bobcats forward Javan Simmons. He will be a critical piece in Cleveland as the Bobcats will face good big men in every potential matchup.
Tournament Outlook: Despite being the No. 6 seed, Ohio has the longest odds to win the MAC Tournament title. The Bobcats have shown flashes of dominant play but have also been inconsistent. If they can get to their best stuff, they have a chance to pull off upsets and potentially make a run at their first title since 2021.
No. 7 Buffalo Bulls (17-14, 7-11)
Last MAC Championship: 2019
NET Rank: 198th
Kenpom: 207th
Head Coach: George Halcovage III, 3rd season at Buffalo (30-63)
Scoring Offense: 78.3 (7th) | Scoring Defense: 76.3 (6th)
Buffalo won 17 games this season which is two more than the Bulls won in the last two years combined. The Bulls rank in the middle of the MAC in most categories, but they haven’t been able to win consistently. Buffalo started MAC play 3-0 but went 4-11 in the final 15 games of conference action.
The Bulls are one of the better shooting teams in the country with an effective field goal percentage of 56% (31st NCAA) and a three-point percentage of 38.3% (15th NCAA).
Their two most important players are Daniel Freitag and Ryan Sabol who together score almost 40 points per game. Freitag has been injured and hasn’t played since Feb. 24 against Akron. It’s unclear if he will be good to go in Cleveland, but if he isn’t, the Bulls will be down a key piece.
For Sabol, he ranks fourth in the country for made threes, fifth for threes attempted and 46th in three-point percentage. He leads the MAC in both makes and attempts while sitting at 14th for percentage.
Buffalo is a team that relies heavily on their starting five. The Bulls only get 13.4 points per game from their bench which ranks 334th in the country. Without Freitag, Buffalo has just one more concern heading into the tournament.
Tournament Outlook: Buffalo has kept games close against good teams, however, winning in the MAC Tournament won’t be easy due to their lack of depth. Things get even tougher with the Bulls having to face Akron in the first round.
No. 8 UMass Minutemen (16-15, 7-11)
Last MAC Championship: N/A
NET Rank: 203rd
Kenpom: 201st
Head Coach: Frank Martin, 4th season at UMass (63-62)
Scoring Offense: 80.5 (6th) | Scoring Defense: 77.5 (9th)
UMass will enter their first ever MAC Tournament after having a bit of a disappointing regular season. The Minutemen had lost six-straight games heading into their final regular season game, but a 94-82 win over Ohio on March 3 gave them some positive momentum heading to Cleveland.
Leonardo Bettiol leads UMass in scoring at 17.8 points per game, and shoots at 60.6% from the floor (21st NCAA). He also averages eight rebounds per game and over two assists a night. His post play is complimented by Marcus Banks who scores 16.9 ppg.
UMass has had two main issues this season and both involve fouls. The Minutemen rank 355th in the country in fouls per game at 21 per night. They have also struggled to make free throws, shooting under 68% on the season (336th NCAA).
They do excel in offensive rebounding and three-point defense. UMass records the second-most offensive rebounds per game trailing on Kent State. They also have the best three-point defense in the MAC at 32.1%.
UMass does have one of the conference’s most experienced head coaches when it comes to postseason success. Martin has made five trips to the NCAA tournament and took South Carolina to the 2017 Final Four before losing to Gonzaga.
Tournament Outlook: The Minutemen have experience and weapons that could be a potential Cinderella story if they can get hot and pull off an opening round shocker against Miami.