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MAC Men’s Basketball Weekly Rewind, Jan. 20-26
By: Sean Neidig
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Mid-American Conference East Division
Akron (13-6, 5-1)
The Zips completed an undefeated week on the road in Michigan, first beating Eastern Michigan on Wednesday followed by a win against Central Michigan on Saturday. The Zips won by 10 and eight points, respectively, increasing their division lead over Ohio to one game. Akron was led by forward Demetrius Treadwell, who picked up two double-doubles this week, earning him MAC East Division Co-Player of the Week. Treadwell dominated the Eagles with an 18-point, 11-rebound effort first, followed up with a 15-point, 14-rebound game against the Chippewas. Next week, the Zips host Ball State on Wednesday before traveling to Kent State on Saturday.
Ohio (14-5, 4-2)
The Ohio men split a pair of 58-56 matchups this week, dropping the first to Bowling Green at home, then picking up the win on the road against Eastern Michigan. The Bobcats got out to an early lead on Tuesday against the Falcons, but couldn’t hold onto it, dropping their second MAC game. Nick Kellogg’s 3-pointer as time expired sealed the defeat for the Bobcats. On the road in Ypsilanti, Mich., the Bobcats trailed the entire game before getting their first lead with 26 seconds left off a Bean Willis 3-pointer, which was also the final score. The Bobcats have a pair of home games against Central Michigan and Toledo on Wednesday and Saturday, respectively.
Buffalo (10-6, 4-2)
The Bulls split a pair of road games this week, dropping the first to Ball State before bouncing back to get the win against Northern Illinois. Buffalo lost a close 3-point affair in Muncie, Ind., Thursday despite Javon McCrea’s 28 points and 11 rebounds. On Saturday, the Bulls once again pulled out a late win, spurred on by McCrea’s 20 second half points. Next week, The Bulls host Western Michigan on Wednesday before traveling to Bowling Green on Super Bowl Sunday.
Miami (OH) (8-9, 4-2)
Despite being below .500, Miami is on a roll in the MAC, riding a 3-game win streak and an undefeated week. The RedHawks hosted the Central Michigan Chippewas Wednesday, winning a high scoring affair by a final of 86-80. MAC East Co-Player of the Week Will Felder led the team with 22 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Against the Falcons, Felder was limited to only 19 minutes but recorded his seventh straight double-digit scoring effort in the 70-65 win. The RedHawks look to extend their winning streak with a pair of games at home this week against Toledo and Eastern Michigan on Wednesday and Saturday.
Bowling Green (9-10, 3-3)
The Falcons went .500 in the MAC this week, reflecting their conference record for the year. The Falcons started their week with a close win in Athens, Ohio, against the Bobcats Tuesday before losing to Miami on Saturday. The Falcons were led by Spencer Parker with 16 points against Ohio and Jehvon Clarke with 22 points against the RedHawks. The Falcons begin their week this week by traveling to Eastern Michigan before hosting Buffalo.
Kent State (11-8, 2-4)
Despite starting the season 9-4, Kent State has really faltered in the MAC, riding a 3-game losing streak to last place in the East Division. The Golden Flashes’ winless week started off with a 75-59 drubbing at the hands of Western Michigan before losing a much tighter 81-78 game at Toledo on Sunday. Darren Goodson and Kris Brewer each scored 10 points against the Broncos. Goodson added another 17 points against the Rockets. The Flashes host a pair of games this week, against Northern Illinois on Wednesday and Toledo Saturday.
Mid-American Conference West Division
Toledo (17-2, 5-1)
The Rockets continued their fantastic season by picking up two more wins this week, extending their winning streak to five after losing their conference opener to Western Michigan. This week, Toledo beat the Northern Illinois Huskies 77-68 at home, led by Justin Drummond’s 24 points and 11 rebounds. Rian Pearson’s 11 points and 10 rebounds fueled the Rockets’ home win over Kent State. This week, Toledo heads on the road to take on Miami and then Ohio.
Western Michigan (11-7, 4-2)
The Broncos had a relatively easy set of games this week, picking up a 16-point win over Kent State on the road and then a 9-point win over Ball State. The Broncos’ Shayne Whittington had a pair of good games, which earned him the MAC West Player of the Year. He tallied 18 points and 6 rebounds on Thursday before exploding for 21 points, 15 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks against Ball State. The men from Kalamazoo, Mich., travel to Buffalo for their first game of this week on Wednesday and then return home Saturday to face Central Michigan.
Eastern Michigan (11-8, 3-3)
The Eastern Michigan Eagles struggled to a winless week. The Eagles lost by 10 to Akron early in the week, the lone bright spot being Karrington Ward’s 20 points. Eastern Michigan then suffered a heart breaking loss to Ohio, a game in which they led for the first 39:34 but lost 58-56. Ward turned in another decent outing in this one, recording a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. The Eagles host Bowling Green in Ypsilanti, Mich., in their first game this week on Wednesday, then hit the road to face Miami on Saturday.
Northern Illinois (7-11, 1-5)
The Huskies continued their struggles in the MAC this week by picking up a pair of losses and extending their losing streak to four games. On the road against division and conference leader Toledo, Northern Illinois fell 77-68 and trailed for the entire second half, never once cutting the deficit to less than five. Against Buffalo, the Huskies had it tied up at 48 in the second half but allowed the Bulls to go on 27-19 run to close out the game. The Huskies go on the road for a pair of games this week, first visiting Kent State and then Ball State.
Ball State (4-13, 1-5)
Ball State split its games this week, winning at home against Buffalo and losing on the road to Western Michigan. The Cardinals trailed by six at the half against Buffalo but came away with the win thanks to late heroics by Franko House and Jesse Berry. Against Western Michigan, the Cardinals held a 1-point lead at halftime before allowing a 17-5 Bronco run out of the locker room, giving up the lead for good and losing 62-53. The Cardinals travel to Akron this week before returning home to host Northern Illinois over the weekend.
Central Michigan (7-11, 0-6)
The Chippewas haven’t won since Jan. 3 and remain winless in the MAC for the third straight week after dropping both games this week. Central Michigan opened the week with a road loss to Miami despite a solid overall effort from Chris Fowler, who had 19 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. The Chips followed the Miami loss with another to Akron. The Chippewas had a 2-point lead early in the second half but promptly gave up the lead and trailed until the end of an 82-74 loss. The Chippewas will look to pick up their first conference win of the season when they travel to Athens, Ohio, to face the Ohio Bobcats and then are on the road again to face in-state foe Western Michigan.