MAC Men's Tourney at the Q

[joepa66]

Wednesday, March 7
No. 8 Eastern Michigan vs. No. 9 Ball State - Watch Live! 1 p.m.
No. 5 Ohio vs. No. 12 Bowling Green - Watch Live! 3 p.m.
No. 7 Central Michigan vs. No. 10 Buffalo - Watch Live! 5 p.m.
No. 6 Western Michigan vs. No. 11 Northern Ill. - Watch Live! 7 p.m.

Thursday, March 8
No. 1 Toledo vs. 8/9 winner - Watch Live! Noon
No. 4 Miami vs. 5/12 winner - Watch Live! 2 p.m.
No. 2 Akron vs. 7/10 winner (FSN Ohio/Comcast) - Watch Live! 7 p.m.
No. 3 Kent State vs. 6/11 winner (FSN Ohio/Comcast) - Watch Live! 9 p.m.

Friday, March 9
Game 9: Friday Afternoon Winners (FSN Ohio/Comcast) - Watch Live! 7 p.m.
Game 10: Friday Evening Winners (FSN Ohio/Comcast) - Watch Live!
9 p.m.

Saturday, March 10
Game 11: Semifinal Winners (ESPN2) 7 p.m.

* All times are Eastern.

[vazman05]

joepa...any leans for the day one games? I think that Ohio comes out strong after the thumping they endured during the UB game last night...

[joepa66]

Saw a great OT game lastnight in Kent with visiting Akron winning 66-64 over the hometown boys. Akron won the East Division of the MAC and received the overall #1 seed for the tourney. If only Kent wouldn't have shot 18% for the first half (missed 6 layins) and shot 52% from the FT line for the game it would have been a different story. They made very few turnovers, outrebounded taller Akron, and scored more points in the paint. The Zips get a freaking layup with 1.5 seconds left to win....some bad full court pressure by the Flashes....



And for those who care....a bracket is located at:

http://www.mac-sports.com

[joepa66]

Vazman....wouldn't surprise me to see Eastern Michigan win againt Ball State and Western to drub Northern Illinois. The Broncos gotta love their chances! WMU handed Kent their worst loss of the season 79-57 in Kalamazoo, hit 12 three-pointers (shot 46% from behind the arc), had 17 second-chance points to Kent's 9, and scored 10 fast break points (Kent was giving up only 4 per game).....EMU is playing well at the end. I hate the OU/BG matchup...neither team has lived up to their billing this season.

[vazman05]

Thnx JoePa...Lebrons boys have something special going for them in Akron, thats for sure....thanks for your input on the above games...as always, there is money to be made in these "smaller" conference tourneys....i will def be checking in to what you are playing....gl JoePa!!!

[joepa66]

OK...here's my prediction.....Kent and Akron will meet in the semi-finals. If Kent beats the Zips they will win the MAC tourney and get the automatic bid and the NCAA will reward Akron with a ticket to the big dance as well. If Akron wins the tourney, Kent and Holy Toledo will be invited to that other tournament....NIT.

WOW....really went out on a limb there didn't I...LMAO

[vazman05]

Talking to some of the UB Basketball players here on campus, coach Reggie Witherspoon is using past UB stars like Jason Bird, Danny Gilbert, Mark Bortz, and Calvin Cage to motivate and have UB believe that they can take on anyone in the MAC tourney and that the sky is the limit…I would love to see my hometown Bulls advance past the first rd. of the tournament, but I just don’t have a good feeling about it…UB hasn’t won one conference game away from Alumni Arena, and when they played Central Michigan at home, they lost to them, 59-56 I believe…I would make the trip down to watch them take on Central, but classes will prevent me from doing that LOL

[teebee34]

Great stuff JOEPA!

Heck of a game last night........first half doomed the flashes. Can't miss that many layins and expect to win a game.

Sullinger was a stud the second half on the boards for them and kept them close as did Omni Smith

Great game.....would have liked to see them pull that one out

[joepa66]

Stats at the bottom bear out that the 1st half is what really did Kent in along with their foul shooting. Julian Sullinger had a great second half but missed two free throws in OT that could have put Kent up by 4.....
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN

34 SULLINGER, Julian... f 4-11 0-0 1-5 1 4 5 5 9 1 3 0 0 33




Zips Edge Flashes in Overtime Thriller
Courtesy: Kent State Athletic Communications
Release: 03/04/2007

KENT, Ohio (AP)- Jeremiah Wood's layup with 1.5 seconds left in overtime gave Akron a 66-64 win over Kent State and the Mid-American Conference East title on Sunday night before a raucous crowd that included Cavaliers star LeBron James. Wood, who finished with 17 points, grabbed a strong pass from Nick Dials underneath and rolled in his shot as the Zips (24-6, 13-3) bounced off their bench in celebration. But the party nearly crashed quickly when Kent State's Omni Smith threw up a 65-foot heave that grazed the net as the horn sounded.
Cedrick Middleton added 17 points and Dials 14 for Akron, which won its first division crown since 1998 and clinched the No. 2 seed in next week's MAC tournament in Cleveland. The victory gave the Zips their most wins since going to Division I in 1980-81 and enhanced their NCAA tournament resume in case they don't win the MAC tourney title.
Smith had 16 points and Mike Scott added 15 and 12 rebounds to lead the Golden Flashes (20-10, 12-4), who shot a season-worst 35 percent from the floor. A dunk by Kent's Haminn Quaintance brought the Golden Flashes, who overcame a 10-point deficit to force OT, within 62-61 with 22.5 seconds left. After Dials made two free throws to put Akron up by 64-61, senior Armon Gates drained a 3-pointer with 10.4 seconds left to tie it.
Dials rushed the ball up the floor, drove the right side and whipped his pass in the lane to Smith for the game-winner.
Akron led its hated rival almost from the outset and took a 46-36 lead when Dru Joyce, James' high school teammate and best friend, drained a 3-pointer with 6:42 left. But the Golden Flashes, urged on by a home crowd that never gave up, ran off 11 straight points to take a 47-46 lead on Sullinger's basket with 3:44 left.
The Zips went back up by five when Dials hit an off-balance layup despite Akron coach Keith Dambrot's pleas to slow it down.
Scott then hit a layup, and after fouling out Joyce on a drive, Smith dropped a free throw to make it 52-50. He missed the second but Akron's Nate Linhart was called for a travel and Scott tipped in a miss with 10.4 seconds left to tie it 52-all. Akron had one last chance in regulation, but Middleton's layup was blocked by Quaintance with one second left.
James arrived early in the first quarter and as he walked toward his seat, the NBA superstar was stopped by a Kent State police officer who awkwardly asked to see his tickets. James had barely sat down when he got Joyce's attention and began coaching his good friend from the stands.
As it turned out, the Zips didn't need much help early on. Kent State started cold from the floor and stayed that way, shooting just 18 percent from the field in the first half. However, they were only down by 10 points after playing their worst half of ball this season.
Scott led the Golden Flashes with seven points on 3-of-5 shooting, but the rest of Kent State's lineup was 3-for-28.

Akron 24-6, 13-3 MAC

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 10-22 45.5% 2nd Half: 9-25 36.0% OT: 4-8 50.0% Game: 41.8% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 2-5 40.0% 2nd Half: 4-9 44.4% OT: 0-3 0.0% Game: 35.3% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 6-8 75.0% 2nd Half: 2-5 40.0% OT: 6-9 66.7% Game: 63.6% 4

Kent State 20-10, 12-4 MAC

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 6-33 18.2% 2nd Half: 13-28 46.4% OT: 5-7 71.4% Game: 35.3% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 1-8 12.5% 2nd Half: 2-10 20.0% OT: 1-1 100 % Game: 21.1% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 5-9 55.6% 2nd Half: 6-9 66.7% OT: 1-4 25.0% Game: 54.5% 4

[raitdog]

I really like Toledo in this tournament Joepa. They couldn't have scripted a better draw. They got Kent, Akron, and Western all on the opposite half of the bracket. I like Buffalo and Eastern as first day winners and can't wait to see the line on BG-OU. Rumor is that Dakich is gone at season's end. Would be shocked to see BG go out without a fight. I have a Kent-Toledo final with Toledo having more gas at the end.

[BUNK MORELAND]

i don't like the draw for Kent too much

I think WMichigan is a pretty good team who has underachieved this year ..

Kent is very good IMO , but they could go down against WMU if their stars play well (Joe Reitz (preseason player of the year i do believe) Shawntes Gary and David Kool (current Mac West Player of the week)

[joepa66]

Thanks Willi....and I do believe they ARE in the toughest bracket.....Raitdog is correct in saying that Toledo has as the 2nd seed is in the best position......

[joepa66]

First round lines already posted for Wednesday:

Ball State -2 vs. EMU (I like the EMUs, but BSU can either blow them out or lay and egg)

Western Michigan -7 vs. Northern Illinois (The heavens open up with 3s for the Broncos)

Ohio U -7 vs. Bowling Green (Bobcats have been a letdown all year, BGSU and Samarco are a very dangerous team and I give them the lean)

Buffalo -2 vs. Central Michigan (Buffalo up and down and the Chipps are a very competitive team...the key for the Bulls is rebounding, in the majority of their losses they got outrebounded)

[raitdog]

Like Buffalo -2 for sure. Buffalo has experience in Cleveland.

Lean to Bg +7. Ou is a tough matchup for the Falcons, however BG guard Hamblet averaging 22ppg last three is opening up shots for Samarco. Think they have a real shot here.

Ball St has struggled of late, think Eastern comes in playing slightly better. Pretty even matchup down the line. Lean toward the points.

Western is underrated. I have no idea what Northern team will show up. I have seen them look very good twice in person, and awful another time.

[joepa66]

Nice to see ya Raitdog and couldn't agree more on the MAC first rounders.....Toledo has the best shot of anyone in the tourney IMO! Like all those that we posted. Buffalo plays sooooo many close games it's unreal. I think that if Kent and Western meet it's going to be different this time.....no one can shoot like that 2 times against an opponent and the Broncos made 12 3s....the "new" Kent lineup of underclassmen play great perimeter D and have more speed than WMU! Looking forward to a 3rd matchup of Kent/Akron....it could be an all blue and gold final!