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MAC Basketball Week In Review: Akron Only Wins In Front Of Obama

Toledo stays undefeated, Ohio had a thrilling overtime win at Richmond, and NIU is on the verge of something they haven't done in seven years. Teams sorted by win-loss record.

In Hawaii, Barack Obama ponders the controversial Affordable MAC Basketball Act legislation.
In Hawaii, Barack Obama ponders the controversial Affordable MAC Basketball Act legislation.
Marco Garcia-USA TODAY Sports
Toledo 12-0 RPI: 45 BBState: 6
LAST WEEK
(W) Coppin State, 85-66
THIS WEEK
Monday: at Kansas (ESPN3)
There are eight undefeated teams left in Division I: the other seven (Arizona, Syracuse, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Wichita State, Oregon, Iowa State) are not just ranked but top 15 and climbing. That, of course, is to be expected when UT has yet to play a team in the RPI top 100. Kansas will be their first. It will also be their first loss. But the fact that they can take care of the Detroits and Coppin States of their schedule, while conference brethren struggle, is a strong sign that they rarely have bad strings of play.
Kent State 9-3 RPI: 135 BBState: 60
LAST WEEK
(L) Cleveland State, 78-70
THIS WEEK
Tuesday: at Princeton
Through all of it, eight points is still their worst loss of the season yesterday, and when the other team has an eFG of 62 percent, that's about all you can do.
Ohio 8-3 RPI: 66 BBState: 70
LAST WEEK
(W) @Richmond, 70-69 (OT)
THIS WEEK
Monday: vs. Longwood
Saturday: at UNC-Asheville
Overtime road wins are the best, aren't they? Anytime a game is tied at the end of regulation, I feel the home team has a decisive advantage. I'm not sure why. Both teams have a chance to regroup, as does the fan enthusiasm. And with such a small amount of time left, all factors seem to favor the home team. Richmond was a very good win for this team.
Eastern Michigan 7-4 RPI: 64 BBState: 78
LAST WEEK
(L) @Duke, 82-59
THIS WEEK
Tuesday: at Syracuse
Saturday: vs. Rochester (USCAA)
Only being down 10 points to Duke at halftime is almost like a victory, because — and most folks don't pick up on this — but Duke is spotted 20 points in every home game. It's astonishing how they just sort of slip in the points throughout the game. Anyway, stop scheduling so many suicide games, Rob Murphy!
Buffalo 5-4 RPI: 231 BBState: 150
LAST WEEK
(W) Binghamton, 85-54
THIS WEEK
Sunday: at Drexel
Friday: South Dakota State
Good win, but Binghamton is more than likely a fictional city and school.
Akron 6-5 RPI: 107 BBState: 106
LAST WEEK
(W) Oregon State, 83-71 in Hawaii
(L) Iowa State, 83-60 in Hawaii
(L) South Carolina, 69-59 in Hawaii
(L) @South Carolina, 78-45
THIS WEEK
Tuesday vs. Coppin State
Thursday: vs. Marshall
While all other teams spent time with family, Akron spent a little time with President Obama's family. You may remember his brother-in-law coaches Oregon State, and maybe they could have used the presidential good luck for the rest of the week, because ... yuck. The second game against SC was probably ill-advised, although it was impossible to avoid the first run-in, unless they lost to Oregon State in the first place, and then Obama wouldn't think the MAC was very good at basketball. Seriously, he never picks us in his bracket. Why do we try?
Bowling Green 6-5 RPI: 117 BBState: 111
LAST WEEK
(W) Detroit 64-62
THIS WEEK
Sunday: at Wright State
Thursday: vs. IPFW
Another win to add to the pile, but (a) everybody's beating Detroit now, and (b) Richaun Holmes had only two blocks. Is he unwell?
Central Michigan 6-5 RPI: 285 BBState: 203
LAST WEEK
None
THIS WEEK
Friday: vs. Marygrove (NAIA)
Well, at least their two-game losing streak will end soon.
Western Michigan 6-5 RPI: 201 BBState: 195
LAST WEEK
None
THIS WEEK
Thursday: vs. Siena Heights (NAIA)
So would theirs, if they had a two-game losing streak.
Northern Illinois 5-5 RPI: 166 BBState: 220
LAST WEEK
(W) @UC-Riverside, 71-64
THIS WEEK
Tuesday: at Iowa State
Friday: vs. Bethune-Cookman
I'm still not entirely sure who this team thinks it is. They're NIU. They're near the bottom of the league. And they're .500. If all goes well, they'll remain at .500 at the start of this column next week, meaning they went 6-6 in their nonconference schedule. That would be their first non-losing OOC slate since 2006, when they went 5-4 including victories over Kansas State and DePaul. That the 10th best team is not a total pushover is what truly helps make this conference better.
Miami 3-6 RPI: 196 BBState: 210
LAST WEEK
None
THIS WEEK
Sunday: vs. Southern Illinois
Saturday: at UMass
Reggie Johnson transferred, but he has a leg up on his predecessors because he didn't immediately throw all his swag into a dumpster. That we know of.
Ball State 2-7 RPI: 293 BBState: 308
LAST WEEK
None
THIS WEEK
Monday: at James Madison
Friday: vs. Oakland City (NCCAA)
This may finally be their chance to jump ... Miami in the standings! In all fairness, first year coach James Whitford can't spin straw into gold in a year, but a decent showing at JMU could help beef up the bottom rung of the MAC standings just a little bit. They seem to have more talent than your run-of-the-mill 2-7 team. They have to be better than this.
Massachusetts (Atlantic 10) 10-1 RPI: 2 BBState: 9
LAST WEEK
(W) Providence, 69-67
THIS WEEK
Saturday: vs. Miami
They look poised to go 4-0 against the MAC, which would certainly give them the 1-seed in the MAC tournament. This is the plan: give them the invite. They get confused and join in. Two things happen: either they cakewalk and get the MAC's highest NCAA tournament seed in years, or get upset in the finals and the MAC becomes a two-bid conference. Excellent outcomes either way.
TOP MAC PERFORMANCES
Javon McCrea (Buffalo): 25 points (8-15 FG, 9-13 FT), 14 points, 4 assists, 3 steals, 3 blocks vs. Binghamton
Demetrius Treadwell (Akron): 24 points (7-10 FG, 10-13 FT), 10 rebounds, 4 assists vs. Oregon State
Dontel Highsmith (NIU): 27 points (9-11 FG, 6-6 FT, 3-5 3PT), 3 rebounds vs. UC-Riverside
Julius Brown (Toledo): 18 points (7-11 FG, 2-2 FT, 2-5 3PT), 7 assists vs. Coppin State