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| Akron | 10-5 (2-0) | RPI: 138 | BBState: 69 |
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LAST WEEK (W) @Ball State, 72-68 (W) @Ohio, 83-80 (2OT) THIS WEEK Wednesday vs. Miami Saturday vs. Toledo |
I shudder to think how much last year's tournament team needed Quincy Diggs. Goodness, it's like he didn't miss a beat. Despite the irregular conference schedule, they're right back on regular pace to be a MAC East winner. That Toledo game should be a dandy on Saturday. | ||
| Buffalo | 8-4 (2-0) | RPI: 116 | BBState: 64 |
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LAST WEEK (W) NIU, 67-46 (W) EMU, 76-66 THIS WEEK Wednesday: at Toledo Saturday: Kent State |
It's not the most glamorous first two wins, but any wins will do. And yes, coach Bobby Hurley got a technical in his first MAC game. Welcome to the conference, buddy. | ||
| Western Michigan | 9-5 (2-0) | RPI: 137 | BBState: 114 |
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LAST WEEK (W) Toledo, 87-76 (W) @Miami 78-77 (OT) THIS WEEK Tuesday: at EMU Sunday: BGSU |
You can thank WMU for spoiling the good feelings thought about Toledo and a two-bid conference, or you can really non-sarcastically thank them, depending on your preference. Western seems to revel in ruining others' fun, and they're looking to be another tough contender. Connar Tava may have had his two finest games of the season to start conference play. | ||
| Toledo | 13-2 (1-1) | RPI: 53 | BBState: 19 |
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LAST WEEK (L) @WMU, 87-76 (W) CMU, 86-71 THIS WEEK Wednesday: vs. Buffalo Saturday: at Akron |
We knew their defense wasn't in tip-top shape, and Western can score in a hurry. So goes our dream of a one-loss Rockets team getting a high seed, and they're certainly not poised to be an at-large team at this rate. But they're still crazy dangerous, especially on offense. | ||
| Ohio | 11-4 (1-1) | RPI: 58 | BBState: 58 |
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LAST WEEK (W) @Kent State, 59-53 (L) Akron, 83-80 (2OT) THIS WEEK Wednesday: Ball State Saturday: at NIU |
They're definitely one-half of a terrific basketball saga happening right now, and despite letting a big win against Akron slip away, they should win their next five contests. | ||
| Kent State | 10-5 (1-1) | RPI: 184 | BBState: 126 |
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LAST WEEK (L) Ohio, 59-53 (W) Ball State, 86-74 THIS WEEK Wednesday: at NIU Saturday: at Buffalo |
Good to see Kent State snap out of a scoring funk with that win over Ball State, but a lot of teams have been saying that lately. | ||
| Eastern Michigan | 9-6 (1-1) | RPI: 47 | BBState: 79 |
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LAST WEEK (W) @BGSU, 56-51 (L) @Buffalo, 76-66 THIS WEEK Tuesday: vs. WMU Saturday: at CMU |
In an ever-changing world, we can still rely on the fact that EMU has trouble scoring and plays tough defense. Never change, Eastern. | ||
| Northern Illinois | 7-7 (1-1) | RPI: 214 | BBState: 210 |
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LAST WEEK (L) @Buffalo, 67-46 (W) @BGSU, 45-36 THIS WEEK Wednesday: vs. Kent State Saturday: vs. Ohio |
What a strange week. After falling behind 16-0 to Buffalo, they |
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| Miami | 5-8 (1-1) | RPI: 140 | BBState: 191 |
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LAST WEEK (W) @CMU, 77-70 (L) WMU, 88-87 (OT) THIS WEEK Wednesday: at Akron Saturday: at Ball State |
One bucket away from being tied for first in the MAC. This team. This team. Maybe they can stay competitive, provided their current top scorer doesn't transfer. | ||
| Central Michigan | 7-7 (0-2) | RPI: 259 | BBState: 217 |
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LAST WEEK (L) Miami, 77-70 (L) Toledo, 86-71 THIS WEEK Wednesday: at BGSU Saturday: vs. EMU |
Club Keno is doubling down on all the wrong numbers. The standard keno card goes up to 80, and what kind of nickname is that for the fans if their team can't hold offenses to below that number? | ||
| Bowling Green | 6-9 (0-2) | RPI: 182 | BBState: 243 |
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LAST WEEK (L) EMU, 59-53 (L) NIU, 45-36 THIS WEEK Wednesday: CMU Sunday: at WMU |
I refuse to acknowledge what happened yesterday at the Stroh Center. It didn't happen. That team doesn't exist. They scored fewer points against NIU basketball than they did against NIU football. Can Matt Johnson hit a jump shot? | ||
| Ball State | 3-10 (0-2) | RPI: 314 | BBState: 312 |
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LAST WEEK (L) Akron, 72-68 (L) @Kent State, 86-74 THIS WEEK Wednesday: at Ohio Saturday: vs. Miami |
Someone has to be the worst, and if the #12 team is almost beating Akron, then easy wins are few and far between in this conference. That's what makes it fun. | ||
| Massachusetts (Atlantic 10) | 14-1 (2-0) | RPI: 4 | BBState: 8 |
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LAST WEEK (W) St. Joseph's, 66-62 (W) St. Bonaventure, 73-68 THIS WEEK Wednesday: at George Mason Saturday: at Elon |
Even UMass is not immune to the first conference game being harder than advertised. And with under 10 minutes to go, Bonaventure had a 13-point lead. Stop scaring us, half-cousins. Also, I had forgotten George Mason is in the A-10. Elon is a nonconference game, and for some reason it is in mid-January. | ||
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TOP MAC PERFORMANCES Chris Fowler (CMU): 22 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds. 2 steals vs. Miami Glenn Bryant (EMU): 19 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks vs. Buffalo Connar Tava (WMU): 22 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks vs. Miami Javon McCrea (Buffalo): 14 points, 8 rebounds, 8 blocks, 4 assists vs. NIU Darren Goodson (Kent State): 23 points, 7 rebounds vs. Ball State Connar Tava: 25 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists vs. Toledo Majok Majok (Ball State): 16 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks vs. Akron |
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