:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48811813/usa-today-8955444.0.jpg)
- This week in #MACtion, we've seen two very different methods of announcing transfers. Gehrig Dieter announced he was grad transferring to national champion Alabama, while fellow MAC athlete Ron Coluzzi finally chose Iowa as a landing spot after leaving the CMU program hours before the Quick Lane Bowl. Dieter was very effusive in his praise of the BGSU program on the way out, while Coluzzi was rather blunt about why he left Central. Dieter and Coluzzi both follow the lead of Ohio's Robbie Walker, who is transferring to a yet-to-be-announced school.
- Coluzzi said that Mt. Pleasant wasn't very friendly to CMU Athletics, but don't tell that to WalletHub, which named Mt. Pleasant one of the top 60 college cities in the nation and third-best in the MAC. Northern Illinois and Bowling Green made up the first and second spots, respectivelty. Ball State and Eastern Michigan ranked among the worst both in the MAC and in the nation. :(
- Speaking of transfers, players aren't just leaving the MAC; they're coming to it as well. Former four-star recruit Warren Ball, who holds a national championship ring from his time with Ohio State, will be transferring to nearby Akron to fulfill his dream of being a starting running back. At 6'1", 222 lbs., he has the potential to be a beast on a loaded running offense for the Zips.
- From Akron football to Akron basketball, the Zips look to be the consensus favorite to represent the MAC in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. This is still the case, even despite a bad loss to NIU, which causes their hold on the regular season title to slip from three games to two.
- On the opposite end of the spectrum is Miami. Their woes have been plenty this season, but perhaps none more damning than the giant egg they laid against the Toledo Rockets in a 93-48 shellacking on Saturday night. Miami's leading scorer (and only RedHawk in double-digits?) Abdoulaye Harouna. Yikes.
- With that win, Toledo pulled into a tie with Ball State for the MAC West lead, thanks to a clutch Cardinal victory on the road against Central Michigan, who also was fighting for that lead spot prior to the loss. CMU is back to .500 on the season, and just a win over the same mark overall.
- CMU's women's basketball team, on the other hand, is doing fairly well for themselves. The Lady Chippewas, led by Preslee Hudson, won their eighth-straight game against NIU in dramatic come-from-behind fashion on the road after falling behind by 18 at the half. They're currently on top of the MAC West, and a half-game behind Ohio for the conference lead.