Saturday SHOOTYHOOPS Schedule

Sure, the rest of the country may be focused on pigskin as November hits its stride, but there’s also roundball underway for those who prefer their athletic competition a little more warm and a lot more comfy indoors. Throw in the fact that for many in the Mid-American Conference their hopes for football after their last scheduled game this coming week have been dashed, and focus shifts to the future hope that perhaps basketball will be different.

Mid-American Conference SHOOTYHOOPS has had sort of a black eye and a quiet grumble from some in the footprint bemoaning a time gone by of high level basketball. To get that back, the MAC has to take advantage of out of conference opportunities. This weekend provides at least one of those.

Your Saturday SHOOTYHOOPS schedule:

Eureka @ Central Michigan Chippewas

The Chips enter today’s contest at 1-1, with a 60-point win over Siena Heights of the NAIA and a 7-point to loss to the Michigan Wolverines. Both those outcomes were surprising, the latter more so than the former, and fans are hoping it’s a sign that this CMU squad has a shot at the conference title. With today’s opponent being Division 3 Eureka, there likely won’t be much data to extrapolate but Chips fans should expect a large margin of victory in Mount Pleasant.

Gametime: 1:00PM
Television: None
Streaming: None

Howard Bison @ Eastern Michigan Eagles

The Eagles play host to the Bison today after starting the year 3-0 and looking impressive while doing so. The level of competition for the Eagles has been no match for EMU, with their lowest margin of victory being a 17-point win against Arkansas State. Howard enters today’s matchup at 0-3, but all those losses were on the road against name programs (George Washington, Indiana, and Gonzaga). With EMU’s next game on the road against Indiana, this could be a trap game of the highest order.

Gametime: 2:00PM
Television: None
Streaming: WatchESPN app, pending cable provider

Florida Gulf Coast @ Bowling Green Falcons

The Falcons enter Saturday’s contest at 1-1, with a season-opening road win over Drexel but a home loss last week against South Dakota. Florida Gulf Coast enters at 2-0 with wins over Illinois State and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. With a win, FGCU ties the nation’s longest road winning streak, so the Falcons may have their work cut out for them.

Gametime: 6:00PM
Television: None
Streaming: WatchESPN app, pending cable provider

Tennessee-Martin @ Akron Zips

The Zips opened their season with a win over Cleveland State and are hoping to run that record to 2-0 as they welcome the OVC’s Tennessee-Martin to town. The Skyhawks enter at 1-2, but with the losses coming on the road to Marshall and Illinois, they have experience against larger teams with more imposing home crowds. This is a good barometer of where Akron stands for the year, as a win means they are capable of a deep run in the MAC.

Gametime: 7:00PM
Television: None
Streaming: WatchESPN app, pending cable provider

Oakland @ Toledo Rockets

Toledo, at 2-0 after opening their season with consecutive home wins over St. Joseph’s and Ohio Northern welcome in Oakland as a road favorite (-1.5) tonight. The Golden Grizzlies, from the Horizon League, are 2-0 themselves after wins over IPFW and New Orleans. Oakland is on the road again on Monday at Syracuse, so Toledo may be catching them at the right time looking ahead.

Gametime: 7:00PM
Television: None
Streaming: WatchESPN app, pending cable provider