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2016-17 MAC Men’s Basketball Power Rankings: Week 16

Teams only have three games left to change their lot in life

Kenneth Bailey

As the season winds down, there are some interesting story lines. Akron, who had dominated most of the season, just lost two in a row. Western Michigan and Kent State have been on a bit of a terror. I keep watching Eastern Michigan, waiting for the team I saw earlier in the season, and it has yet to happen. Last, but not least, Marcus Keene is still flirting with 30 per.

As for ranking the teams, some of the teams are starting to separate themselves, while others are bunching together to become completely indistinguishable.


#12 Miami RedHawks

Average Rank 12 (Highest 12, Lowest 12)

This team has wins against CMU, Buffalo, and Northern Illinois. Winning a game in the tournament isn’t out of the question.


#11 Bowling Green Falcons

Average Rank 10.88 (Highest 10, Lowest 11)

The Falcons lost three in a row before knocking off Akron. That epitomizes the MAC this season.


#10 Eastern Michigan Eagles

Average Rank 10.66 (Highest 9, Lowest 11)

The Eagles have lost 9 out of 10. Their sole win in that time was against Miami. That sounds awful, and it is, but they still show signs of being the team we thought they were earlier in the year.


#9 Western Michigan Broncos

Average Rank 9 (Highest 7, Lowest 10)

After a rough start to the season, the Broncos have won 6 out of 7. Their sole loss in that stretch was by 4. It’s going to be interesting to see how this team does come tournament time.


#8 Kent State Golden Flashes

Average Rank 7.66 (Highest 6, Lowest 9)

Winners of three straight, I personally found it hard to rank the Golden Flashes. I wanted to rank them higher than 9th, but the team I have directly above them, Toledo, smoked them the last time they played. Like WMU, they are surging at the right time, and they too should be fun to watch in the tournament.


#7 Toledo Rockets

Average Rank 7.5 (Highest 6, Lowest 9)

The Rockets are 2 games back in the West. They must win their next three games, and hope for some help to win their division.


#6 Central Michigan Chippewas

Average Rank 6 (Highest 5, Lowest 7)

With the way they score, they can beat anyone. With the way they defend, they can lose to anyone. While that makes for exciting basketball, and the Chippewas certainly have been in the some of the best games in the MAC this year, it puts you in the middle of the pack in power rankings.


#5 Northern Illinois Huskies

Average Rank 5.33 (Highest 5, Lowest 6)

Like the Rockets, the Huskies are two games back. They play the two teams ahead of them in the last week of the season. Their destiny is in their own hands.


#4 Buffalo Bulls

Average Rank 3.83 (Highest Vote 3, Lowest 4)

The most athletic team in the conference, they certainly have a shot to win an unprecedented third MAC tournament championship in a row.


#3 Ball State Cardinals

Average Rank 3 (Highest 2, Lowest 4)

Winners of three straight, the Cardinals find themselves in the catbird’s seat in the West.


#2 Ohio Bobcats

Average Rank 2.66 (Highest 2, Lowest 3)

It’s time to write about the Bobcats, so what I am going to type? You guessed it, I am going to write about how amazing they have been since suffering the injury to Antonio Campbell.


#1 Akron Zips

Unanimous Number 1

The Zips were so far out in front that losing twice, including to BGSU, didn’t knock them off their perch. It will be interesting to see if those losses were a blip on the screen, or telling on how the Zips are going to play from here on out.