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What a weekend of basketball we just had in Cleveland! We hope all of you enjoyed it as much as we did. There were a lot of great performances, and a few head scratchers as well. We’re excited to break it all down for you!
To kick off this weeks pod, Zach and Sam take a look back at the men’s tournament. First things first, what a run by Jason Preston and the Ohio Bobcats. After running Kent State out of the gym in the quarterfinals (where was Danny Pippen?) the Bobcats dispatched of Toledo and Buffalo to capture the conference crown. As the owner of the MAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the Bobcats draw the Virginia Cavaliers in the first round. The boys preview this match up and give their thoughts.
Elsewhere on the men’s side, the boys discuss the continued underperformance by Bowling Green, the disappointment of Toledo after falling in the semi’s, and the incredible semifinal between Akron and Buffalo. Buffalo and Toledo both earned NIT bids, and Bowling Green is headed to the CBI. Zach and Sam give their thoughts on all three match ups.
On the women’s side of things, Central Michigan captured their third straight MAC tournament championship. The Chippewas run to the title was highlighted by an incredible semi-final match up against Ohio, where CMU needed OT to dispatch of the Bobcats. Michaela Kelly and company followed that up by dispatching of top seeded Bowling Green in the final, 77-72. As a reward, the Chips draw the Iowa Hawkeyes of the Big Ten in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The boys give their predictions, and contemplate the question: can CMU pull the upset?
Elsewhere on the women’s side, the boys look back on the seasons of the other teams that qualified for the MAC tournament. Though they fell short of capturing the title, Bowling Green’s future is incredibly bright. Coach Robyn Fralick signed a recent contract extension, and the Falcons have a ton of young talent returning next year. Ohio, Eastern Michigan, Ball State and Buffalo will all have to reload, while Kent State and Northern Illinois both have a good chunk of their production returning.
To close out the show, the boys discuss the recent coaching news from the hardwood. Northern Illinois recently hired Arizona State assistant and former DePaul point guard Rashon Burno as their head coach. In Ypsilanti, Eastern Michigan and longtime coach Rob Murphy mutually agreed to part ways. It will be interesting to see who the Eagles tab as their next coach to lead their men’s basketball program.
As always, thanks for stopping by folks. Have a great weekend, and enjoy all of the hoops. Talk to you next week!