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Happy Friday folks! We made it through another week. I know I’m not along when I say the past few days felt a bit empty without basketball on all day long. Speaking of basketball, there was a lot that happened this past week. We’re excited to break it all down for you on this weeks podcast!
First up, on the men’s side of things, the boys discuss the run that the Ohio Bobcats made through the NCAA tournament. OU came out on Saturday night and played one of their best games of the season, knocking off defending national champions Virginia, 62-58. In the Bobcats first round upset, their full fire power was on display, with Jason Preston, Ben Vander Plas and Ben Roderick all putting in great performances. Unfortunately for the Bobcats, they couldn’t quite recapture the magic in their second round match up, falling to 5th seed Creighton, 72-58. Regardless of that final outcome, it was a heck of a run for the Bobcats, especially considering the 21-day COVID pause that they endured barely a month ago.
In the NIT, both Toledo and Buffalo bowed out in the first round, but it wasn’t without a fight. Toledo held a halftime lead against Richmond before going cold in the second half, while Buffalo went blow for blow with top seed Colorado State before ultimately falling, 75-73.
In the CBI, Bowling Green put a disappointing cap on a disappointing season with a 53-52 loss to the Stetson Hatters. The Falcons held a 15 point lead with under 12 minutes to go. Unfortunately for Bowling Green fans, they weren’t able to hold on and ultimately lost in the final minute.
On the women’s side, Central Michigan ran into a bit of a buzzsaw in the first round of the NCAA tournament, falling to 5th seed Iowa, 87-72. Freshman sensation Caitlin Clark led the way with 23 points for the Hawkeyes, and the Chippewas simply weren’t able to keep pace after hanging tough with Iowa for the first quarter.
In the WNIT, the results were similar to the men’s side of things. Unfortunately for the MAC, both Ohio and Bowling Green lost their first round match up’s, with Ohio falling to Clemson and Bowling Green to Creighton. Unlike on the men’s side, the WNIT uses a double elimination format, so both squads were able to bounce back and get a win out of the experience.
To wrap up the show, the boys break down the post-season awards and all-MAC teams, and give their thoughts on the final selections. We saw this as a nice way to wrap up a great season on the hardwood. Do you have any disagreements on who was selected for the postseason awards? Let us know on Twitter!
With next week, we’ll start to dive more into the ongoing spring sports, while also looking ahead to football season. As always, thanks for stopping by folks. We’ll talk to you again next week - have a great weekend!