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Sure, Akron's overtime win at Ohio was the marquee event tonight, as it should be. It placed the MAC back into a national conversation for a possible at-large berth in the NCAA tournament should Akron not win the automatic bid. But let's not forget the other five games, in which there were so many other incredibly outlandish performances around the conference on this night, more so than usual.
Where to even begin with this one? Gotta start somewhere. Demetrius Treadwell scored 21 points and brought down 8 rebounds, while filling in for the fouled-out Zeke Marshall. Jake Kretzer broke the eFG meter, shooting 6-for-6 from the floor, five of those being 3-pointers, to score 19 points. Alex Abreu had 16 points and nine assists. And Marshall had 16 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
Ohio's DJ Cooper took a few too many wild field goal attempts but did help will the team to a near-upset with 26 points. Walter Offutt scored 15 points and led the game with 10 rebounds.
Then there were the less-heralded games:
Darius Paul helped solidify that No. 3 seed for the Broncos with 28 points and 12 rebounds. He's looking like the top freshman for sure.
Randal Holt shot 9-for-16 for Kent State to give them 28 points, including 6-for-9 from 3-point range to help beat Buffalo 83-81 in overtime, while all Javon McCrea did for Buffalo was put up 32 points, 15 rebounds and EIGHT blocks. Cameron Downing gets an honorable mention with 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting.
Then there's Jauwan Scaife, the hero of BSU's BracketBuster win at Southeast Missouri State a career-high 34 points on 8-for-12 shooting (12-for-13 free throws). And they didn't even need overtime.
I feel like a doofus including Jordon Crawford and his 19-point performance, because 19 points is a lot for one player in a game, but compared to his above peers ... it just feels so ordinary. That's the kind of night it was.
And lastly:
Northern Illinois as a team scored 41 points in a loss to Eastern Michigan. Congratulations, NIU, you win the Most Improved Award!