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Have you caught your breath yet?
What a week for MAC basketball. Five of the 12 games played so far have finished with margins of three points or less. Eastern Michigan has lost twice, both in overtime, both by one point. Miami overcame a 25-point deficit to beat those same Eagles. Central Michigan maybe kinda became a good team with a win at Toledo, then lost at Ball State. Ball State and Bowling Green are the only teams sitting undefeated in conference play after just two games. Goodbye, narrative.
Obviously there was going to be a lot of jumbling going on in the power rankings after the first week of conference play. Here's how the rankings shook out:
| Rank | Team | Record | Previously | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toledo | 9-6 (1-1) | 3 | L - Central Michigan, W - Akron |
| 2 | Buffalo | 10-4 (1-1) | 2 | W - at Miami, L - at Western Michigan |
| 3 | Bowling Green | 10-3 (2-0) | 8 | W - at Kent State, W - Ohio |
| 4 | Akron | 10-5 (1-1) | 5 | W - Western Michigan, L - at Toledo |
| 5 | Central Michigan | 11-2 (1-1) | 4 | W - at Toledo, L - at Ball State |
| 6 | Western Michigan | 10-5 (1-1) | 5 | L - at Akron, W - Buffalo |
| 7 | Eastern Michigan | 11-4 (0-2) | 1 | L - Ball State, L - at Miami |
| 8 | Ball State | 7-6 (2-0) | 11 | W - at Eastern Michigan, W - Central Michigan |
| 9 | Kent State | 10-5 (1-1) | 7 | L - Bowling Green, W - at Northern Illinois |
| 10 | Northern Illinois | 7-6 (1-1) | 10 | W - at Ohio, L - Kent State |
| 11 | Ohio | 5-8 (0-2) | 9 | L - Northern Illinois, L - at Bowling Green |
| 12 | Miami | 6-9 (1-1) | 12 | L - Buffalo, W - Eastern Michigan |
Only one team, Miami, was in the same spot this week as they were last week. With the MAC having two 2-0 teams, two 0-2 teams, and eight 1-1 teams, these rankings are almost impossible to do. I found myself scratching my head just trying to put my rankings together.
No teams personify the parity in this conference (so far) more than Eastern Michigan and Ball State. The Eagles run roughshod over their competition during non-conference play, while Ball State had some encouraging performances but many more let-downs. Now, which is team is 2-0 and which is 0-2? The scripts flipped, and the Cardinals are playing with a full head of steam after knocking off two of the leaders in the MAC West.
I feel like a lot of people don't realize just how good this Bowling Green team is. Everyone talks about Akron and Buffalo in the East, but a lot of people are sleeping on the Falcons. They were able to beat Kent State on the road this week (not an easy thing to do) and smothered Ohio on Saturday. Next up for BG is a road trip to Akron, where BG hasn't won in quite a long time.
Next week should prove to make these rankings jumble even more. I would list the big games for the week, but for now at least, EVERY GAME in the MAC is a big game. If you're a fan of MAC basketball, this makes the season just that much more fun.