Open Chat: MAC Tournament on the horizon

Who's got it better than us? No one, that's who. Not only did we get an awesome MAC hoops display on national television from Akron-Kent State and Northern Illinois-Ball State last night, but we get to spend an entire Saturday watching more.

Here's the quick rundown:

At noon Toledo and Eastern Michigan will take the court in Ypsilanti, but never fear if your allegiances lie elsewhere, Nathan Boothe and James Thompson IV will be playing. It's well worth your time as Boothe is the MAC's leading scorer in all competition and Thompson IV is easily the conference's best freshman. Buffalo hosts Bowling Green at noon as well, and with Kent State's victory on Friday night has an excellent opportunity to get back into the thick of the East division.  The Bulls should feel great about their chances for a couple of reasons. The first, and perhaps most obvious, is they play Bowling Green which has won just a single game since starting 3-1 in conference play, and the second is Lamonte Bearden's return from a three game suspension.

For the 2:00 p.m. slot we have a couple rivalry games. One, Central Michigan vs. Western Michigan, figures to be a close one while another, Miami vs. Ohio, figures to get ugly. Western Michigan sits at 4-9 and has looked positively lost outside of its star point guard Thomas Wilder, but they are pretty tough at home all things considered. Four of the Chippewas' six losses have come on the road, and they will undoubtedly be tested once again Saturday. The outlook is a bit more bleak for the other 4-9 team playing at two, as the RedHawks have the misfortune of traveling to meet the RedHot Ohio Bobcats. Antonio Campbell is quite possibly the best player in the MAC this season and could have a field day for the green and white.