Here's a brief guide to the 2016 MAC Tournament this week in Cleveland.
With the 2016 Mid-American Conference Tournament tipping off Monday night, here’s a guide to the tournament.
Structure
All 12 teams make the tournament, but as of this year, only the top four seeds automatically receive byes until Cleveland.
The tournament starts Monday night, with four games taking place at the higher seed’s home court. The winner from each game will then travel to Cleveland to play Wednesday in the quarterfinals.
After Wednesday, the winning teams will have another day off and the semifinal, and final, will resume Friday and Saturday, respectively.
New changes
Ohio, the top seed, won’t play until Wednesday at noon. Ohio will play the winner of the No. 8 Buffalo versus No. 9 Bowling Green matchup Monday night.
More importantly, though, is that Ohio has to win three games to win the conference outright. Last year, the team received a double-bye and didn’t have to play until the semifinals.
“I’m not giving it any real thought,” coach Bob Boldon said about the newly introduced third game. “We’re just gonna have to deal with it … Hopefully the three game format suits us pretty well this year.”
Who to watch
Boldon said the Bobcats will treat the tournament games just as they’ve treated each game this season: one at a time.
That being said, that doesn’t mean Bobcat fans have to wait to learn about upcoming opponents the night before the game.
Below is a quick guide about potential upcoming opponents:
No. 8 Buffalo — The Bulls were the only team to beat the Bobcats during conference play, upsetting Ohio twice. Junior guard Yamonie Jenkins said this is the first matchup she wants, hoping for redemption and a strong start to a title campaign.
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No. 4 Toledo — The last time Ohio lost in the MAC Tournament was two years ago at Toledo in a first round game. When the schools met earlier this season, Ohio won 77-57 on the road.
No. 5 Akron — The Zips get more credit than they probably deserve. Sure, they finished second in the MAC East, but they’re still not remotely close to the Bobcats in terms of quality. Ohio won the two matchups this season by a 176-128 scoring margin.
No. 2 Central Michigan — This would actually be a difficult matchup for Ohio. The Bobcats won 86-84 in overtime, but they didn’t take the lead until overtime. That could be troubling if they meet the Chippewas in the MAC Championship Game.
No. 3 Ball State — If Ball State plays Ohio like it did on Jan. 30, then the Cardinals would have a strong chance at an upset. Ohio won 68-67, thanks to a late three-point play from senior forward Lexie Baldwin. But if the game is similar to Ohio’s 73-48 win on Jan. 6, then Ohio will coast to a consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
@charliehatch_
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