It’s that time of the week when the best in the Mid-American Conference are organized into the power rankings. There wasn’t much movement at the top but there was some shuffling toward the middle of the pack as teams try to improve their seeding before the MAC Tournament.
Here are this week’s power rankings:
1. Central Michigan (18-4, 11-0)
Will the Chippewas lose again this season? It doesn’t look like it at this point with the way Central Michigan has ruled over the conference this season. New faces, new coach, it doesn’t matter. The Chippewas have earned the right to call themselves the best team in the conference, and anybody who wants to oppose that claim is going to have to wait for the conference tournament.
2. Ohio (14-7, 8-3)
There were a few moments that looked like the Bobcats would slip out of their number two spot this week. Ohio was pushed hard by Eastern Michigan and Kent State a week ago, but found ways to take down both teams. The Bobcats are the top team in the East Division and will hope to come out even sharper this week after a midweek bye. Ohio’s cruising to the No. 2 seed in the tournament, where it hopes it’ll finally take down the Chippewas.
3. Ball State (15-7, 7-3)
One team that’s on the cusp of movement is Ball State. The Cardinals this season have been one of the conference’s toughest teams. That spot was expected to be Buffalo, but Ball State has found ways to win over tough opposition like Western Michigan and Akron. The way the Cardinals are running their conference race is somewhat reminiscent of how Buffalo ran its last season. They aren’t expected to make much noise, but if they keep up their winning ways it could be the Cardinals and not the Bobcats that are sitting in the No. 2 seed.
4. Toledo (11-10, 6-4)
It was a terrible week for the MAC East. Only Ohio ended the week with a win, so that explains the flux of West Division teams in this week’s edition of the power rankings. Toledo has been a team that’s tough but can’t put wins together. The Rockets entered the week hot off a win over Kent State on Feb.1, but Miami busted their bubble with a 93-82 win in Oxford. Toledo, however, would go on to show the toughness that’s kept them in the mix of the conference with a convincing win at Buffalo.
5. Eastern Michigan (11-11, 6-5)
The Eagles are the last team in the MAC with a winning conference record. While their record isn’t pretty, Eastern Michigan could be a team on the rise. This week they play at Bowling Green, who has the conference’s worst record. Eastern Michigan will finish its week against Akron at home. This is a huge week for the Eagles. If they beat both Akron and Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan may find themselves in fourth place. Remember the top four teams in the conference get an automatic bid to Cleveland for the tournament.
Rounding things out
Kent State
Northern Illinois
Western Michigan
Miami
Buffalo
Akron
Bowling Green
