Having won 10 of its last 11 conference games heading into the MAC tournament, Ohio (19-12, 13-5 Mid-American Conference) couldn't have asked for a much better finish to conference play.
For their efforts, the Bobcats have gone from a fringe top-eight MAC team at the beginning of the season to a No. 3 seed set to take on No. 6 Western Michigan in the first round of the MAC tournament. With Ohio playing a very high level of basketball over the last two months and the conferences' top two seeds Toledo and Akron having taken a step back in that span, Ohio has to feel it has more than a reasonable chance to win the entire tournament.
Ohio's path to its second MAC championship in four years will not be an easy one. Despite possessing the No. 3 seed, Ohio will likely have to face preseason MAC favorite and current No. 2 seed Akron in the second round, provided both teams avoid first-round upsets.
Akron is not playing like the MAC juggernaut it seemed to be just four weeks ago. The Zips blew a chance at the valuable No. 1 seed with four losses in their last six games heading into postseason play.
Before Ohio can even think about Akron though, it will have to get past a solid Western Michigan team that won the only meeting between the two teams in the middle of January.
Here's what to know about Western Michigan:
Game Information:
Opponent: Western Michigan
Date and time: Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
Location: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse (Cleveland, Ohio)
How to watch: ESPN +
Statistical Leaders:
Points: Seth Hubbard (14.3 per game)
Rebounds: Owen Lobsinger, Anthony Crump (6.3 per game)
Assists: Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro (3.1 per game)
Steals: Hubbard (1.0 per game)
Blocks: Javonte Brown (1.1 per game)
Field-Goal Percentage: Brown (57.6)
3-Point Percentage: Lobsinger (38.3)
Free-Throw Percentage: Lobsinger (81.4)
First matchup:
Western Michigan's 2-point home triumph over Ohio was its fourth straight win to open MAC play. It was one of just three teams to score 80 points against Ohio in MAC play. The Broncos had an especially efficient night from Lobsinger, who took just five shots to score 10 points.
Artis White scored 13 points for the Broncos in the first matchup and will certainly be a player to watch against Ohio. White is capable of taking over any game, having gone for 20 or more points four times this season, including Western Michigan's most recent win over Akron, where he scored 23 points.
Other side of the Bracket:
All eyes will look up at Toledo in the MAC tournament until the team stumbles. The Rockets are the No. 1 seed after a very solid regular season and will look for their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1980. Ironically, Toledo's first-round opponent will be Kent State, a team picked to finish two spots above it in the preseason poll. The winner of the game will take on the winner of the No. 4 vs. 5 matchup between Central Michigan and Bowling Green.
