The college basketball season is heading toward the homestretch, with roughly a month of basketball still to be played. Of course, March only brings about chaos with the Mid-American Conference Tournament deciding which team will represent the conference in the NCAA tournament. With that in mind, The Post took time to rank the teams on how they’ve done up to this point.
Ball State
This was quite an easy front-runner in the conference, and it’s not hard to see why. The Cardinals have an impressive 19-4 record but also have an unblemished record in the MAC, winning 13 straight games, 11 being in conference. The team has key wins on the road against Kent State, Buffalo and Miami by 9 or more, plus a home win against Toledo of 77-63. Ball State has dominated the MAC to this point and will look to stay hot through March in order to make a run to the NCAA Tournament.
Toledo
Of the three teams in the MAC share an 8-3 record in conference play, Toledo is among the best. The Rockets are led by senior Sammi Mikonowicz, who scores 13 points and grabs six rebounds per game. MAC play was a little rocky to start, with losses at home to Northern Illinois and on the road to Western Michigan and Ball State to start 4-3. Now, Toledo has won four straight games, including a massive road win at Buffalo in its last MAC matchup.
Kent State
The defending MAC Tournament Champions are sitting at 8-3 in conference play and 15-8 overall, earning the No. 3 spot in these power rankings. The Golden Flashes' leading scorer from last season, Katie Shumate, graduated. However, senior guard Jenna Batsch has filled in her role very well, scoring 16.4 points and four assists per game. Kent State’s three conference losses are to Toledo, Ball State and a surprising loss to Northern Illinois. Kent State boasts solid wins over Buffalo at home and a road win against a good Miami team that bolsters its resume.
Buffalo
The Bulls are another team to share the 8-3 decree in the MAC, led by the MAC’s top scorer and their senior leader, Chellia Watson. The best win for Buffalo came at Western Michigan, where it won 73-40. The bulls have handled matchups against teams with worse records than them but have struggled against the top dogs. The team lost to Ball State and Toledo at home and has fallen at Kent State. These top teams have been able to make Watson beat them, and that has made the Bulls falter down the stretch of games. Having to rely solely on Watson may be their downfall when March comes around.
Miami
Second-year coach Glenn Box has his Miami squad playing some great basketball. The RedHawks have an above .500 record both overall and in conference play. Sophomore guard Enjulina Gonzalez has been one of the conference's best players this season. Gonzalez is averaging 17.3 points per game on 48.3% shooting from the field and 43.8% shooting from deep. The starting five is young, featuring four underclassmen to go along with graduate student Maya Chandler. This team could make serious noise in the tournament if it stays hot.
Western Michigan
The Broncos are another team with a winning record in MAC play, the final team that can boast that fact. Thanks to a tough non-conference start of the season, Western Michigan is just 9-13 overall but has improved since starting conference play. Led by the duo of Marina Asencio and Hannah Spitzley, the Broncos picked up solid wins over Northern Illinois and Toledo. That duo averages over 13 points per game, and they have been the driving force behind much of the Broncos’ success this season.
Bowling Green
The Falcons are one game below .500 in the conference standings, but they do have some of the most impressive non-conference wins in the MAC, including wins over Arkansas and Marquette. Despite those remarkable victories, Bowling Green doesn’t have a win over any of the teams above it in these rankings, which is what holds it back from being higher at the end of the day.
Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois has a worse in-conference record than Central Michigan but still has some impressive MAC wins this season, including victories against Toledo and Kent State. The Huskies have been a weird team to follow, defeating the Rockets in their first MAC game of the season and then losing to the Bobcats the very next game at home. Inconsistency is what holds this team back.
Central Michigan
Central Michigan has just been a below-average team this year in head coach Kristin Haynie’s second season. The Chippewas are 5-6 in MAC play with a hard-fought 47-46 win over the RedHawks at home, but that is their only win over a team ahead of them in the rankings so far this season. Freshman Madi Morson has been very impressive, averaging 15.1 points per game in just her first year of college basketball.
Akron
The Zips have better overall and in-conference records than Ohio and Eastern Michigan, but that is all they can say about this season. The team's three MAC wins are over Ohio, Eastern Michigan and the ever-inconsistent Northern Illinois. The senior duo of Shelbee Brown and Alexus Mobley has been the bright spot of the team this season, with both players putting up over 12 points per game.
Ohio
This season has been a big disappointment for an Ohio team that was seemingly trending up after a surprise tournament appearance last season. Injuries to Monica Williams and Jaya McClure have put Ohio in a tough spot with a record of 4-17 overall and 2-9 in the MAC. Injuries have plagued the team all season, with Kennedi Watkins and Bailey Tabeling missing time as well. This has been a season to forget for the Bobcats, and their chances at the MAC tournament grow slimmer with every game.
Eastern Michigan
The Eagles have, to say the least, struggled in the first year of new coach Sahar Nusseibeh’s tenure. Eastern Michigan has won just one game all season against Xavier, the bottomfeeder of women’s basketball in the Big East. Nusseibeh is still searching for her first MAC win as the Eastern Michigan head coach, and it will be a tough task to complete as Ball State, Buffalo and Miami still remain on the schedule.
