With the start of the new year comes an old tradition: MACtion. The Mid-American Conference will kick off its slate of conference matchups on January 3, with all twelve teams tipping off this past weekend. All of the conference’s members wrapped up their non-conference slates this past weekend with varying degrees of success.
MAC Non-Conference Recap
Eastern Michigan 64; Davidson 86
The Eastern Michigan Eagles were the only MAC team in action on Saturday, losing 86-64 to the Davidson Wildcats. Senior forward Da’Sean Nelson paced the Eagles with 16 points, but Davidson locked down Eagles leading scorer Jalen Terry, who only managed 6 points on 2-11 shooting from the field. The Atlantic-10 side opened the game on a 24-4 run, and Eastern Michigan never managed to get the deficit below 17 points for the remainder of the game.
Kent State 84; Heidelberg College 80
Sunday saw three more MAC teams hit the court, with only one eeking out a victory. Kent State (9-3) survived a scare from Division II Heidelberg College 84-80. Trailing 42-36 at halftime, the Golden Flashes had to claw their way to a victory. Senior Jalen Sullinger knocked in a three to put Kent State up 81-80 with 43 seconds on the clock, and the Flashes held Heidelberg scoreless to close out the narrow victory.
Toledo 64; #21 Purdue 83
Buffalo 71; Temple 91
Buffalo and Toledo both hit the road this weekend, and both teams suffered blowout losses. Toledo (6-6) fell 83-64 against #21 Purdue, and the Buffalo Bulls (5-7) lost their third consecutive game in a 91-71 loss to Temple. Purdue junior Braden Smith was dominant against Toledo, with 34 points and 12 assists. Buffalo’s leading scorer Ryan Sabol was held in check against Temple, scoring only 5 points on 2-13 shooting.
Akron 75; Princeton 76
Akron (7-5) had a Monday matinee meeting against preseason Ivy League favorites Princeton. After taking an eleven-point lead into halftime, the Zips fell victim to a furious Princeton rally, losing 76-75 on a buzzer-beating three by Princeton sophomore Dalen Davis. Senior forward James Okonkwo recorded a double-double off the bench with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Central Michigan 85; Cleary University 39
Central Michigan dominated NAIA Cleary University 85-39. The Chippewas held the Cougars to a meager 26.4% shooting from the field. Chippewa junior forward Ugnius Jarusevicius led all players in both points and rebounds, ending with a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double.
Western Michigan 62; #18 Michigan State 80
The Broncos, despite a strong start to the second half, ultimately fell to the Spartans in East Lansing. Down 37-24 at halftime, Western Michigan started the second half with a 21-12 run to cut the deficit to four points with 11:56 remaining in the game. Michigan State used a strong presence in the paint to pull away for the remainder of the game, outrebounding the Broncos 37-30 and blocking seven shots.
Northern Illinois 117; East-West University 50
Miami (OH) 141; Defiance College 58
Ohio 103; Muskingum University 52
Northern Illinois, Miami (OH), and Ohio closed out Monday evening with a triple-header of 7 P.M. tipoffs against Division II and III opponents, and all three dominated the competition. Northern Illinois sophomore Quentin Jones finished the evening with a double-double, totaling 25 points, 11 assists, and 7 rebounds on 10/15 shooting from the field as the Huskies improved to 4-8 heading into conference play. The Miami Redhawks improved to 8-4 after nearly tripling DIII Defiance College’s score 141-58, with six players scoring in double figures. Elsewhere in the Buckeye State, the Ohio Bobcats dominated the Fighting Muskies of Muskingum University, hitting 64.1% of their shots from the field and out-rebounding the Muskies 44-29.
Ball State 89; Anderson University 76
The Ball State Cardinals survived a scare to close out the conference’s week, overcoming a four-point halftime deficit to take down Division II Anderson University. Ball State trailed by as many as seven points in the first half, but redshirt senior Ben Hendriks scored six consecutive Cardinal points to open the second half to cut the lead down to 1, and a layup from leading scorer Jermahri Hill put the Cardinals up with 17:29 remaining. The Cardinals gradually pulled away throughout the second half, ultimately improving their record to 6-6 at the end of the game.
MAC Play Kicks Off
A full slate of Mid-American Conference matchups will be played this weekend to set the tone for the intraconference battles ahead.
Akron Zips (7-5) @ Bowling Green Falcons (5-7); 6:00PM Jan. 3; CBSSN/ESPN+
The Akron Zips and Bowling Green Falcons open up conference play on Friday night. The Zips, fresh off a heartbreaking last-second loss to Princeton on Monday, will be hoping to exorcise some of the defensive demons that plagued them during the Tigers’ rally. Bowling Green, meanwhile, starts MAC play after a tune-up against Division II Aquinas College. Bowling Green’s Javontae Campbell, recently named the MAC’s player of the week, put up a triple-double in the contest, with 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. He added in a whopping five steals as well.
Toledo (6-6) @ Western Michigan (3-9); 1:00PM Jan. 4; ESPN+
Toledo, the MAC’s 2024 regular season champs, travel to Kalamazoo for a matchup with the mighty Broncos of Western Michigan on Saturday afternoon. The Rockets come into this matchup on a three-game losing streak, including two soul-crushing defeats to ranked opponents Purdue and Houston by an average of 25 points. Western Michigan is hoping to right the ship after a disastrous non-conference slate that saw them lose nine of their first twelve games, including four losses by 18 points or more.
Buffalo (5-7) @ Miami (8-4); 1:00PM Jan. 4; ESPN+
Two teams with opposite momentums face off in Oxford, Ohio to kick off their respective conference slates. The Buffalo Bulls, picked to finish last in the conference in the MAC preseason coaches’ poll, are riding a three-game losing streak and have lost all three by double figures. The Redhawks, on the other hand, have won three of their last four. Buffalo’s biggest challenge will be stopping Miami’s three-point shooting. The Redhawks lead the Mid-American Conference and are 15th nationally in three-point percentage, converting on 39.8% of their attempts.
Ball State (6-6) @ Kent State (9-3); 1:00PM Jan. 4; ESPN+
The Ball State Cardinals hit the road to start MAC play in 2025 with a visit to the Kent State Golden Flashes. A top-three preseason pick in the Mid-American Conference, the Golden Flashes have raced to a 9-3 start despite poor offensive showings to start the season. Kent State has stifled opposing offenses, holding seven of their opening twelve opponents to 60 points or fewer, but preseason All-MAC selection VonCameron Davis and the Flashes’ offense are hoping to fix the team’s poor offensive form. Ball State, led by leading scorer Jermahri Hill (15.7 points per game), will hope that preseason All-MAC center Payton Sparks, back with the team after a one-year stint with the Indiana Hoosiers, will return to his form from the 2022/23 season, where he averaged 13.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game on 58.8% shooting from the field.
Northern Illinois (4-8) @ Eastern Michigan (6-6); 2:00PM Jan. 4; ESPN+
Two struggling teams will meet up in Ypsilanti on Saturday when the Northern Illinois Huskies travel to meet the Eastern Michigan Eagles. Both teams were picked to finish in the bottom half of the conference in the preseason coaches poll, and so far this season both teams have had their fair share of struggles. For the Huskies, simply making shots has been a problem this year. They’re 11th in the MAC and 327th nationally in field goal percentage at 41.6%. Eastern Michigan’s biggest struggle has been on the boards. They rank last in the conference and 334th nationally in rebounds per game.
Ohio (6-6) @ Central Michigan (6-6); 7:00PM Jan. 4; ESPN+
The preseason favorites to win the conference, the Ohio Bobcats travel to Mt. Pleasant, Michigan for a bout against fellow .500 team Central Michigan. Led by senior forward AJ Clayton (16.4 points, 6.5 rebounds per game), the Bobcats struggled defensively in their non-conference games, allowing 75.8 points per game and committing 18.7 fouls per game. The Chippewas, after a tough run to open the season against Power 5 opponents Marquette, Minnesota, Mississippi State, and Arizona, come into MAC play battle-tested. They boast a balanced roster, with four players averaging 10 points or more per game, and have held opponents to 41.3% shooting so far this season.
For more basketball and sports content, follow me on Bluesky @rossbembenek.bsky.social, or send me an email at [email protected]. For the latest news and updates in the basketball world, make sure to check in on Hardwood Heroics here!
