Part 22! The Mid-American Conference! Yet another conference that I don’t have a lot of exposure to.
Here’s what I know. I know that Miami of Ohio pulled a bit of a Cinderella act last year en route to a tournament berth last year. I seem to recall a buzzer-beater getting them to the Dance, in fact. Over Akron. I seem to recall seeing the highlights of the game’s finish while in Portland last year.
Ah, hell. Why rely on my memory? YouTube’s got it.
Can Miami pull it off again this year?
Mid-American Conference Tournament
First Round — Wednesday, March 12 (all games played at higher seed)
#10 Ball State over #7 Eastern Michigan
#11 Northern Illinois over #6 Central Michigan
#9 Bowling Green over #8 Toledo
#5 Miami (OH) over #12 Buffalo
Quarterfinals — Thursday, March 13 (at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio)
#2 Western Michigan over #10 Ball State
#3 Akron over #11 Northern Illinois
#1 Kent State over #9 Bowling Green
#5 Miami (OH) over #4 Ohio
Semifinals — Friday, March 14 (at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio)
#2 Western Michigan over #3 Akron
#5 Miami (OH) over #4 Kent State
Mid-American Conference Championship — Saturday, March 15 (at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio)
#2 Western Michigan over #5 Miami (OH)
PROJECTED MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE CHAMPION: #2 Western Michigan Broncos (clinch automatic berth in NCAA tournament)
REGULAR SEASON CONFERENCE USA CHAMPION: #1 Kent State Golden Flashes (earn NIT bid)
KEEP AN EYE ON: #3 Akron Zips
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Tyrone Kent (Toledo), Anthony Newell (Ball State), Giordan Watson (Central Michigan), Michael Bramos (Miami OH), Leon Williams (Ohio), David Kool (Western Michigan), Tim Pollitz (Miami OH), Joe Reitz (Western Michigan), Jonathan Amos (Toledo)
