MAC MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- Ohio U
- Akron
- Kent State
- Toledo
- Bowling Green
- Miami OH
- Ball State
- Central Michigan
- Eastern Michigan
- Western Michigan
- Northern Illinois
- Buffalo
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MAC 1ST TEAM:
-Payton Sparks – SR, C – Ball State
-Anthony Pritchard – SR, G – Central Michigan
-VonCameron Davis – SR, F – Kent State
-AJ Clayton – SR, F – Ohio U
-Javan Simmons – SO, F – Toledo
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MAC 2ND TEAM:
-Isaiah Gray – SR, G – Akron
-Jalen Sullinger – SR, G – Kent State
-Shereef Mitchell – SR, G – Ohio U
-AJ Brown – SO, G – Ohio U
-Isaiah Adams – SR, G – Toledo
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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-Ohio U won their last 7 games before losing in the semifinals of the conference tournament last year, and they return the bulk of the talent from that team. Jeff Boals is a coach that I have always thought a lot of and I think he may have one of his best teams in a while this year. AJ Clayton/Shereef Mitchell were both double-digit scorers a year ago, and both received preseason honors this year. They have experience, they have depth, and I think they can win the MAC this year.
-Akron is a regular 20+ game winner, but they do face some challenges this year as four starters are gone from last year’s team that made the NCAA Tournament. Isaiah Gray comes in from Cornell, and they do add several other players from power programs that are perhaps come to Akron wanting to play bigger roles, so the cupboard has probably been restocked and the Zips will likely be near the top of the standings again.
-Kent State had a subpar season last year and are looking to bounce back this year. VonCameron Davis received preseason honors, and he’ll be joined by Marquis Barnett (who comes in from Presby) and Anthony Morales (who comes in from Boston U). So, the Golden Flashes have some solid pieces and I think we will see a few more wins out of them this year.
-Toledo finished atop the standings last year, but lost their conference tournament opener and ended up without a postseason invite despite having a really solid year. The Rockets have won 20+ games the last four years and have two key starters back from last year, including SO PG Sonny Wilson. They also add a couple of transfers that were double-digit scorers a year ago and should be able to step right in and help the Rockets. I could actually see them finishing higher than 4th. I do not like them as much as Ohio U, but I do think they could finish right behind them.
-Bowling Green was another team that won 20 games last season…but is also another team that is tasked with rebuilding its roster and replace four of their starters. Trey Thomas comes in from Vanderbilt and he should be a major contributor for Falcons this year. They also add some guys that were standout players at the D-2/JUCO levels, but it remains to be seen if they can contribute at the D-1 level.
-Miami OH showed some signs of improvement last year and finished a modest 9-9 in conference play in Coach Travis Steele’s second season. Three starters are back and that experience could result in this team seeing a few more wins this year and continuing their steady improvement.
-Michael Lewis had an impressive debut season at Ball State two seasons ago when he won 20 games. Last year, they took a step back and won just 15 and were a so-so 7-11 in conference play. Only two starters return from that team, but one of them is Payton Sparks, who is probably the best center/post player in the conference. They also add a high-caliber player in Jeremiah Hernandez, who averaged over 17ppg at Southern Indiana a year ago, so Ball State should be better this year. I think they can finish higher than they are being picked.
-Central Michigan was a big surprise last year with 18 total wins and a 4th place finish in the conference. This was a team that many (including myself) were expecting to be either at or near the bottom along with the other Directional-Michigan schools. Anthony Pritchard returns to the lineup and is one of the better guards in the conference. Jakobi Heady, who was a standout player at Bethune Cookman last year, transfers in and should be a big contributor. Can the Chippewas exceed expectations again this season?
-Eastern Michigan managed 13 wins a year ago, which is not good at all, but was still better than they had done the previous three years and perhaps better than what was expected. They did finish just 10th in the league and with three starters gone they do not appear to have a ton of experience or guys that have proven themselves as solid D-1 players yet. They could be in for a long year.
-Western Michigan could be in for an even longer year. They won just 12 games a year ago, which is not good, but was still an improvement, but with four starters gone from that team they are once again rebuilding. They also seem to be a little light on guys with solid D-1 experience.
-Northern Illinois has no starters back after several contributing players from last year jumped into the portal. Just four scholarship players return in total and the expectations are not high.
-Buffalo won just four games a year ago and the days of Nate Oats having this team in the NCAA Tournament, and winning tournament games, and in the top-25, now seem like it happened a long time ago. They are most likely in for another very long season this year.