MAC MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- Miami OH
- Toledo
- Akron
- Kent State
- Ohio U
- UMass
- Bowling Green
- Western Michigan
- Eastern Michigan
- Buffalo
- Ball State
- Central Michigan
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MAC 1ST TEAM:
-Mohammad Habhab – SO, F – Eastern Michigan
-Evan Ipsaro – SR, G – Miami OH
-Javan Simmons – SR, F – Ohio U
-Luke Skaljac – JR, G – Miami OH
-Chansey Willis Jr. – SR, G – Kent State
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MAC 2ND TEAM:
-Sean Jones – SR, G – Toledo
-Evan Mahaffey – SR, F – Akron
-Austin Parks – SR, C – Toledo
-Jackson Paveletzke – SR, G – Ohio U
-Tahj Staveskie – SR, G – Akron
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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-Miami OH had a magical season last year where they posted a record of 32-2 overall, finished in 1st place in the MAC standings, and then went on to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament before losing in the Round of 64. Travis Steele has done a remarkable job with this program since taking over as coach and that success should continue into this season. The question is whether or not they can take another big step forward. Despite the 32 wins, the Redhawks were just barely inside the bubble due to a weak schedule. That could be an issue again this year. While they do face some very solid Under the Radar opponents in High Point, James Madison, and UIC, their margin for error will once again be small. The Redhawks have a talented and experienced backcourt with Luke Skaljac and Evan Ipsaro. Almar Atlason provides a strong presence in the post and he can also hit from distance. Stevie Elam was a strong player at Milwuakee last year and he transfers in. This is a very good, very talented, and very deep Redhawks team. I think they can once again finish in 1st place and land back inside the bubble.
-Toledo was subpar for most of the year, but they played well down the stretch, winning six of their final seven before falling in the MAC Championship game in a very close loss to Akron. They do not return a whole lot from that team, but two starters are back and they also add Angel Montas Jr. from UMass Lowell, who averaged just under 16ppg last season, so they do have some experience and some proven talent and will once again be a team to watch.
-While Miami OH was the national story last year, Akron was…at least arguably…the better team. Their only regular season loss was at Miami OH, and they went on to win the conference tournament after winning 29 total games. Dustin Ford takes over as coach this year and while they did lose a lot of key pieces from last season, Evan Mahaffey is back and they picked up two solid transfers in Tahj Staveskie from Incarnate Word and Ty Pence from Illinois State. Akron is consistently one of the best teams in this conference and this year likely will not be any different.
-Kent State won 24 games for the second straight year last year, but they are starting over this year as all five starters have moved on. Coach Rob Senderoff is not someone you want to doubt, though. Quinn Woidke is back after a very good freshman season and he is a solid outside shooter. They also picked up Cameron Williams as a transfer who averaged double-figures for Portland last year. A lot of guys will need to step into bigger roles this year, and Kent State may not be as good as Akron or Miami OH, but they can still have a big year.
-Ohio U coach Jeff Boals is someone who I think is a fantastic coach. Having said that, the last two years have been struggles, winning just 16 and 15 games respectively and going 9-9 in MAC play last year. That is not exactly tearing it up. This year they have just one returning starter but it is Javan Simmons, who is perhaps the best player in the conference. They also have a few impressive transfers in Kyler D’Augustino from IU Indy (who averaged over 18ppg last year, albeit in a very fast-paced offensive style) and Kolton Mitchell (who was a key player on Idaho’s NCAA Tournament team last year). The Bobcats are another team that I routinely overvalue in the preseason, but I cannot help it. I like them again this year and think they are a potential dark horse.
-Frank Martin has been at UMass for four years now and has yet to have the kind of year we were expecting when he started there. I love him as a coach. It is hard to not admire his success at Kansas State/South Carolina. But, I do not see this as being the Minutemen’s year either. Two starters return, but they do not have much in the way of prolific scorers and seem to be lacking in experience overall.
-Bowling Green was a modest 9-9 in conference play last year and is expected to be in the middle of the pack again this year. Josiah Shackelford returns and is a player to watch. Jayden Johnson also transfers in from South Carolina State and Juan Cranford Jr. comes in from Eastern Kentucky, both of whom were double digit scorers a year ago. I like this Bowling Green team and think they can do a little better than where they have been picked to finish.
-Western Michigan has had eight straight losing seasons and first-year coach Kahil Fennell has turned to the portal and added senior transfers to try and break that streak. Jaylen Washington comes in after averaging double figures at UTRGV and Julien Gomez was a very solid outside shooter last year. Rob Lee Jr. averaged 16ppg at Lamar and can also hit from the outside, Mason Bendinger was a double-digit scorer at USC Upstate, and Tanner Hayhurst comes in after averaging double-digts at Southern Utah. Could this approach work? Could all this experience and production mesh together to turn Western Michigan around? This is one of the most interesting teams to keep an eye on.
-Eastern Michigan finished last season by losing 12 of their final 13 and (as shocking as this is) they decided to make a coaching change after that! Billy Donlon takes over and he has his work cut out for him. Two starters are back, but Donlon has gone the JUCO route to try and get things jumpstarted. He has added some guys who were highly-productive at that level, so we may see some improvement this year.
-Expectations are not high for Buffalo this year and I must say that I think they are being overlooked. They were a modest 17-15 last year, but with no key players back I can see why nobody would pick them to contend for the league title, but they should do a little better than 10th. Mikkel Tyne transfers in from Richmond, who did not score a lot but was a good outside shooter. Drew Steffe comes in from Southern Illinois, Dylan Ducommun was a dependable score at Northern Illinois, and Antoine Lorick III was a solid player for Tennessee State. They have some pieces! I think they will be closer to the middle than to the very bottom.
-Ball State has a new coach in Chris Capko. They won just 12 games last year and are looking for a fresh start. None of the starters are back. They do have a couple of solid players who transferred in (Sean Blake/K’Jei Parker), but those two alone probably cannot carry the Cardinals.
-Central Michigan won just 10 total games last year and was 6-12 in MAC play. Two starters are back and they will be joined by Jayson Petty who averaged double-figures at Kansas City. They also added some players who were productive outside of D-1 last year, but it could be a long season for the Chippewas.
