Cleveland– After battling for supremacy and seeding all season long, it is now time for the Mid-American Conference’s top teams to decide a Conference tournament champion.
The tournament will take place March 13-15 at the Rocket Arena, home of the Cleveland Cavaliers, in downtown Cleveland. The winner of the MAC tournament will get an automatic seed in the NCAA-Tournament.
With only eight of the conferences’ 12 teams qualifying for the conference tournament, it’s already an accomplishment getting in..and if you get in, you have a chance. Heck, the top seed of the MAC tournament hasn’t gone on to win it since Buffalo’s triumph in 2019.
There is one team that stands above the rest as clear favorites, however, proving themselves as the class of the conference with a dominant regular season. The defending champion Akron Zips, who, led by coach John Groce, lost just one conference game during their historic 2024-2025 season, will look to win the tournament for the third time in four years. Their only MAC loss this season came in shocking fashion, falling 84-67 to Ohio on February 22nd.
“If we do what we do, we have a good chance of beating anyone, not just in the MAC, but in the country,” Zips senior guard Isaiah Gray said. “We’re not perfect, and I think that Ohio game we didn’t play as well as we know we’re capable of playing.”
Using one of them most balanced offensive attacks in the country along with a staunch defense, the Zips went 17-1 in conference play and set a school record with 25 regular season wins, easily earning the tournament’s top seed. Akron has 10 players averaging between 6 and 13 points per game, with eight players averaging at least 18 minutes per night, showcasing their impressive depth. They will tip their tournament off on Thursday when they face eighth-seeded Bowling Green at 11am.
The Falcons, led by two of the top nine scorers in the MAC in Javontae Campbell (15.2) and Marcus Johnson (15.8), hope to pull off the upset after nearly doing so on January 3rd, losing 71-68 in the final moments of the two teams only meeting this season.
The second-seeded Miami Ohio Redhawks finished with an impressive 14-4 conference record (23-8 overall), clinching the second seed more than a week ago. Their first-round matchup against Eastern Michigan, the seventh seed, is a scary one for the Redhawks, however. Eastern Michigan beat Miami by ten points, 76-66, less than a month ago, giving them the upmost confidence to do it again on Thursday. The Eagles have won 5 of their past seven games, giving them plenty of momentum going into tournament play. Still, with their potent offense (second in MAC at 81.1 per game), the Redhawks enter the tournament as one of the favorites.
Though they come in as the 3rd seed, Kent State is, emphatically, the betting favorite to have the best shot at dethroning Akron this year. The Golden Flashes (+240) have far better odds than Miami (+480) according to Vegas. Led by the league’s most stifling defense (68.1 points against per game), Kent State will open tournament play against Central Michigan, the sixth seed. This one should be an old school, defensive masterclass as the top two defenses in the MAC battle for a spot in the semifinals. If they are to go on a long tournament run, the Golden Flashes will need their big two of VonCameron Davis (15.2 ppg) and Jalen Sullinger (15.1 ppg) to be at their best. Sullinger looks to follow in the footsteps of his uncle, Julian, who had a successful career at Kent State from 2006-2009.
“Jules had a couple (MAC) Tournament wins (2006, ‘08), and that’s what I want to do, that and make it to the (NCAA) Tournament,” said Jalen Sullinger.
It’d be the second MAC tournament title in three years for Sullinger and the Golden Flashes.
The final first round matchup pits fourth-seeded Ohio against Toledo, the fifth seed. These two teams met just a week ago in the final game of the regular season, a 96-82 victory for the Rockets. Both teams finished with a top four offense in the MAC, but each also have bottom-half defenses, setting up what should be a high-scoring affair.
While many are predicting a rematch of last year’s instant-classic tournament championship game between Kent State and Akron, there is a real chance neither of these teams even make it that far. If we’re predicting an upset in round one though, it’d have to be Miami (2nd seed) falling to Eastern Michigan. The Redhawks were almost unbeatable at home (15-1) yet very mortal on the road (6-7). In a neutral site, against a team brimming with confidence due to already beating them, the Redhawks falling to the Eagles is my official upset-alert prediction.
As far as a champion, it’s hard to see anyone getting in Akron’s way this season. In a rematch of last year’s championship game, the Zips will again outlast Kent State and punch their automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning Saturday night’s championship game.
Let the madness begin.
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