The always exciting MAC Tournament is about to start!

Akron comes in as the 1 seed. In the opening round you have two teams with players who have scored over 50 points in a game!

Who do you have winning?

Who is your sleeper?

Here's our picks: http://www.arenafanatic.com/mac-tournament-2017.html

(03-05-2017 07:06 AM)arenafanatic Wrote:  The always exciting MAC Tournament is about to start!

Akron comes in as the 1 seed. In the opening round you have two teams with players who have scored over 50 points in a game!

Who do you have winning?

Who is your sleeper?

Here's our picks: http://www.arenafanatic.com/mac-tournament-2017.html

So, you really think a Central Michigan team that has lost 7 straight games ... four of those by 19-plus points, another by nine and another by five to the last place team in the league ... is suddenly going to put things together and navigate the side of the bracket that includes Ohio, Buffalo, Kent (and Toledo)?

They may have the toughest road any team has ever faced in this tournament. Just going "chalk," they, IMO, would have to beat three of the top five teams in the league just to make the title game, where they then would have to go up against the top team.

I'm sure upsets will happen, and it wouldn't shock me to see a "cinderella" team make the title game, but CMU is right down there with Miami and Bowling Green for the least likely.

I'm going to say Ball State over Ohio. For me, Ohio vs. Buffalo is pretty much a toss-up in the semi-final, but I'm going with Ohio by a whisker.

From the last week's games thread... Here's a few sites that do tournament probabilities, including the recently posted Ken Pom preview.

https://www.teamrankings.com/ncb/confere...n-bracket/

http://playoffstatus.com/macbasketball/m...nprob.html

http://kenpom.com/blog/2017-mac-tournament-forecast/

We all know Maddawgs is picking EMU. I think it's another Zips/ UB final. Then who knows.

That link is interweb gold.

I think any site that has some sort of combination of Akron/Ohio/Buffalo winning is pretty dead on... I just don't know any other team can sustain that level of play for three days. I am a Buffalo homer, but what makes the Bulls so dangerous is their athleticism. We don't rely on three-point shooting and can easily score 80 points even when the three ball isn't working. The key is limiting turnovers...if UB can do that, they are going to be a tough out in this tournament.

I do think Kent has a shot too, which is cool because in my opinion the best fan bases in Cleveland are always Akron, Kent, Ohio, Buffalo.

(03-05-2017 07:06 AM)arenafanatic Wrote:  The always exciting MAC Tournament is about to start!

Akron comes in as the 1 seed. In the opening round you have two teams with players who have scored over 50 points in a game!

Who do you have winning?

Who is your sleeper?

Here's our picks: http://www.arenafanatic.com/mac-tournament-2017.html

Hope you didn't make any bets on these predictions.

I know I'm a homer, but WMU is the clear darkhorse, entering the tourney on an 8 game winning streak.

When was the last time a team which didn't get a bye won it all?

(03-05-2017 05:20 PM)emu steve Wrote:  When was the last time a team which didn't get a bye won it all?

Akron (a 6 seed) in 2011. Oddly, that was the third straight year that a team without an opening-round bye won the tournament.

Our loss against WMU will be Coop's last game. Shocking I know.

Well, as a Toledo fan I will ... predict Toledo destroys BG in the opener, squeaks by Ohio for a 2nd time in the quarter and gains confidence they can finish games they lead late without playing through their tired 250 pound 38% ff shooting center on every possession.

meanwhile, EMU beats NIU in OT then lets it all hang out vs Akron and gets the surprise upset with ray lee scoring 55. then, being suspended immediately after the game for breaking team victory dance party rules

they will meet the team playing the best basketball in the league since January... the Western Michigan Broncos who have beaten Miami by 8 and a use defense and ball handling and some cold shooting by a Ball St team that hasht played in a week to win ugly by 3 while Thomas Wilder, curiously left off the all-conf team, has a typically pretty line of 8-13/2-4/5-5 ff/23 pts/6 reb/5 asst/2 stl/1 TO.

Kent beats CMU 136-112 with Keene getting exactly enough points to average 30 ppg for the season. he also has 17 turnovers, 32 missed shots and 14 uncalled carries. the flashes and bulls go wire to wire but Kent escapes on a long bank shot

in the semis Toledo opens with jonjon williams hitting a buzzer beater to upset kent in a back and forth game

meanwhile, western outlasts eastern in a double OT 48-46 victory. the eagles shoot 3-33 from 3 and james thompson IV is called for 14 fouls even though only 1 of them was obviously a foul.

the rockets cruise by a tired western team that had been playing over their head for 6 weeks although wilder goes 9-15/1-3/5-6/ 24 pts/ 5 reb/ 4 ast/ 3 stl/ 2 TO and no one notices.

the rockets play Duke and lead at the half but lose by 32.

(03-05-2017 07:52 PM)pono Wrote:  Well, as a Toledo fan I will ... predict Toledo destroys BG in the opener, squeaks by Ohio for a 2nd time in the quarter and gains confidence they can finish games they lead late without playing through their tired 250 pound 38% ff shooting center on every possession.

meanwhile, EMU beats NIU in OT then lets it all hang out vs Akron and gets the surprise upset with ray lee scoring 55. then, being suspended immediately after the game for breaking team victory dance party rules

they will meet the team playing the best basketball in the league since January... the Western Michigan Broncos who have beaten Miami by 8 and a use defense and ball handling and some cold shooting by a Ball St team that hasht played in a week to win ugly by 3 while Thomas Wilder, curiously left off the all-conf team, has a typically pretty line of 8-13/2-4/5-5 ff/23 pts/6 reb/5 asst/2 stl/1 TO.

Funny .. and all predictably quite possible.

Kent beats CMU 136-112 with Keene getting exactly enough points to average 30 ppg for the season. he also has 17 turnovers, 32 missed shots and 14 uncalled carries. the flashes and bulls go wire to wire but Kent escapes on a long bank shot

in the semis Toledo opens with jonjon williams hitting a buzzer beater to upset kent in a back and forth game

meanwhile, western outlasts eastern in a double OT 48-46 victory. the eagles shoot 3-33 from 3 and james thompson IV is called for 14 fouls even though only 1 of them was obviously a foul.

the rockets cruise by a tired western team that had been playing over their head for 6 weeks although wilder goes 9-15/1-3/5-6/ 24 pts/ 5 reb/ 4 ast/ 3 stl/ 2 TO and no one notices.

the rockets play Duke and lead at the half but lose by 32.

(03-05-2017 08:52 PM)cleveland Wrote:  

(03-05-2017 07:52 PM)pono Wrote:  Well, as a Toledo fan I will ... predict Toledo destroys BG in the opener, squeaks by Ohio for a 2nd time in the quarter and gains confidence they can finish games they lead late without playing through their tired 250 pound 38% ff shooting center on every possession.

meanwhile, EMU beats NIU in OT then lets it all hang out vs Akron and gets the surprise upset with ray lee scoring 55. then, being suspended immediately after the game for breaking team victory dance party rules

they will meet the team playing the best basketball in the league since January... the Western Michigan Broncos who have beaten Miami by 8 and a use defense and ball handling and some cold shooting by a Ball St team that hasht played in a week to win ugly by 3 while Thomas Wilder, curiously left off the all-conf team, has a typically pretty line of 8-13/2-4/5-5 ff/23 pts/6 reb/5 asst/2 stl/1 TO.

Funny .. and all predictably quite possible.

Kent beats CMU 136-112 with Keene getting exactly enough points to average 30 ppg for the season. he also has 17 turnovers, 32 missed shots and 14 uncalled carries. the flashes and bulls go wire to wire but Kent escapes on a long bank shot

in the semis Toledo opens with jonjon williams hitting a buzzer beater to upset kent in a back and forth game

meanwhile, western outlasts eastern in a double OT 48-46 victory. the eagles shoot 3-33 from 3 and james thompson IV is called for 14 fouls even though only 1 of them was obviously a foul.

the rockets cruise by a tired western team that had been playing over their head for 6 weeks although wilder goes 9-15/1-3/5-6/ 24 pts/ 5 reb/ 4 ast/ 3 stl/ 2 TO and no one notices.

the rockets play Duke and lead at the half but lose by 32.

Funny ... and all predictably possible

Anything can happen in the conference tournaments. In the Horizon League tournament, the top 3 seeds all got upset in the quarterfinals by teams with losing records

(03-05-2017 07:52 PM)pono Wrote:  Well, as a Toledo fan I will ... predict Toledo destroys BG in the opener, squeaks by Ohio for a 2nd time in the quarter and gains confidence they can finish games they lead late without playing through their tired 250 pound 38% ff shooting center on every possession.

meanwhile, EMU beats NIU in OT then lets it all hang out vs Akron and gets the surprise upset with ray lee scoring 55. then, being suspended immediately after the game for breaking team victory dance party rules

they will meet the team playing the best basketball in the league since January... the Western Michigan Broncos who have beaten Miami by 8 and a use defense and ball handling and some cold shooting by a Ball St team that hasht played in a week to win ugly by 3 while Thomas Wilder, curiously left off the all-conf team, has a typically pretty line of 8-13/2-4/5-5 ff/23 pts/6 reb/5 asst/2 stl/1 TO.

Kent beats CMU 136-112 with Keene getting exactly enough points to average 30 ppg for the season. he also has 17 turnovers, 32 missed shots and 14 uncalled carries. the flashes and bulls go wire to wire but Kent escapes on a long bank shot

in the semis Toledo opens with jonjon williams hitting a buzzer beater to upset kent in a back and forth game

meanwhile, western outlasts eastern in a double OT 48-46 victory. the eagles shoot 3-33 from 3 and james thompson IV is called for 14 fouls even though only 1 of them was obviously a foul.

the rockets cruise by a tired western team that had been playing over their head for 6 weeks although wilder goes 9-15/1-3/5-6/ 24 pts/ 5 reb/ 4 ast/ 3 stl/ 2 TO and no one notices.

the rockets play Duke and lead at the half but lose by 32.

Toledo beats BG in OT, gets by OU in overtime, outlasts Kent on a late three in overtime and wins the MACC over WMU in OT. A tired UT plays Duke tough but loses in OT.

(03-05-2017 09:19 PM)RocketBBallFan Wrote:  Anything can happen in the conference tournaments. In the Horizon League tournament, the top 3 seeds all got upset in the quarterfinals by teams with losing records

That tournament has been insane. The CMU run might be a little much but look at what Youngstown State is doing!

(03-05-2017 05:20 PM)emu steve Wrote:  When was the last time a team which didn't get a bye won it all?

On the womens side UB did it last year. I don't remember the last time a mens team did it.