Chippewas will win MAC men's basketball title, pollsters say
The bar for the Central Michigan men's basketball team has officially been set and the billing is as high as it has been in more than decade.
For the first time since 2003, the Chippewas were named the No. 1 team in the Mid-American Conference Preseason Poll. CMU and fourth-year head coach Keno Davis received 23 first-place nods in the poll, voted on by media representatives from each member school.
A total of 15 voters picked CMU to win the conference tournament championship next spring. CMU lost to Buffalo in last year's MAC Championship Game and earned a bid to the National Invitation Tournament after finishing the season 23-9 overall and a conference-best 16-1 at home.
The Chippewas return all five starters from a season ago, including senior point guard Chris Fowler who was last year's runner up MAC Player of the Year.
The Chippewas open the season against Jacksonville State at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13 in McGuirk Arena.
Here is the full MAC men's basketball preseason poll:
West Division Preseason Predictions (1st place votes)
Central Michigan — 138 points (23)
Toledo — 110
Western Michigan — 94
Eastern Michigan — 71
Northern Illinois — 37
Ball State — 33
East Division Preseason Predictions (1st place votes)
Akron – 132 points (17)
Kent State – 116 (5)
Ohio — 69
Buffalo – 64 (1)
Miami — 60
Bowling Green — 42
Tournament Champions: Central Michigan (15), Akron (7), Buffalo (1)
West Division Preseason All-MAC
Chris Fowler, Central Michigan
John Simons, Central Michigan
Raven Lee, Eastern Michigan
Nathan Boothe, Toledo
Connar Tava, Western Michigan
East Division Preseason All-MAC
Pat Forsythe, Akron
Lamonte Bearden, Buffalo
Jimmy Hall, Kent State
Eric Washington, Miami
Antonio Campbell, Ohio
