CMU-WMU battle in MAC Tournament first-round, winner plays Kent State
Coming into Friday night's game against rival Western Michigan, the Central Michigan men's basketball team had the chance to finish anywhere from the No. 4-7 seed in the Mid-American Conference overall standings.
The Chippewas (21-10, 10-8 MAC) came up just short of the No. 4 seed. Despite an 82-78 victory against the Broncos on March 8, CMU had to rely on a Kent State loss to Akron. However, the Golden Flashes (22-9, 11-7 MAC) picked up a three-point win over the Zips (16-15, 8-10 MAC).
Teams ranked in the top four earn an automatic bid to the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
Keno Davis' team ended up with the No. 5 seed, which means CMU will host a first-round game at 7 p.m. March 11 against No. 12-ranked WMU.
In two games against the Broncos this season, the Chippewas earned an 85-64 beat down on Feb. 2 at McGuirk Arena and a seven-point win to cap off the regular season in Kalamazoo. CMU is 12-4 at home; WMU is 2-13 on the road.
The winner of CMU-WMU takes on Kent State, which finished No. 4 in the overall rankings, on March 14 at Quicken Loans Arena in the quarterfinals.
If the Chippewas can earn back-to-back wins against WMU and Kent State, they will have an opportunity in the semifinals against either No. 1 Buffalo, No. 8 Akron or No. 9 Miami (Ohio). The semifinal matchup is slated for 6:30 p.m. March 15.
The winner of the semifinals plays in the MAC Tournament championship at 7:30 p.m. March 16. On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 Toledo and No. 3 Bowling Green are the top seeds.
Since Buffalo is ranked No. 19 in the nation, the Bulls are likely set for an NCAA Tournament appearance regardless of their MAC Tournament outcome. If a group can knock off coach Nate Oats' team, the MAC is expected to earn two bids to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999.
If Buffalo wins the tournament for the fourth time in the last five seasons, it will be the only MAC program in the big dance.
Full MAC Tournament seedings:
1. Buffalo (16-2 MAC)
2. Toledo (13-5 MAC)
3. Bowling Green (12-6 MAC)
4. Kent State (11-7 MAC)
5. Central Michigan (10-8 MAC)
6. Eastern Michigan (9-9 MAC)
7. Northern Illinois (8-10 MAC)
8. Akron (8-10 MAC)
9. Miami (Ohio) (7-11 MAC)
10. Ohio (6-12 MAC)
11. Ball State (6-12 MAC)
12. Western Michigan (2-16 MAC)
MAC Tournament matchups:
No. 8 Akron vs. No. 9 Miami (Ohio) – March 11 (8 p.m.)
No. 5 Central Michigan vs. No. 12 Western Michigan – March 11 (7 p.m.)
No. 7 Northern Illinois vs. No. 10 Ohio – March 11 (9 p.m.)
No. 6 Eastern Michigan vs. No. 11 Ball State – March 11 (7 p.m.)
No. 1 Buffalo vs. Akron/Miami – March 14 (Noon)
No. 4 Kent State vs. CMU/WMU – March 14 (TBA)
No. 2 Toledo vs. NIU/Ohio – March 14 (6:30 p.m.)
No. 3 Bowling Green vs. EMU/Ball State – March 14 (TBA)
