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I think we could all make the argument that this year in particular, the MAC appears it can field more than 1 team in the NCAAs . . . Well, here's some big OOC match-ups that the conference as a whole must win a few of . . .

BG @ UALR

Akron @ Louisville

IUPUI @ Western

Ohio @ Rhode Island

Rutgers @ Buffalo

Ball State @ Indiana State

Kent @ Southern Illinois

So who has the best shots at winning these key OOC match-ups? I'll do my best to update scores tomorrow.

BG wins
Buffalo wins
Ball State Loses
Kent Loses
OU Wins

The MAC is stronger this year from top to bottom. A few folks don't think so but I'm telling you their are at least 6 - 7 teams that could have over 20 wins this year. OU, Miami, Akron, Buffalo, Kent, N. Ill and Toledo. I think the bottom of the league is better than last year as well, BG, Central and Eastern. Tomorrow:

MAC wins all but BG, Ball and Akron on Sat.

Miami catches a bad break if Tim Pollitz is out for very long. He won't play Sat.

Ball St. has already lost a key player as well.

MAC needs OU, Buffalo and Miami to win Sat., those would do the conference alot of good in the RPI's

Nate Peavy, Eric Pollitz and Chad Troyer won't play Saturday either.

The Redhawks, as a team, are not scheduled to play per ESPN.com

OSUFALCON wrote:
Miami catches a bad break if Tim Pollitz is out for very long. He won't play Sat.

Tim is having arthroscopic surgery on his knee. Will miss at least the next three games.

OSUFALCON wrote:The MAC is stronger this year from top to bottom. A few folks don't think so but I'm telling you their are at least 6 - 7 teams that could have over 20 wins this year. OU, Miami, Akron, Buffalo, Kent, N. Ill and Toledo. I think the bottom of the league is better than last year as well, BG, Central and Eastern.

I think you're dead and have been saying the same thing for months. N. Ill. is really the bonus team for the MAC. They have not been strong in a very long time and they haven't been recruiting some of the higher profile types of players that OU and Miami get.

The MAC is stronger this year because (1) rosters across the board are deep (2) there are almost no really bad teams, as in 250+ Sagirin/RPI. The conference as a whole has been recruiting well and avoiding problems.

What's really interesting is that the MAC, for the first time in years, starts the year with nobody recognized as a big-time star. Nobody starts the year with a player of the stature of a Chris Kamen, T Smith, or Brandon Hunter. This is not to say that of few of those types won't emerge. This will be a fun year for the MAC as a whole, even if it's agonizing as hell for us BG fans in the early going.

BleedOrange wrote: I think you're dead and have been saying the same thing for months.

Wow! Now we've got people posting from beyond the grave!? Wonder's never cease in Azz.com land!

hammb wrote:

BleedOrange wrote: I think you're dead and have been saying the same thing for months.

Wow! Now we've got people posting from beyond the grave!? Wonder's never cease in Azz.com land!

Gaaah! Wups. I meant "dead-on". I've been making a lot of mistakes like that lately. I think it's all the coffee.

From the grave, my mistake Miami play Sunday versus Xavier. That would be a nice win for the MAC.

BG tip off in 35 minutes.

UPSET today BG wins by 4.

Now I'm dreaming from the grave.

1. Akron put up 85 points against Louisville. Giving up 111 was the problem.
2. Western beat IUPUI by 1.
3. BG lost by 8 without its leading scorer.
4. OU won by 8 on the road against a team that was 5-1 previously.
5. Buffalo beat Rutgers by 9.
6. Ball State played Indiana State alot tougher than Indiana, but lost by 1 without possibly the league's best player.
7. Kent State lost to Southern Illinois by 8-9.

3-4 in those games, but a good day overall for the MAC. It would have been nice to get a win from Kent State and/or Ball State as well. Obviously, it would have been nice if BG had not fouled so much and won.

Akron's got a tough team. I thought they'd play Louisville a little closer than that but Louisville is damn good. I don't think this game takes anything away from Akron.

I hope we get it together because the MAC east is gonna be TOUGH this year. Akron, Ohio, and Buffalo are all pretty good, and you can always count on Kent being tough as well. It's a shame that the MAC is as good as it's been in recent years and we are apparently not part of that

hammb wrote:I hope we get it together because the MAC east is gonna be TOUGH this year. Akron, Ohio, and Buffalo are all pretty good, and you can always count on Kent being tough as well.

Miami is pretty solid as well. They only lost by 6 at Alabama, waxed Dayton, beat Oakland on the road, and led Xavier at the half today (lost by 10 after being close late in the game). I think the high level of competition in the MAC this year will do nothing but help in the development of some of these young guys like Marschall, Dusan, Clements, etc.

hammb wrote:Akron's got a tough team. I thought they'd play Louisville a little closer than that but Louisville is damn good. I don't think this game takes anything away from Akron.

I hope we get it together because the MAC east is gonna be TOUGH this year. Akron, Ohio, and Buffalo are all pretty good, and you can always count on Kent being tough as well. It's a shame that the MAC is as good as it's been in recent years and we are apparently not part of that

Same thing I was thinking.