MAC men's basketball power rankings: Buffalo, WMU at the top

1/9/2018
BY BRIAN BUCKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
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    Toledo's Jaelan Sanford takes a shot over Akron's Jaden Sayles and Daniel Utomi during a game last week. Sanford and the Rockets have a big game Tuesday night vs. Western Michigan at Savage Arena.

    Blade/Amy E. Voigt

    • With Mid-American Conference play underway, there is some more data to rank teams other than just the non-conference records. That being said, it is only two games into the conference season and we will learn a lot more in the coming weeks. Here are the MAC power rankings after one week of games:

    MAC East

    1) Buffalo (Last week: 1) — The Bulls are 2-0 in the MAC with wins over Toledo and Ball State. The addition of Missouri transfer Wes Clark has added to the offensive firepower that Buffalo already had with CJ Massinburg and Nick Perkins. We’re just two games into the MAC slate, but the Bulls appear to be the team to beat.

    2) Ohio (Last week: 2) — The Bobcats started off conference play with a tough loss at Central Michigan, but bounced back with a home win over Northern Illinois. They are still without Jason Carter, but still have plenty of offense with Mike Laster, Jordan Dartis, and impressive freshman Teyvion Kirk.

    3) Miami (Last week: 6) — The Redhawks made a statement with a road win at Bowling Green to open the season, but stumbled at home against Western Michigan. Miami is young and relies on freshmen like Bowsher standout Dalonte Brown, who had a double-double against Bowling Green.

    4) Bowling Green (Last week: 3) — The Falcons lost a disappointing home opener to Miami, but bounced back with a quality win at Eastern Michigan in overtime. Those are the kind of ups and downs that come in the MAC season, and with a relatively young team that could be a theme this season for Bowling Green.

    5) Kent State (Last week: 4) — The Golden Flashes lost a road contest at Northern Illinois, but righted the ship at home with a good win over Central Michigan. The defending MAC tournament champions rely heavily on the scoring of junior Jaylin Walker.

    6) Akron (Last week: 5) — The Zips are the only team in the East to start 0-2 in the conference. They lost at Western Michigan and dropped a highly-contested game at Toledo. Akron has plenty of potential to improve under new head coach John Groce.

    MAC West

    1) Western Michigan (Last week: 2) — The Broncos get the nod after starting MAC play as the only 2-0 team in the West. The Broncos defeated Akron at home and topped Miami in a road contest. Thomas Wilder makes everything go for Western Michigan.

    2) Ball State (Last week: 1) — The Cardinals started off conference play with a win over Eastern Michigan, but then fell at home to Buffalo. No shame in losing to the Bulls and Ball State could easily work back into the top spot in the upcoming weeks.

    3) Toledo (Last week: 4) — The Rockets lost at Buffalo in their conference opener, before topping Akron in a close game at home. Tre’Shaun Fletcher does it all for Toledo and we’ll learn more about the Rockets after Tuesday’s home game vs. Western Michigan.

    4) Central Michigan (Last week: 5) — The Chippewas started strong with a win over Ohio, but then fell at Kent State. Cecil Williams and Shawn Roundtree are the top Central Michigan scorers.

    5) Eastern Michigan (Last week: 3) — The Eagles have had a rough start to the MAC season as they are the only team sitting at 0-2 in the West. They started with a loss at Ball State, before dropping a heartbreaker at home to Bowling Green.

    6) Northern Illinois (Last week: 6) — The Huskies won a home game over Kent State, but lost at Ohio. They have the ability to climb a bit in the rankings as the season progresses. Eugene German is second in the MAC in scoring at 19.5 points per game.