Seniors Set For Maction

Written by: Nate Koesel

The Mid-American Conference is another one of the top Midwest regional NCAA Division 1 conferences featuring some of the best mid-major competition across Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, and New York. Each year the MAC basketball tournament runs through Cleveland, Ohio with the winner earning an automatic regional bid to the NCAA Division 1 National Tournament. Starting today, the top eight teams Toledo Rockets, Akron Zips, Ohio Bobcats, Central Michigan Chippewas, Bowling Green Falcons, Western Michigan Broncos, Miami(OH) RedHawks, Kent State Golden Flashes will compete for the MAC Tournament Championship. Here we will highlight each eight team’s journey and the seniors and performers looking to make noise in Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse this weekend.?

#8 Kent State Golden Flashes 15-16 overall (8-10 MAC) - The Golden Flashes return to Cleveland after winning the 2023 MAC Championship. Unfortunately, Kent State graduated most of their top performers including former 1st Team All-MAC guard Sincere Carry who contributed with 17.5 point per game. This year, they have mostly leaned on junior guard Jalen Sullinger who provides 15 points per game. They return three seniors highlighted by their athletic forward Chris Peyton Jr. who leads in rebounding with 7.4 rebounds per game. The two other seniors are Giovanni Santiago who leads their team in assists with just over 4 per game and guard Tyem Freeman comes off the bench providing limited production. They will be playing today at 11:00 AM versus #1 Toledo.?

#7 Miami(OH) RedHawks 9-9 MAC (19-12 overall) - The RedHawks return to the MAC tournament since their last appearance in the 2021-22 season. They are led by three seniors including their big 305 lbs center Anderson Mirambeaux who leads their team in scoring with 12.5 points per game. He is accompanied by forward Darweshi Hunter who contributes 11.7 points per game and by Bryce Bultman who contributes with 7.5 point and 4.8 rebounds. The RedHawks will play the #2 Akron Zips in the third game of the quarterfinals this afternoon.?

#6 Western Michigan Broncos 9-9 MAC (12-19 overall) - The Broncos return to the MAC Conference Tournament for the first time since the 2016-17 season. This young up and coming team is led in scoring by sophomore guard Seth Hubbard with just over 14 points per game. Western Michigan has three seniors who primarily operate as role players led by Anthony Crump who leads the team in rebounding at just over 6 per game while their other seniors Titus Wright and Alika Edmonds play in limited roles. This is a good opportunity for a young Broncos team to get early tournament competition in their first appearance in 7 years as they prepare for greener pastures. They will face the #3 Ohio Bobcats today in the final game of the quarterfinals.?

#5 Bowling Green Falcons 10-8 MAC (19-12 Overall) - The Falcons have a bounce back year after missing the tournament in 2023. They are led by junior guard Marcus HIll who averages 20.6 points while shooting 44.5 percent from the field. Bowling Green has six seniors this year including Rashaun Agee, Sam Towns, DaJion Humphrey, Da’Shawn Philips Trey Thomas, and Jason Spurgin. This team is mainly upperclassmen and seniors. They will test their experience against the 4 seen Central Michigan in game two of the quarterfinals.

#4 Central Michigan Chippewass 12-6 MAC (18-13 overall) - Much like Bowling Green, this was a bound back year for the Chippewas making a MAC tournament appearance. They are led by junior Anthony Prichard averaging just over 13 points per game. The Chippewas have their only senior in Brian Taylor contributing with just over 11 points and 8 rebounds per game. Central Michigan with the higher seed in the quarterfinal round versus #5 Bowling Green Falcons.

#3 Ohio Bobcats 13-5 MAC (19-12 Overall) - The Bobcats return to the MAC tournament as they come in riding high on a huge 6-game winning streak. This Ohio team features four seniors including their leading scorer Jaylin Hunters averaging 13.9 points per game. He is followed by Gabe Wiznitzer, Miles Brown, and Shereef Michell. Hunters has consistently averaged 13 to 14 points on solid efficiency for the Bobcats. They will play the #6 Western Michigan in the last quarterfinals game.?

#2 Akron Zips 13-5 MAC (21-10 Overall) - The Zips return to the MAC tournament where they finished in the semifinals in 2023. They are led by 7 seniors including this year’s MAC Player of the Year Enrique Freeman who leads the nation in double doubles this season at 27. The remaining seniors Sammy Hunter, Ali Ali, Kaleb Thornton, and Greg Tribble all have largely contributed to a successful 2023-24 regular season. They will face #7 Miami(OH) in the third game of the day.?

#1 Toledo Rockets 14-4 MAC (20-11 Overall) - The Rockets are returning to the MAC after ending their season as conference runners-up to Kent State in 2023. They had a great duo of seniors last year in their frontcourt of Setric Millner Jr. and JT Shumate. They are the only team in the MAC who doesn’t have seniors on their roster. Their leading scorers are returning junior guards Ra’Heim Moss and Dante Maddox Jr who both averaged around 15.5 points per game. They will be the first team to face off in a MAC Championship rematch against the #8 Kent State at 11:00 AM EST today.??

The MAC Tournament at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in downtown Cleveland is always one of the biggest events in Northeast, Ohio every year in college athletics. These seniors and top performers for all eight teams will be geared up to make a run towards lifting the MAC Championship trophy and punching their ticket to the big dance next week! Let’s get ready for some Maction!

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