The 2024–25 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season will be the season for Mid-American Conference men's basketball teams. It will begin with practices in October 2024, followed by the start of the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. Conference play will begin in January 2024 and conclude in March 2024. The 2025 MAC tournament will be held at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio for the 26th consecutive season.[1] This will be the conference's last season with 12 members as it will see its first change in membership since 2005 with the addition of UMass[2]
| 2024–25 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | NCAA Division I |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Regular season | |
| Tournament | |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kent State | 0 | – | 0 | – | 7 | – | 2 | .778 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Akron | 0 | – | 0 | – | 6 | – | 2 | .750 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Toledo | 0 | – | 0 | – | 6 | – | 3 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Michigan | 0 | – | 0 | – | 5 | – | 3 | .625 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami (OH) | 0 | – | 0 | – | 5 | – | 3 | .625 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Michigan | 0 | – | 0 | – | 5 | – | 4 | .556 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Buffalo | 0 | – | 0 | – | 5 | – | 5 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling Green | 0 | – | 0 | – | 4 | – | 5 | .444 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio | 0 | – | 0 | – | 4 | – | 5 | .444 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Michigan | 0 | – | 0 | – | 3 | – | 5 | .375 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ball State | 0 | – | 0 | – | 3 | – | 6 | .333 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Illinois | 0 | – | 0 | – | 3 | – | 7 | .300 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2025 MAC tournament winner As of December 8, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Head coaches
editCoaching changes
editThere have been no coaching changes since the end of the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season.
Coaches
edit| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years at school | Overall record | School record | MAC record | MAC titles | MAC Tournament titles | NCAA tournaments | NCAA Final Fours | NCAA Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | John Groce | Illinois | 8 | 220–212 (.509) | 140–80 (.636) | 80–48 (.625) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Ball State | Michael Lewis | UCLA (Asst.) | 3 | 35–28 (.556) | 35–28 (.556) | 18–18 (.500) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bowling Green | Todd Simon | Southern Utah | 2 | 147–128 (.535) | 20–14 (.588) | 10–8 (.556) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Buffalo | George Halcovage | Villanova (Assoc. HC) | 2 | 4–27 (.129) | 4–27 (.129) | 2–16 (.111) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Central Michigan | Tony Barbee | Kentucky (Asst.) | 4 | 166–185 (.473) | 35–58 (.376) | 23–31 (.426) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eastern Michigan | Stan Heath | Lakeland Magic | 4 | 240–269 (.472) | 31–62 (.333) | 16–40 (.286) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kent State | Rob Senderoff | Kent State (Asst.) | 14 | 264–164 (.617) | 264–164 (.617) | 138–94 (.595) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Miami | Travis Steele | Xavier | 3 | 97–87 (.527) | 27–37 (.422) | 15–21 (.417) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Northern Illinois | Rashon Burno | Arizona State (Asst.) | 4 | 33–60 (.355) | 33–60 (.355) | 20–36 (.357) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ohio | Jeff Boals | Stony Brook | 6 | 152–102 (.598) | 98–60 (.620) | 54–35 (.607) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Toledo | Tod Kowalczyk | Green Bay | 15 | 414–293 (.586) | 278–181 (.606) | 156–93 (.627) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Western Michigan | Dwayne Stephens | Michigan State (Assoc. HC) | 3 | 20–43 (.317) | 20–43 (.317) | 13–23 (.361) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
- Appearances, titles, etc. are from time with current school only.
- Years at school includes 2024–25 season.
- MAC records are from time at current school only.
- All records are through the beginning of the season.
Source - [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]
Preseason
editThe MAC Men’s & Women’s Basketball Tip-Off will be held on Tuesday, October 22, 2024. Each team will have their head coach and a student athlete from both the men's and women's basketball team for interviews.[15]
MAC Men's Basketball Preview Coaches & Student-Athletes
- Akron: Head Coach John Groce & Nate Johnson (R-Junior, Guard)
- Ball State: Head Coach Michael Lewis & Payton Sparks (Senior, Center)
- Bowling Green: Head Coach Todd Simon & Trey Thomas (Senior, Guard)
- Buffalo: Head Coach George Halcovage III & Noah Batchelor (Junior, Forward)
- Central Michigan: Head Coach Tony Barbee & Anthony Pritchard (Senior, Guard)
- Eastern Michigan: Head Coach Stan Heath & Jalin Billingsley (Senior, Forward)
- Kent State: Head Coach Rob Senderoff & VonCameron Davis (R-Senior, Forward)
- Miami: Head Coach Travis Steele & Eian Elmer (Sophomore, Wing)
- Northern Illinois: Head Coach Rashon Burno & Quentin Jones (Sophomore, Guard)
- Ohio: Head Coach Jeff Boals & AJ Clayton (Senior, Forward)
- Toledo: Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk & Javan Simmons (Sophomore, Forward)
- Western Michigan: Head Coach Dwayne Stephens & JaVaughn Hannah (Junior, Guard)
Preseason men's basketball coaches poll
edit| Place | Team | Points | First place votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ohio | 121 | 11 |
| 2. | Akron | 106 | 1 |
| 3. | Kent State | 99 | -- |
| 4. | Toledo | 95 | -- |
| 5. | Bowling Green | 73 | -- |
| 6. | Miami | 72 | -- |
| 7. | Ball State | 67 | -- |
| 8. | Central Michigan | 55 | -- |
| 9. | Eastern Michigan | 36 | -- |
| 10. | Western Michigan | 33 | -- |
| 11. | Northern Illinois | 24 | -- |
| 12. | Buffalo | 11 | -- |
MAC Tournament Champions:Ohio (8), Kent State (3), Toledo (1)
Source[16]
MAC Preseason All-Conference
edit| Honor | Recipient |
|---|---|
| Preseason All-MAC First Team | Peyton Sparks, Center, Akron, Sr. |
| Anthony Pritchard, Guard, Central Michigan, Sr. | |
| VonCameron Davis, Forward, Kent State, R-Sr. | |
| AJ Clayton, Forward, Ohio, Sr. | |
| Javon Simmons, Forward, Toledo, Jo. | |
| Preseason All-MAC Second Team | Isaiah Gray, Guard, Akron, Sr. |
| Jalen Sullinger, Guard, Kent State, Sr. | |
| Shereef Mitchell, Guard, Ohio, Grad. | |
| AJ Brown, Guard, Ohio, R-So.. | |
| Isaiah Adams, Guard, Toledo, 5th |
Source[16]
Regular season
editRankings
edit| Pre | Wk 2 |
Wk 3 |
Wk 4 |
Wk 5 |
Wk 6 |
Wk 7 |
Wk 8 |
Wk 9 |
Wk 10 |
Wk 11 |
Wk 12 |
Wk 13 |
Wk 14 |
Wk 15 |
Wk 16 |
Wk 17 |
Wk 18 |
Wk 19 |
Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Ball State | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling Green | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Buffalo | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Michigan | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Michigan | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Kent State | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Illinois | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Toledo | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Michigan | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C |
| Improvement in ranking | ||
| Drop in ranking | ||
| Not ranked previous week | ||
| No change in ranking from previous week | ||
| RV | Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll | |
| т | Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |
All-MAC awards
editMid-American men's basketball weekly awards
edit| Week | Player(s) of the Week | School |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 11[18] | Tyson Dunn | Buffalo |
| Nov 18[19] | Sonny Wilson | Toledo |
| Nov 25[20] | AJ Clayton Nate Johnson |
Ohio Akron |
| Dec 2[21] | Jermahri Hill Da’Sean Nelson |
Ball State Eastern Michigan |
| Dec 9[22] | Derrick Butler Peter Suder |
Bowling Green Miami |
| Dec 16 | ||
| Dec 23 | ||
| Dec 30 | ||
| Jan 6 | ||
| Jan 13 | ||
| Jan 20 | ||
| Jan 27 | ||
| Feb 3 | ||
| Feb 10 | ||
| Feb 17 | ||
| Feb 24 | ||
| Mar 3 | ||
| Mar 10 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Zarrella, Tony (March 12, 2021). "MAC Tournament staying in downtown Cleveland through 2030". Cleveland 19 News. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
- ^ Withers, Tom (February 27, 2024). "UMass will join Mid-American Conference as a full sports member in 2025, MAC commissioner says". APNews. Retrieved 2024-04-20.
- ^ "John Groce". Sports Reference.
- ^ "Michael Lewis". Sports Reference.
- ^ "Todd Simon". Sports Reference.
- ^ "George Halcovage". Sports Reference.
- ^ "Tony Barbee". Sports Reference.
- ^ "Stan Heath". Sports Reference.
- ^ "Rob Senderoff". Sports Reference.
- ^ "Travis Steele". Sports Reference.
- ^ "Rashon Burno". Sports Reference.
- ^ "Jeff Boals". Sports Reference.
- ^ "Tod Kowalczyk". Sports Reference.
- ^ "Dwayne Stephens". Sports Reference.
- ^ "2024-25 MAC Men's & Women's Basketball Tip-Off Show to Air on October 22". getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
- ^ a b "MAC Announces 2024-25 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll & Teams". getsomemaction.com. Mid-American Conference. October 23, 2024. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
- ^ "Men's Basketball Players of the Week".
- ^ "Dunn Garners Men's Basketball Player of the Week Honors".
- ^ "Rockets' Wilson Earns Week 2 Men's Hoops Honors".
- ^ "Clayton, Johnson Share Week 3 Men's Hoops Honors".
- ^ "Hill, Nelson Garner Week 4 Men's Basketball Awards".
- ^ "Miami's Suder, BGSU's Butler Named Men's Basketball Players of the Week".