MAC Power Poll - Friday Afternoon Edition?!

[Captain Kangaroo]

Highly Scientific, Undeniably Accurate Post-lunchtime Analysis:#1 – K.e.n.t. (16-12)Previous Rank #2Can't's 8-game win streak was halted as Chris Singletary gagged on a free throw with 2 seconds remaining that would have sent their contest @ BG into OT. Instead, it was a 67-66 loss. Can't is playing as well as anyone. Gotta move them to #1. #2 – Akron (18-10)Previous Rank #1Last week:2-2 in their past 4 games, the Zips lost two games to some 2009 D-1 basketball dregs in NIU and Valpariso (Bracket Buster). In the latter game they squandered an 18-point 1st half lead, getting outscored by nearly 30 the rest of the way. Then these veteran Zips (per Elton Alexander) systematically destroyed Miami at home, and took care of fellow MAC co-leader Buffalo on the Bulls home court last night. Nice bounce-back efforts after bad losses, but not enough to hold on to #1. #3– Bowling Green (16-11)Previous Rank # 5I'm still not a believer in these guys. Yeah, they took care of K.e.n.t. in their house last night, but only by one...and K.e.n.t should have tied it up at game's end. Prior to that, they lost their HOME Bracket Buster game to Canisius? To paraphrase Allen Iverson: "Are we talking about CANISIUS?!" The Zips beat Canisius with one hand tied behind their back earlier this season. Louis Orr - You beat Canisius and you're #1 in the Power Poll!! You blew it!#4 - Buffalo (17-9) Previous Rank #3Last week:The Bulls have lost 4-in-a-row and rock bottom has yet to be reached. Has Reggie Witherspoon's short bench caught up to him? Or have the Bulls simply been overachieving to this point? I say it is the short bench. If these former Power Poll darlings can't right the ship, they may drop out of the Top 6 next week?! #5 BSU (13-13)Previous Rank #6Beat Tennessee Tech in their Bracket Buster game, then held CMU to 44 points in a home win. Ball State continues to look like the tallest midget in the Oz that is The MAC West.#6– OU (14-13)Previous Rank #7The BongCats were waxed by Eastern Kentucky in Richmond (Ky) 73-51, then rebounded to sweep the Miami regular season series with a dominating 75-56 win last night. If OU can finish strong, Tillman will get the MAC POTY by default. But you can't give the POTY to a guy on a .500 team. #7 - Miami (15-11)Previous Rank - #4Redhawks are 2-4 in their last 6 games, including a 9-point loss to the Zips in Akron and a 19-point loss to OU in Athens. The statement from last week holds true - You can only ride Bramos and "The Not-So-Gifted" Politz for so long. Even the vaunted Miami defense seems to be taking on water.. #8 NIU (9-17)Previous Rank #92-0, including a rare MAC Bracket Buster win (vs SEMO) and a 15-point win over WMU. Is this Zips nemisis heating up? #9 WMU (9-18)Previous Rank #82-4 in their last 6 games, most recently garnering losses at two Illinois-directionals - EIU in the Bracket Buster, and NIU in Conference play. Hey - Is there a better name in the MAC than David Kool? At least they've got that going for 'em.#10 Akron Women’s Team (10-16)Previous Rank #101-1 in their last two, including a tough loss to #25 BG and a nice 12-point win in Oxford. The Lady Zips continue to play well. #11 EMU (5-23)Previous Rank #12Followed their home Bracket Buster loss to Georgia State with a sound beating of Toledo. No truth to the rumor that EMU used it's own mascot's feathers to stuff their pillow in that contest. #12 Toledo (5-23)Previous Rank #11Last week:1-5 in their last 6 games, the Rockets have passed the "swirling down the toilet" phase and are now mere feet away from the sewage treatment plant. They lost their Bracket Buster to Indiana State, and then couldn't break 50 points in their 58-49 EMU pillow fight.#13 CMU (9-17) Previous Rank #13HEY - A BRACKET BUSTER WIN FOR THE MAC!! Of course it was against Farleigh Dickenson, whom the Zips beat by about 83 points back in November. Followed it up with a nice 44-point effort in their loss to Ball State. In the words of Eric Cartman - "Hate...you...guys...."

[MDZip]

I see right through your clever plot, trying to instill overconfidence in the Flushes by ranking them first. I can see no other explanation. And by the way, David Kool was named third team academic All-American (the only MAC player to do so), so they got that going for them too.

[RootforRoo44]

#4 - Buffalo (17-9) Previous Rank #3Last week:The Bulls have lost 4-in-a-row and rock bottom has yet to be reached. Has Reggie Witherspoon's short bench caught up to him? Or have the Bulls simply been overachieving to this point? I say it is the short bench. If these former Power Poll darlings can't right the ship, they may drop out of the Top 6 next week?!

that's funny because those announcers on that webcast keep saying over and over again that "UB is known to play all 12 guys and go deep into their strong bench...everyone is a contributor on this team and that's what makes them so successful"

[Dave in Green]

#8 NIU continues to heat up with a 56-55 win over #5 BSU.It's fair to expect a team that starts 2 freshmen, 2 sophomores and a junior to improve more over the course of a season than a more veteran team, and NIU has done exactly that in winning their last three conference games over Akron, WMU and BSU

[Dave in Green]

In each of yesterday's 3 MAC West games, the team with the worse conference record beat the team with the better record by a single point:* BSU loses to NIU 56-55* WMU loses to UT 63-62* CMU loses to EMU 57-56