MAC Tournament Seedings

[NWAkron]

If it wasn't clear before, it should be now that winning the MAC Tournament is the only way into the Big Dance for all MAC teams.  Any misstep can lose a tiebreaker.  Fortunately, this year there doesn't appear to be one dominant team and it can be wide open in Cleveland.  Groce won with Ohio in 2010 after going on the road in first round and beating Ball State in OT.  They then took out Kent before shocking the Zips in the finals.  The following year Ball State got revenge on Groce and the Kittens (who hosted a first round game) in the QFs and took them out in OT sending the Kitten fans into utter meltdown.  2011 Akron came from a 5th seed to beat Kent in OT in that wild final.  The next year, a double-bye year, Groce and the #3 Kittens came back and took out Akron by one point and went to the Sweet 16.  In 2013, the Zips crushed Ohio in the second half of the final and sent Jim Christian and DJ Cooper off to greener pastures.  Since then it's been all Buffalo except for Western MIchigan and  Kent.   This is the best I can do with the seedings considering Central is short two games.  The Huskies have some nice tiebreakers wins over Kent and Buffalo:  (feel free to correct my miscalculations)

 

1.  BGSU  would face Toledo/Miami winner

2.  Akron would face Ball State/Ohio winner

3.  Central Michigan would face Buffalo/Western Michigan winner

4.  Northern Illinois would face PCCC/Eastern Michigan winner

 

5.  PCCC

6.  Ball State

7.  Buffalo

8.* Toledo

 

9.  Miami

10. Western Michigan

11. Ohio

12. Eastern Michigan

 

*Akron's loss to Ohio at home sent them to the dreaded 8th seed and a QF match up with Buffalo last year.

 

 

 

Edited January 30, 2020 by NWAkron

[NWAkron]

Sad state of affairs in Oxford and the Glass City with pathetic displays on the road from the Rockets and Redskins.  Although Zips fall to the #4 seed those wins over Ball State and NIU are looking crucial in today's updated seedings.  Central Michigan, NIU, and BGSU have been knocking on the door of the Big Dance and will be tough to beat come tournament time.  Maybe the Zips can stay under the radar make the semis or finals.  (The bottom 4 and top 4 are solid but the middle is jumbled and a couple tiebreakers would be coin flips at this point.  I ranked them by who I thought is the better team).

 

1.  BGSU  plays winner of Toledo and WMU

2.  Central Michigan plays winner of Ball State and Ohio

3.  Kent State plays winner of Buffalo and Miami

4.  Akron plays winner of NIU and Eastern Michigan

5.  NIU

6.  Ball State

7.  Buffalo

8.  Toledo

9.  Western Michigan

10.  Miami

11.  Ohio

12.  Eastern Michigan

 

 

[MDZip]

So the MAC and other midmajor leagues have struggled with trying to protect their top seeds in a variety of ways. Remember the sort-lived experiment where the top two seeds got automatic placement into the semifinals? So to keep that from happening but also help the top seeds, what about the NFL model of lowest remaining seed plays the highest remaining seed so if the 12 upsets the 5 say then the 4 wouldn't automatically get benefit of the upset. Unfortunately it wouldn't do anything for "home field advantage" but it might protect the higher seeds a little better and would be really easy to pull off since all of those teams would be at the Q anyway.

[Blue & Gold]

I'm having a lot of fun with Zips basketball this year.  But I'm starting to understand why Bobby Knight didn't like post-season conference tournaments.  They truly diminish the importance of the regular season.  I was excited... but not like I used to be... about the Kent game Friday night.  But when we lost, I was just thinking, "Meh."

[kreed5120]

Winning the MAC regular season title still means something. Obviously the goal is to win the tournament and get the NCAAT bid, but having a consolation prize of guaranteeing yourself an NIT bid is a plus. It's not the NCAAT, but it's still a huge step up from the CBI or CIT.

 

Edit: I doubt we'd even accept a CBI or CIT bid if it came to that as we're such a senior heavy team. If we fail to win the MAC regular season title, odds are it'll be win the MAC tournament or no postseason play.

Edited February 3, 2020 by kreed5120

[GJGood]

4 hours ago, MDZip said:

So the MAC and other midmajor leagues have struggled with trying to protect their top seeds in a variety of ways. Remember the sort-lived experiment where the top two seeds got automatic placement into the semifinals? So to keep that from happening but also help the top seeds, what about the NFL model of lowest remaining seed plays the highest remaining seed so if the 12 upsets the 5 say then the 4 wouldn't automatically get benefit of the upset. Unfortunately it wouldn't do anything for "home field advantage" but it might protect the higher seeds a little better and would be really easy to pull off since all of those teams would be at the Q anyway.

 

I think the problem here is that the worst seed to make it to the semifinals could have played in game one of the quarterfinals while the best seed to make it could have been in the late night game. The amount of rest for each team could/would favor the lesser seeded team their semifinal matchup in this case.

[GJGood]

3 hours ago, kreed5120 said:

Winning the MAC regular season title still means something. Obviously the goal is to win the tournament and get the NCAAT bid, but having a consolation prize of guaranteeing yourself an NIT bid is a plus. It's not the NCAAT, but it's still a huge step up from the CBI or CIT.

 

Edit: I doubt we'd even accept a CBI or CIT bid if it came to that as we're such a senior heavy team. If we fail to win the MAC regular season title, odds are it'll be win the MAC tournament or no postseason play.

While I hope it is a totally moot point and the Zips are playing in one of the top two tourneys, I would also hope they continue to play after Cleveland if the only opportunities are below that. I think guys like Ali, Dawson, and Tribble are going to need as much time as they can get.... You are certainly correct in mentioning there are quite a few seniors but these guys haven't been together for four years like traditional senior groups and they should still be getting better. I'd like to see them as long as possible.

 

Also, Akron has never won multiple national postseason games in the same season in the Zips' Division I era. I would like to see this team be the one that does it... hopefully in the NCAA but if not then somewhere.

[kreed5120]

25 minutes ago, GJGood said:

While I hope it is a totally moot point and the Zips are playing in one of the top two tourneys, I would also hope they continue to play after Cleveland if the only opportunities are below that. I think guys like Ali, Dawson, and Tribble are going to need as much time as they can get.... You are certainly correct in mentioning there are quite a few seniors but these guys haven't been together for four years like traditional senior groups and they should still be getting better. I'd like to see them as long as possible.

 

Also, Akron has never won multiple national postseason games in the same season in the Zips' Division I era. I would like to see this team be the one that does it... hopefully in the NCAA but if not then somewhere.

Akron hasn't participated in one of those pay-to-play tournaments since the 2013/2014 season. One would have thought if there was a season to do it, it would have been last year since we were returning LCJ, Banks, Cheese, Riak, and Sayles. Also, Xeyrius was around so even though he couldn't play, he would have been there to practice.

[NWAkron]

CBI and CIT don't bother me.  Groce will know if his team will be "all in" instead of the lazy showings we've seen in the past.  (Correct me if I'm wrong, Groce is highest paid coach in MAC followed by Boals?)  Groce needs to advance past quarters this year.  I'm not expecting a championship but I want a Friday game.

[zipsrule]

Minus some of the tie breakers at the bottom, here are the current seedings.

 

1.  BGSU

2.  Central Michigan

3.  NIU

4.  Akron

5.  Ball State

6.  Kent State 

7.  Buffalo

8.  Toledo

9.  Miami

10. Western Michigan

11. Eastern Michigan

12.  Ohio

[NWAkron]

A crazy night in MAC basketball.  Zips may gave gotten the bye at the right time.  Ohio has two wins over EMU.  Akron has pivotal wins over NIU and Ball State and in tonight's scenario could meet Kent in the quarterfinals which would be bad luck for the MAC tournament.   Because of the bye weeks and the postponed CMU/Miami game, the teams haven't all played the same amount of games.   I look at the losses for the seedings:

 

1.  Central Michigan gets winner of Toledo/Western Michigan

2.  Bowling Green gets winner of Buffalo/Miami

3.  Akron gets winner of Kent State/Ohio

4.  Northern Illinois gets winner of Ball State/Eastern Michigan

5.  Ball State

6.  Kent State

7.  Buffalo

8.  Toledo

9.  Western Michigan

10.  Miami

11.  Ohio

12.  Eastern Michigan

Edited February 5, 2020 by NWAkron

[Let'sGoZips94]

I don't care where we're at, as long as we're top 4 (preferably #1 though). 

[clarkwgriswold]

If the MAC tournament started tonight.................................................the winner would have one hell of a long wait for the NCAA tournament.

[kreed5120]

I believe this is how the MAC is currently seeded based off of tie-breakers.

 

1) BGSU (9-2)

2) NIU (8-3)

3) Akron (7-3)

4) CMU (6-3)

5) Ball State (6-3)

6) Kent (6-5)

7) Buffalo (6-5)

8 ) WMU (4-6)

9) Ohio (3-7)

10) Toledo (3-7)

11) Miami (2-8)

12) EMU (2-8)

 

Edited February 8, 2020 by kreed5120

[NWAkron]

Tie-breakers are coming into play.  CMU beat BG which gives them the TB over Akron for now.  Miami beat Eastern Michigan and Kent State beat Buffalo.  Toledo and the Jacksons are going on the road as of now.   At this point, impossible to predict how this will play out.

 

1.  BGSU  would meet Western Michigan/Toledo winner

2.  CMU  would meet Buffalo/Ohio winner

3.  Akron  would meet Miami/Kent winner

4.  Northern Illinois would meet Ball State/EMU winner

 

5.  Ball State

6.  Kent State

7.  Buffalo

8.  Western Michigan

 

9.    Toledo

10.  Ohio

11.  Miami

12.  Eastern Michigan

[NWAkron]

9 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

I believe this is how the MAC is currently seeded based off of tie-breakers.

 

1) BGSU (9-2)

2) NIU (8-3)

3) Akron (7-3)

4) CMU (6-3)

5) Ball State (6-3)

6) Kent (6-5)

7) Buffalo (6-5)

8 ) WMU (4-6)

9) Ohio (3-7)

10) Toledo (3-7)

11) Miami (2-8)

12) EMU (2-8)

 

Zips beat NIU.  i'm looking at losses and not wins because of bye weeks and CMU missing a game with Miami.  Toledo beat Ohio.

Edited February 8, 2020 by NWAkron

[ewbrooman1]

Just posted on FB by the MAC. (Of course by the end of the year all the teams will have played the same number of games)

 

Edited February 9, 2020 by ewbrooman1

[kreed5120]

34 minutes ago, NWAkron said:

Zips beat NIU.  i'm looking at losses and not wins because of bye weeks and CMU missing a game with Miami.  Toledo beat Ohio.

I'm looking at what the standings are as of today. 8-3 is a better winning percentage than 7-3. I'll place Akron ahead of NIU once (if) they pass them in the official standings.

[NWAkron]

1 minute ago, kreed5120 said:

I'm looking at what the standings are as of today. 8-3 is a better winning percentage than 7-3. I'll place Akron ahead of NIU once (if) they pass them in the official standings.

Ever since the T Shirt cannon to the face, im not good with data.

[kreed5120]

Updated tournament standings.

 

 

[NWAkron]

I will put up my version with my tiebreakers later!  The correct seedings are (based on losses).  Being #1 seed isn't that advantageous is this scenario;

 

1. Akron (play Ohio/Toledo winner)

2. Bowling Green

3. Central Michigan

4. Ball State

5. Northern Illinois

6. Kent State

7. Buffalo

8. Toledo

9. Ohio

10. Western Michigan 

11. Eastern Michigan

12. Miami

Edited February 12, 2020 by NWAkron

[1981 grad]

2 hours ago, NWAkron said:

I will put up my version with my tiebreakers later!  The correct seedings are (based on losses).  Being #1 seed isn't that advantageous is this scenario;

 

1. Akron (play Ohio/Toledo winner)

2. Bowling Green

3. Central Michigan

4. Ball State

5. Northern Illinois

6. Kent State

7. Buffalo

8. Toledo

9. Ohio

10. Western Michigan 

11. Eastern Michigan

12. Miami

The 1 seed gets us an NIT bid which is a nice perk if we bomb in Cleveland.  By winning tonight we put our destiny in our own hands.

[NWAkron]

5 hours ago, 1981 grad said:

The 1 seed gets us an NIT bid which is a nice perk if we bomb in Cleveland.  By winning tonight we put our destiny in our own hands.

Absolutely.  Thanks for the NIT reminder I keep forgetting that perk. Cool article below:

 

https://bustingbrackets.com/2020/02/11/mac-basketball-can-akron-zips-make-noise-2020-ncaa-tournament/amp/2/

Edited February 12, 2020 by NWAkron

[NWAkron]

Are we now the #1 seed?

[LoyalZIP]

4 minutes ago, NWAkron said:

Are we now the #1 seed?

 

For now. Put your Ball State gear on if you want to be the #1 seed going into Tuesday.