2025-26 season in process

[dirtyolcrowe]

On 10/17/2025 at 3:39 PM, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

Come on CBS/ESPN - get your crap together regarding the JMU game. 

Whew!!!   Princeton game is at noon!!   Can go to this and Blackberry Smoke that evening in Akron.  

[clarkwgriswold]

14 minutes ago, dirtyolcrowe said:

Whew!!!   Princeton game is at noon!!   Can go to this and Blackberry Smoke that evening in Akron.  

 

I'm just happy we get a full day to tailgate before Penn State- Shenango!

[mrelegazna]

Hello!

 

[Let'sGoZips94]

3 hours ago, mrelegazna said:

Hello!

 

 

Putting Kent ahead of Miami OH makes me question everything about this list. 

[RoyalBlu]

4 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

Putting Kent ahead of Miami OH makes me question everything about this list. 

Went through this last season ... Miami vs. Kent hed-to-hed , Miami is/was better. 

 

However, Kent vs. the Field is/was better than Miami by 2024-25 metrics, and justified by NIT run. Could Miami have done the same? I would guess so. But the fact Kent did it on the court says ... while the metrics may have been wrong about Miami, they were NOT wrong about Kent.

 

I don't have to like it, to recognize it. 

 

Such is life as a mid-major. One-bid league. 

 

Would I pick Kent over Miami in the MAC this year? Not based on what I saw last season, or based on what each team has coming back. But if it comes down to SOS again for the NIT, and the overall W/L records are much the same as 24-25, I would not be surprised if Kent got the nod again. Miami's non-con schedule (like last season) is woefully weak.

 

[Let'sGoZips94]

1 hour ago, RoyalBlu said:

Went through this last season ... Miami vs. Kent hed-to-hed , Miami is/was better. 

 

However, Kent vs. the Field is/was better than Miami by 2024-25 metrics, and justified by NIT run. Could Miami have done the same? I would guess so. But the fact Kent did it on the court says ... while the metrics may have been wrong about Miami, they were NOT wrong about Kent.

 

I don't have to like it, to recognize it. 

 

Such is life as a mid-major. One-bid league. 

 

Would I pick Kent over Miami in the MAC this year? Not based on what I saw last season, or based on what each team has coming back. But if it comes down to SOS again for the NIT, and the overall W/L records are much the same as 24-25, I would not be surprised if Kent got the nod again. Miami's non-con schedule (like last season) is woefully weak.

 

 

This is where people need to shut the laptops, turn off their phones, and watch the game(s).

 

Miami OH was objectively better than Kent. Their undefeated head to head vs Kent proved that, along with every single possible eye test. I don't know if I've ever seen a more offensively inept group of guys at Kent than last year's squad. Kent was propped up by playing tougher opponents, which gamed the system designed to reward P4s for their conference play and early season tournaments. Kent's run in the NIT was fueled by matchups with teams that didn't care. As soon as they played a team that cared, they lost. Senderoff knew his team was thrown a bone and he tried to parlay that into a new opportunity elsewhere. Going to be fascinating to see where Kent and Miami OH are this year. 

[kreed5120]

11 hours ago, RoyalBlu said:

Went through this last season ... Miami vs. Kent hed-to-hed , Miami is/was better. 

 

However, Kent vs. the Field is/was better than Miami by 2024-25 metrics, and justified by NIT run. Could Miami have done the same? I would guess so. But the fact Kent did it on the court says ... while the metrics may have been wrong about Miami, they were NOT wrong about Kent.

 

I don't have to like it, to recognize it. 

 

Such is life as a mid-major. One-bid league. 

 

Would I pick Kent over Miami in the MAC this year? Not based on what I saw last season, or based on what each team has coming back. But if it comes down to SOS again for the NIT, and the overall W/L records are much the same as 24-25, I would not be surprised if Kent got the nod again. Miami's non-con schedule (like last season) is woefully weak.

 

I don't think bringing up last season is that useful for these rankings. What matters is what each team has returning and what new pieces were brought in. Based off of that Miami looks like the better team on paper. That said, there is a reason they play the games so who knows how things play out.

[kreed5120]

The MAC released it's preseason poll and All-MAC teams. Akron was picked first getting 11 out of the 13 first place votes. Miami received the other 2.

 

Tavari was given first team honors. Evan Mahaffey and Shammah Scott were picked for 2nd team.

 

https://getsomemaction.com/news/2025/10/21/mac-announces-2025-26-mens-basketball-preseason-poll-all-mac-teams.aspx

 

Edit: I believe coaches aren't allowed to vote for their team to win so Akron received 11 out of a possible 12 1st place votes.

Edited Tuesday at 01:49 PM by kreed5120

[LZIp]

9 hours ago, kreed5120 said:

The MAC released it's preseason poll and All-MAC teams. Akron was picked first getting 11 out of the 13 first place votes. Miami received the other 2.

 

Tavari was given first team honors. Evan Mahaffey and Shammah Scott were picked for 2nd team.

 

https://getsomemaction.com/news/2025/10/21/mac-announces-2025-26-mens-basketball-preseason-poll-all-mac-teams.aspx

 

Edit: I believe coaches aren't allowed to vote for their team to win so Akron received 11 out of a possible 12 1st place votes.

Wonder who the other coach was that picked Miami.

[RoyalBlu]

19 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

This is where people need to shut the laptops, turn off their phones, and watch the game(s).

 

Miami OH was objectively better than Kent. Their undefeated head to head vs Kent proved that, along with every single possible eye test. I don't know if I've ever seen a more offensively inept group of guys at Kent than last year's squad. Kent was propped up by playing tougher opponents, which gamed the system designed to reward P4s for their conference play and early season tournaments. Kent's run in the NIT was fueled by matchups with teams that didn't care. As soon as they played a team that cared, they lost. Senderoff knew his team was thrown a bone and he tried to parlay that into a new opportunity elsewhere. Going to be fascinating to see where Kent and Miami OH are this year. 

 

 I get your point but with one disclaimer ... Kent (or Akron or any other MAC team) is not 'gaming' the system by playing a tougher schedule. That's what we all want to see. The residue of that - regardless of how good/bad any MAC team is - is a boost in the metrics. I agree by on the court matchups and the 'eye' test Miami was last year and probably this year a better MAC team than Kent.

 

I agree Kent is often a eyesore to watch offensively, no matter what year it is. But they usually hang their hat on the other end of the court. That's them, not most teams in the MAC, and they have to live and die by that.

 

But the simple fact is, particularly late in the season (Akron aside) most teams just don't like to play them because of their style ... not because they can't beat them. That's their 'edge.' You got to be a team like Akron - more offense, comparable defense - to consistently take them out. Or a team like Miami that has so much offense it overcomes their defense/physicality.

 

The way Akron and Miami play is much more pleasing to the eye and entertaining. They effectively play mostly 6-2 baseball games and win, but can win 3-2 as well. As I watch Kent over the years, they play almost all 3-2, 2-1 games with winning or losing hanging on a bad pitch, giving up a home run, or getting a strike-out in the ninth.

 

To win games like that, IMO, you have to play a tough schedule. For the most part, that's what Akron does and that's what Kent does. There is value in that. Miami, since the late Charlie Coles, has not done that and nationally, it has cost them.

 

 

 

[RoyalBlu]

7 minutes ago, LZIp said:

Wonder who the other coach was that picked Miami.

I would say Groce and Ohio picked Miami.

[Illini Zip]

My guess is Groce and Tod K. I can't see Tod giving Groce much credit for anything. Their post-game hand shakes are quite brief.

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 11:43 PM by Illini Zip

[MDZip]

23 hours ago, LZIp said:

Wonder who the other coach was that picked Miami.

Pinky - just out of spite. 😊