The first full Saturday of MAC play features games that run the gamut from those that will probably be over by the half — Kent @ Central Michigan, comes to mind — to those that ought to be fiercely contested — Toledo @ Akron and Bowling Green@ Western Michigan.
However, not all games are created equal, which is why the MAC Game of the Day is Buffalo traveling to Northern Illinois. We’ll start our capsule previews with that game.
Buffalo (11-1, 1-0) @ Northern Illinois (6-4, 1-1) 3:05 PM EST
Audio: The exasperating, but becoming better, Teamline or through NIU’s website.
Bulls were impressive in running EMU on Wednesday in their league opener. Only a second half of substitutions slightly more liberal than Ted Kennedy kept coach ‘Spoon’s squad from burying the Eagles. The Huskies, on the other hand, have been maddeningly inconsistent, pairing big wins with bad losses. A home dubbya over the Bulls would go a long way towards determining whether the Huskies are for real or not. My guess? It ain’t gonna happen, as the Bulls big five — Calvin Cage, Yassin Idbihi, Roderick Middleton, Mario Jordan, and Parnell Smith — are too much for NIU to handle.
Kent State (7-5, 1-0) @ Central Michigan (2-8, 0-2) 2:00 PM EST
Audio: Teamline through Kent State or CMU’s website
Pity the poor Chippewas. They traveled to Bowling Green for the rare MAC game they had a chance to be competitive in and they turned the ball over 28 times and shot 26% from the floor to get run by the Falcons 66-44. Things figure to be even worse for Jay Smith’s squad today when they square off with a Kent State team that spanked Toledo 78-66. Most positive development for Golden Flash fans is that Jay Youngblood finally got some help from his teammates.
Eastern Michigan (3-6, 0-1) @ Miami (5-5, 2-0) 4:00 PM EST.
Audio: Through WEMU or Miami’s website.
Even though the Eagles weren’t impressive against the Bulls, this game should be a better gauge as to how far along EMU is in Charles Ramsey’s first season. Characteristically, the Redhawks have been winning by playing Maginot Line-like D, running their offense to perfection, and hitting big shots. That should continue to do but John Bowler & Co. should be more competitive in this loss than they were in Wednesday’s.
Bowling Green (5-6, 0-1) @ Western Michigan (3-8, 0-1) 4:00 PM EST.
Audio: Through BGSU’s website or Broncos Insider.
Much like Farmer Ted, the “King of the Geeks†from Sixteen Candles, the winner of this scrap can make a legitimate claim to being the King of the MAC bottom-feeders. Main difference between these two teams is that six frosh and sophomores, including the Broncos’ leading scorer, sophomore big Joe Reitz, are seeing time in WMU’s rotation while the Falcons feature many more upper-classmen at the top end of the rotation. The point? The future seems a bit brighter for Steve Hawkins’ squad than for Dan Dakich’s.
Toledo (7-3, 0-2) @ Akron (7-3, 1-0) 7:00 PM EST.
Audio: Rocket style or Zips style.
Following departure of sixth man Bubba Walther, thereby ruining one-plus year run of Zips being only team in NCAA hoops history to have a Bubba and Romeo, Akron came from behind in impressive fashion to beat Ball State. The aforementioned Romeo was the man for Akron, dropping 28 on the Cardinals. Toledo wasn’t as impressive, putting up less fight than a congressional Democrat, in losing at Kent State. Home cooking should benefit the Rockets, who are 6-1 at the Savage Center this season.
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on Jan 7th, 2006 at 10:34 pm
Sorry Tim but you missed the mark badly in your preview of the Central Michigan – Kent State game. It was competitive right down to the wire. Another loss for the Chips for sure but a big improvement over the performance they put in at Bowling Green. If the Chips can continue to improve maybe they can steal a few games before this season is over.