Mid-American Conference Preview

The following preview is provided by Blue Ribbon. For the most thorough preview available of the upcoming season, order the 2002-03 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, on sale now at 1-800-775-2518.   Blue Ribbon Forecast No. East Division Team  '01-02 Conf. Rec. (Overall) 1. Ohio  11-7 (17-11)  2. Kent State  17-1 (27-5)  3. Akron  5-13 (10-21)  4. Marshall  8-10 (15-15)  5. Miami (OH)  9-9 (13-18)  6. Buffalo  7-11 (12-18)  No. West Division Team  '01-02 Conf. Rec. (Overall) 1. Ball State  12-6 (20-11)  2. Toledo  11-7 (29-3)  3. Bowling GreenEastern Michigan  12-6 (24-8)  4. Eastern Michigan  2-16 (6-24)  5. Central Michigan  5-13 (9-19)  6. Western Michigan  10-8 (17-13)  7. Northern Illinois  8-10 (12-16)  All-Conference Team Did You Know? G: Ronald Blackshear JR, Marshall G: Ricky Cottrill JR, Eastern Michigan F: Theron Smith SR, Ball State F: Andy Hipsher SR, Akron C: Brandon Hunter SR, Ohio Player of the Year Brandon Hunter SR, Ohio Newcomer of the Year JaQuan Hart SO, Eastern Michigan Top Backcourts 1. Marshall 2. Ball State 3. Eastern Michigan Top Frontcourts 1. Ohio 2. Ball State 3. Kent State 2002-03 Conference Tournament March 10, First round games at campus sites March 13-15, Gund Arena, Cleveland, OH 2001-02 Champions Kent State (East Div.) Ball State (West Div.) Kent State (Conf. tournament) Kent State, Marshall, Bowling Green and Ball State were chosen by the NCAA to compete in "Bracket Buster Saturday," a new one-day, nine-game event matching NCAA tournament hopefuls against each other. The first of what is expected to an annual event is Feb. 22. Kent and Marshall will play home games; Bowling Green and Ball State will be on the road. The event will provide 18 NCAA hopefuls the opportunity to play top non-conference opponents three weeks before Selection Sunday. The match-ups will be announced about three weeks before the event. After finishing second in the East Division last year behind Kent State (17-1), Bowling Green (12-6) has moved to the West Division. The Falcons are 30-6 at home over the last four years. Kent State's amazing run to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament last year included winning the school's first MAC regular-season championship, second MAC Tournament title and third in four years, a MAC-record 30 victories, a MAC-record 21-game winning streak and MAC-record 17 conference wins. The Golden Flashes finished No. 12 in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Akron's 90-83 win over Western Michigan was the school's first ever in the MAC Tournament. The FirstEnergy MAC Men's Basketball Tournament, after opening with first-round games on campus sites on March 10, will be completed March 13-15 at Gund Arena in Cleveland for the fourth consecutive year. Last year's championship game crowd of 14,106 for the Kent State versus Bowling Green match-up established a record for the highest single-game attendance in tournament history. The four-session total of 35,095 also set a MAC Tournament attendance record.

 

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