The Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament tips off at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The tournament tips off at 11 a.m. ET on Thursday with unbeaten regular-season champion and No. 1 seed Miami (Ohio) and No. 8 UMass, with a champion crowned on Saturday, March 14. In this series, we'll preview the tournament, make a pick and offer a potentially under-the-radar value bet.
In this series, we'll preview the tournament, make a pick and offer a potentially under-the-radar value bet.
MAC Tournament Odds
- Akron -145
- Miami (Ohio) +230
- Kent State +1500
- Bowling Green +1600
- Toledo +1600
- Buffalo +4500
- Ohio +4500
- UMass +4500
Check out the RotoWire CBB betting section for a complete list of the latest college basketball odds across multiple sportsbooks.
The MAC Tournament tips off in Cleveland on Thursday, and you might raise an eyebrow to the fact that the nation's only unbeaten team isn't listed as the favorite. Instead, Akron is the overwhelming favorite to cut down the nets at Rocket Arena in Cleveland. Let's talk about it.
I've been arguing with anyone who will listen, and I am certainly not the only one to say these things. Miami hasn't played anybody, but it isn't necessarily its fault, either. They reportedly tried to schedule a more impressive non-conference schedule, and the Redhawks were rebuffed. Supposedly.
Miami didn't play a single Quad 1 (Q1) game this season, and they managed just two Q2 games, a win over Akron at home on Jan. 3, and a Dec. 16 at Wright State, the Horizon League champion, in Dayton. As such, Miami is ranked No. 91 in the KenPom rankings, and it has a NCSOS (non-conference strength of schedule) of No. 361 out of 363 teams. It ranks No. 272 in overall SOS, too, while it is ranked 53rd in NET ranking. As such, there are a lot of people who feel Miami must win the MAC Tournament, or face being left out of the NCAA Tournament despite an unbeaten regular season. And, if they do win the title, they might need to do it more impressively than most of their recent wins, or face a potential First Four situation.
Miami won a 110-108 OT thriller at Ohio in the regular-season finale, it topped Toledo 74-72 on March 3, and it won 69-67 at Western Michigan on Feb. 27. That's three straight two-point wins. And, yes, a win is a win, but will the NCAA Tournament committee see it that way, should Miami get tripped up in Cleveland?
Akron went 26-5, and 17-1 inside the conference, and it was a touch better with a NET of 52nd. It was 0-2 in Q1 games, and 0-2 in Q2 games, so pump the brakes on saying the Zips are heads and tails better than the Redhawks. Akron also had a Q3 loss against Murray State on a neutral floor. However, it won by 39 against Northern Illinois in the season finale, and it won its final six games by 13 or more points, with an average margin of victory of 19.7 points per game (PPG). That's a lot more impressive than what Miami has been up to. And, you know the Zips want that chance at a rematch.
This is a two-horse race, though. I am not trusting any of the other teams, although Kent State has shown flashes (see what I did there?) of brilliance at times, with an OT loss to Miami, and decent wins over Cornell, UNCW, UMass and Wright State. Kent State lost both games to rival Akron by an average of 19.5 PPG, though, with both setbacks by 17+ points. As Steve Spurrier would say, "not very goooooood!"
- Pick to win MAC Tournament: Akron -145
- Best MAC value pick: Miami (Ohio) +230
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