2024 Preview
Superlatives:
Best Overall Team: Ohio
Best Overall Player: Kam Craft, MIA-OH
Best Shooter: AJ Clayton, Ohio
Best Defenseman: Anthony Pritchard, CMU
Sleeper Team (Conference): Miami-OH
Sleeper Team (March): Ohio
Ohio guard AJ Clayton; AJ Clayton via Instagram
1. Ohio Bobcats
2023 Record: 20-13
A bulk of last season’s 20-win team is back in Athens as coach Jeff Boals looks to utilize his head start to catapult Ohio back into MAC contention status. A trio of proven scorers in AJ Clayton, Sheeref Mitchell and Aidan Hadaway are all back and combined for over 35 points per game in 2023. Ohio ran one of the MAC’s most surehanded offenses but struggled at the times on the boards last season. With the addition of the 6-9 Vic Searls, Ohio may have shored up its only weakness offensively.
2. Kent State Golden Flashes
2023 Record: 17-17
The Golden Flashes have been to the conference championship in each of the last two seasons, winning once and taking Akron to the wire the other. Returning two starters, coach Rob Senderoff has a solid foundation to build around as Kent State turned towards the portal to rebuild its roster. Adding two 15+ point per game scorers will aid an offense that shot 48.6% from inside the arc last season. Presbyterian transfer Marquis Bennett will be a sure-fire star in the MAC and will elevate the Golden Flash offense to new levels.
3. Ball State Cardinals
2023 Record: 15-16
The Cardinals lost three crucial pieces this off season but replaced them with six proven difference makers and veterans aplenty. Ball State turned to the portal to replace over 45 points per game and found nearly 60 points per game serendipitously. Indiana transfer Payton Sparks will provide a veteran presence down low while Jeremiah Hernandez (Southern Indiana) and Joey Hart (Kentucky) work on the wings. Finding more consistency in the turnover department — on both sides of the ball — will be vital for Cardinal success in 2024.
4. Toledo Rockets
2023 Record: 20-12
The Rockets finished 2023 on top of the MAC standings yet lost to eventual runner-up Kent State in the first round of the MAC Tournament. Its top three scorers all departed for Power-5 programs in the off season but Toledo returns all-league big man Javan Simmons down low and shifty Sonny Wilson in the backcourt. Toledo will rely on a litany of in-conference transfers to patch the holes left by the departure of three 14 point per game scorers. Toledo will need to find more of a defensive identity in order to contend in the upper half of the MAC consistently in 2024.
5. Akron Zips
2023 Record: 24-11
Regression is inevitable for last season’s MAC March representee with the return of just one starter and the departure of all-time Akron great Enrique Freeman to the NBA. Still, the Zips have the pieces to compete in the MAC with many Power-5 transfers and the return of guard Nate Johnson. Former North Carolina big James Okonkwo will be the centerpiece down low as the backcourt looks to be filled by West Virginia transfers. The Zips were one of the best offensive teams in the conference last season and will look to carry that into a pivotal 2024.
6. Bowling Green State Falcons
2023 Record: 20-14
Four starters depart as Bowling Green looks to rebound from its first 20-win season in half a decade under coach Todd Simon. Bringing in nine newcomers, Simon will look towards Arizona State transfer Braelon Green to produce early and big Preston Squire to lock up boards down low as Bowling Green looks to improve from its less than ideal 48% eFG% from 2023.
7. Central Michigan Chippewas
2023 Record: 18-14
Six of last season’s top seven scorers have departed but the lone returnee of that group is team-leader and one of the league’s top-returners in Anthony Pritchard. The Chippewas will rely on a bevy of low-major D-I transfers to bolster one of the better defensive attacks in the league last season which helped CMU to its best season in over two decades. Boston College transfer Armani Mighty will be a crucial piece down low as the Chippewas prefer an offensive attack that works inside-out.
8. Miami-Ohio Redhawks
2023 Record: 15-17
Three starters return and will be joined by many matriculating Power conference players looking for more production at the D-I level. The Redhawks returning core is mostly underclassmen who shined late last year, combining for over 800 points. Pair a youthful core with the addition of Xavier transfer Kam Craft and Rutgers big Antwone Woolfolk and Miami-Ohio may very well be the sleeping giant of the MAC. Finding consistency in coach Travis Steele’s third season will be paramount for Miami-Ohio, with both seasons under Steele ending prematurely since his arrival in 2022.
9. Eastern Michigan Eagles
2023 Record: 13-18
EMU will be one of the youngest teams in the MAC in 2024, relying on a strong class of freshman to produce for an Eagles team who lost most of its production to the portal this off season. 2024 will be uncharted waters for EMU, with just two returning starters and under 17 points per game back. The Eagles will need to build an identity early if they wish to escape the doldrums of the MAC.
10. Northern Illinois Huskies
2023 Record: 11-20
Only four players return for the Huskies after the portal ravaged the core of an 11-win team from 2023. Five transfers, headlined by Oregon forward Ethan Butler, must produce early in order for NIU to find its footing in the MAC. Northern Illinois was one of the worst offensive teams in the MAC last season, struggling to keep the ball in their hands and shooting under 50% from inside the arc. Improving these numbers will be a top priority in DeKalb.
11. Western Michigan Broncos
2023 Record: 12-20
WMU will, like their cross-state rival Eastern Michigan, rely mostly on transfers to patch the holes left by the departure of four top scorers from last season. There are returning pieces for the Broncos, such as JaVaughn Hannah on the wing to build around early. Western Michigan was one of the best rebounding teams in the MAC last season but struggled on both ends of the floor with turnovers. A backcourt-centered transfer class will hopefully help with that.
12. Buffalo Bulls
2023 Record: 4-27
The Bulls were one of nine teams nationally to record four or less wins in 2023, and lose four starters including an 18 point per game scorer. Maryland transfer Noah Batchelor will be “the guy” early as the Bulls — the youngest team in the MAC — will search for its other starters ahead of coach George Halcovage III’s second season at the helm.