2023–24 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season
The 2023–24 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season was the season for Mid-American Conference men's basketball teams. It began with practices in October 2023, followed by the start of the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. Conference play began in January 2024 and concluded in March 2024. The 2024 MAC tournament was held at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio for the 25th consecutive season.[1]
| 2023–24 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season | |
|---|---|
| League | NCAA Division I |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Regular season | |
| League champions | Toledo |
| Runners-up | Akron |
| Season MVP | Enrique Freeman |
| Tournament | |
| Champions | Akron |
| Runners-up | Kent State |
| Finals MVP | Enrique Freeman |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Toledo | 14 | – | 4 | .778 | 20 | – | 12 | .625 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Akron † | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 24 | – | 11 | .686 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 20 | – | 13 | .606 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Michigan | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 18 | – | 14 | .563 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling Green | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 20 | – | 14 | .588 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Michigan | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 12 | – | 20 | .375 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami (OH) | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 15 | – | 17 | .469 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kent State | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 17 | – | 17 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ball State | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 15 | – | 16 | .484 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Michigan | 6 | – | 12 | .333 | 13 | – | 18 | .419 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Illinois | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 11 | – | 20 | .355 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Buffalo | 2 | – | 16 | .111 | 4 | – | 27 | .129 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2024 MAC tournament winner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Toledo won their fourth straight regular season championship with a 14–4 record in MAC play. Akron defeated Miami and Ohio in the MAC tournament and then Kent State in the final[2][3][4][5] Enrique Freeman was the MVP.
Head coaches
Bowling Green
on March 5, 2023, Bowling Green fired head coach Michael Huger after three consecutive seasons posting win totals under 15 and with a 126–125 over eight seasons.[6] On March 18, 2023, Bowling Green hired Todd Simon, who had previously been the head coach at Southern Utah.[7]
Buffalo
On March 11, 2023, Buffalo fired Jim Whitesell after four seasons with a 70–49 record at the school.[8] Buffalo hired Villanova associate head coach George Halcovage on March 30, 2023.[9]
Coaches
| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years at school | Overall record | School record | MAC record | MAC titles | MAC Tournament titles | NCAA tournaments | NCAA Final Fours | NCAA Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | John Groce | Illinois | 7 | 296–201 (.596) | 116–70 (.624) | 67–43 (.609) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ball State | Michael Lewis | UCLA (Asst.) | 2 | 20–12 (.625) | 20–12 (.625) | 11–7 (.611) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bowling Green | Todd Simon | Southern Utah | 1 | 127–114 (.527) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Buffalo | George Halcovage | Villanova (Assoc. HC) | 1 | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Central Michigan | Tony Barbee | Kentucky (Asst.) | 3 | 148–171 (.464) | 17–44 (.279) | 11–25 (.306) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eastern Michigan | Stan Heath | Lakeland Magic | 3 | 227–251 (.475) | 18–44 (.290) | 10–28 (.263) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kent State | Rob Senderoff | Kent State (Asst.) | 13 | 247–147 (.627) | 247–147 (.627) | 130–84 (.607) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Miami | Travis Steele | Xavier | 2 | 82–70 (.539) | 12–20 (.375) | 6–12 (.333) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Northern Illinois | Rashon Burno | Arizona State (Asst.) | 3 | 22–40 (.355) | 22–40 (.355) | 15–23 (.395) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ohio | Jeff Boals | Stony Brook | 5 | 133–89 (.599) | 78–47 (.624) | 41–29 (.586) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Toledo | Tod Kowalczyk | Green Bay | 14 | 394–281 (.584) | 258–169 (.604) | 142–89 (.615) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Western Michigan | Dwayne Stephens | Michigan State (Assoc. HC) | 2 | 8–23 (.258) | 8–23 (.258) | 4–14 (.222) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
- Appearances, titles, etc. are from time with current school only.
- Years at school includes 2023–24 season.
- MAC records are from time at current school only.
- All records are through the beginning of the season.
Source - [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21]
Preseason
The preseason coaches' poll and league awards were announced by the league office on November 1, 2023.[22] Akron was named the MAC favorite over 2023 MAC tournament champion Kent State and Ohio.
Preseason men's basketball coaches poll
| Place | Team | Points | First place votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Akron | 121 | 11 |
| 2. | Kent State | 104 | -- |
| 3. | Ohio | 102 | 1 |
| 4. | Toledo | 93 | -- |
| 5. | Northern Illinois | 82 | -- |
| T6. | Bowling Green | 64 | -- |
| T6. | Miami | 64 | -- |
| 8. | Ball State | 55 | -- |
| 9. | Buffalo | 38 | -- |
| 10. | Western Michigan | 33 | -- |
| 11. | Eastern Michigan | 22 | -- |
| 12. | Central Michigan | 14 | -- |
MAC Tournament Champions: Akron (9), Kent State (1), Ohio (1), Toledo (1)
Source[22]
MAC Preseason All-Conference
| Honor | Recipient |
|---|---|
| Preseason All-MAC First Team | Ali Ali, Guard, Akron, Sr. |
| Enrique Freeman, Forward, Akron, Sr. | |
| Chris Payton, Forward, Kent State, Grad. | |
| Jaylin Hunter, Guard, Ohio, Sr. | |
| Dante Maddox Jr., Guard, Toledo, Jr. | |
| Preseason All-MAC Second Team | Tyson Acuff, Guard, Eastern Michigan, Jr. |
| Jalen Sullinger, Guard, Kent State, Jr. | |
| Anderson Mirambeaux, Center, Miami, Sr. | |
| David Coit, Guard, Northern Illinois, Jr. | |
| AJ Brown, Guard, Ohio, So. |
Regular season
Rankings
| Pre | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Wk 16 | Wk 17 | Wk 18 | Wk 19 | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Ball State | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling Green | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Buffalo | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Michigan | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Michigan | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Kent State | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Illinois | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Toledo | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Michigan | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Improvement in ranking | ||
| Drop in ranking | ||
| Not ranked previous week | ||
| No change in ranking from previous week | ||
| RV | Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll | |
| т | Tied with team above or below also with this symbol | |
Coaches:[25]
Conference matrix
| Akron | Ball State | Bowling Green | Buffalo | Central Michigan | Eastern Michigan | Kent State | Miami (OH) | Northern Illinois | Ohio | Toledo | Western Michigan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. Akron | — | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| vs. Ball State | 1–0 | — | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| vs. Bowling Green | 1–0 | 0–2 | — | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| vs. Buffalo | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | — | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| vs. Central Michigan | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | — | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 |
| vs. Eastern Michigan | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | — | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| vs. Kent State | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | — | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 |
| vs. Miami (OH) | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| vs. Northern Illinois | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| vs. Ohio | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | — | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| vs. Toledo | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | — | 0–1 |
| vs. Western Michigan | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | — |
| Total | 13–5 | 7–11 | 10–8 | 2–16 | 12–6 | 6–12 | 8–10 | 9–9 | 5–13 | 13–5 | 14–4 | 9–9 |
All-MAC awards
Mid-American men's basketball weekly awards
| Week | Player(s) of the Week | School |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 13[27] | Enrique Freeman | Akron |
| Nov 20[28] | Enrique Freeman (2) | Akron |
| Nov 27[29] | Marcus Hill | Bowling Green |
| Dec 4[30] | Basheer Jihad Elmore James |
Ball State Ohio |
| Dec 11[31] | Enrique Freeman (3) Basheer Jihad (2) |
Akron Ball State |
| Dec 18[32] | Tyler Cochran | Toledo |
| Dec 25[33] | Enrique Freeman (4) Brian Taylor |
Akron Central Michigan |
| Jan 1[34] | Seth Hubbard | Western Michigan |
| Jan 8[35] | Enrique Freeman (5) | Akron |
| Jan 15[36] | Enrique Freeman (6) Rashaun Agee |
Akron Bowling Green |
| Jan 22[37] | Enrique Freeman (7) Marcus Hill (2) |
Akron Bowling Green |
| Jan 29[38] | Basheer Jihad (3) Anthony Pritchard |
Ball State Central Michigan |
| Feb 5[39] | Enrique Freeman (8) | Akron |
| Feb 12[40] | Jaylin Hunter Marcus Hill (3) |
Ohio Bowling Green |
| Feb 19[41] | Tyson Acuff | Eastern Michigan |
| Feb 26[42] | Marcus Hill (4) | Bowling Green |
| Mar 4[43] | David Coit | Northern Illinois |
| Mar 11[44] | Shareef Mitchell | Ohio |
Postseason
Mid–American Tournament
Akron defeated Miami and Ohio in the MAC tournament and then Kent State in the final[45][46][47][48] Enrique Freeman was the MVP.
National Invitation tournament
No MAC teams played in the NIT.
Postseason awards
Enrique Freeman of Akron was the unanimous selection for player pf the year. Central Michigan's Tony Barbee was named coach of the year[50]
- Coach of the Year: Tony Barbee, Central Michigan
- Player of the Year: Enrique Freeman, Senior, Forward, Akron
- Freshman of the Year: Javan Simmons, Forward, Toledo
- Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Anthony Pritchard, Junior, Guard, Central Michigan
- Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Tyler Cochran, Junior, Guard, Toledo
- Sixth Man of the Year: JaVaughn Hannah, Sophomore, Guard, Western Michigan
Honors
| Honor | Recipient |
|---|---|
| Postseason All-MAC First Team | Ali Ali, Senior, Guard, Akron |
| Enrique Freeman, Senior, Forward, Akron | |
| Marcus Hill, Junior, Guard, Bowling Green | |
| Anthony Pritchard, Junior, Guard, Central Michigan | |
| Ra’Heim Moss, Junior, Guard, Toledo | |
| Postseason All-MAC Second Team | Basheer Jihad, Junior, Forward, Ball State |
| Rashaun Agee, Senior, Forward, Bowling Green | |
| Jaylin Hunter, Senior, Guard, Ohio | |
| Dante Maddox Jr., Junior, Guard, Toledo | |
| Tyler Cochran, Junior, Guard, Toledo | |
| Postseason All-MAC Third Team | Brian Taylor, Graduate Student, Guard, Central Michigan |
| Tyson Acuff, Junior, Guard, Eastern Michigan | |
| Jalen Sullinger, Junior, Guard, Kent State | |
| David Coit, Junior, Guard, Northern Illinois | |
| AJ Clayton, Junior, Forward, Ohio | |
| Postseason All-MAC Honorable Mention | Greg Tribble, Senior, Guard, Akron |
| VonCameron Davis, R-Junior, Forward, Kent State | |
| Anderson Mirambeaux, Senior, Center, Miami | |
| Darweshi Hunter, Graduate Student, Guard, Miami | |
| B. Artis White, R-Junior, Guard, Western Michigan | |
| All-MAC Freshman Team | Arne Osojnik, Guard, Eastern Michigan |
| Eian Elmer, Wing, Miami | |
| Will Lovings-Watts, Guard, Northern Illinois | |
| Javan Simmons, Forward, Toledo | |
| Sonny Wilson, Guard, Toledo | |
| All-MAC Defensive Team | Enrique Freeman, Senior, Forward, Akron |
| Greg Tribble, Senior, Guard, Akron | |
| Anthony Pritchard, Junior, Guard, Central Michigan | |
| Tyler Cochran, Junior, Guard, Toledo | |
| Ra’Heim Moss, Junior, Guard, Toledo | |
References
- Zarrella, Tony (March 12, 2021). "MAC Tournament staying in downtown Cleveland through 2030". Cleveland 19 News. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
- "MAC basketball tournament bracket set; Miami RedHawks face Akron in first round". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- "Akron 75, Miami 63". ESPN. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- "Akron 65, Ohio 62". ESPN. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- "Akron vs. Kent State". ESPN. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- Lambdin, Nia (March 5, 2023). "BGSU fires men's basketball head coach Michael Huger". ABC 13. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- Couch, Graham (March 18, 2023). "Fowler's Todd Simon comes back close to home, takes over Bowling Green men's basketball program". Lansing State Jornal. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- "Buffalo fires men's basketball coach Jim Whitesell after 4 seasons". ESPN. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- Jonah Bronstein (March 30, 2023). "UB hires basketball coach George Halcovage from Villanova". WVIB. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- "John Groce". Sports Reference.
- "Michael Lewis". Sports Reference.
- "Todd Simon". Sports Reference.
- "George Halcovage". Sports Reference.
- "Tony Barbee". Sports Reference.
- "Stan Heath". Sports Reference.
- "Rob Senderoff". Sports Reference.
- "Travis Steele". Sports Reference.
- "Rashon Burno". Sports Reference.
- "Jeff Boals". Sports Reference.
- "Tod Kowalczyk". Sports Reference.
- "Dwayne Stephens". Sports Reference.
- "MAC Announces 2023-24 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll & Teams" getsomemaction.com. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
- "AP TOP 25 POLL, Preseason".
- "AP TOP 25 POLL, Week 1".
- "Preseason top 25".
- "Men's Basketball Players of the Week".
- "Zips' Freeman Named MAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week".
- "Akron's Freeman Garners Player of the Week Honors".
- "Falcons' Hill Tabbed Men's Basketball Player of the Week".
- "Ball State's Jihad, Ohio's James Share Player of the Week Honors". getsomemaction.com. December 4, 2023.
- "Freeman, Jihad Share Men's Basketball Weekly Honors".
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- "Zips' Freeman, Chippewas' Taylor Tabbed Co-Players of the Week".
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- "MAC basketball tournament bracket set; Miami RedHawks face Akron in first round". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- "Akron 75, Miami 63". ESPN. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
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- "MAC Announces 2023-24 MAC Men's Basketball All-MAC Teams, Specialty Award Winners".
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