Six teams in the MAC East are looking to tip-off the 2019-20 season with high levels of competition. Those six teams are Buffalo, Ohio, Bowling Green, Miami (OH), Akron and Kent State.
Buffalo will look to keep its momentum after winning the MAC Tournament and competing in the NCAA Tournament.
The Bulls finished last season holding the first place in the MAC East with a 32-4 (16-2) record. Buffalo was the top seed in the MAC Tournament and defeated Bowling Green in the championship. The Bulls will start its season on Nov. 8 against Dartmouth. They will compete against Harvard in the James Naismith Classic and UConn in the Charleston Classic. MAC play will tip-off at home for Buffalo on Jan. 4 against Northern Illinois.
The Ohio Bobcats will be looking to make a turnaround after finishing last season with a 14-17 (6-12) record. Ohio finished last in the MAC East last season. Looking to bounce back, the Bobcats will start its regular season on Nov. 2nd against Capital. Ohio will face multiple household names such as Villanova, Baylor and Purdue.
Bowling Green finished second in the MAC East with a 22-12 (12-6) record last season and the Falcons had the third seed in the MAC Tournament before losing to Buffalo in the championship. After hosting Findlay in an exhibition game, the Falcons will start the season at home on Nov. 5 against Tiffin.
Miami (OH) finished 5th in the MAC East last season with a 15-17 (7-11) record and the RedHawks earned the 9th seed in the MAC Tournament and failed to make it out of the first round, losing to Akron. The RedHawks will be at home for four of its first five games to start the season. Miami will then compete in the Gulf Coast Showcase.
Former Kentucky center talked about the kets to being a successful team: “Having a successful team is completely luck to me. Staying healthy is the main part. Having a team full of players that buy in and can buy in to the common goal. Chemistry is everything when it comes to a successful team. At the end of the day you really just need a solid eight guys who will go out there and fight.”
Akron finished fourth in the MAC East last season. The Zips had a record of 17-16 (8-10) to end the season. The Zips will start the 2019-20 season on Nov. 5 against Malone followed by West Virginia on Nov. 8. The Zips will start competing against MAC teams on Jan. 4 when the team will travel to Ypsilanti to play against Eastern Michigan.
Kent State held the third spot in the MAC East at the end of last season. The Golden Flashes will tip-off its season at home on Nov. 6 against Hiram. On Nov. 25, Kent State will travel to Columbus to play against the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Golden Flashes will end its MAC run against the Akron Zips.
