CJ Massinburg and Nick Perkins have assured the Buffalo Bulls of an NCAA berth this season, regardless of the MAC tournament outcome. Photo by Twitter user @UBuffalo.
Buffalo had just three losses on the year and is already locked into the NCAA Tournament
Toledo is on the fringes and needs a good showing at the MAC Tourney
What’s the best bet to in the 2019 MAC tournament?
The Mid-American Conference Tournament starts tonight (Mar. 11th) and there is only one guarantee: Buffalo has already played itself into the NCAA Tournament on the strength of a dominating 28-3 regular-season run.
Predicted to check in around a no. 6 seed, an impressive tournament win here could vault them up at least another spot.
Odds to Win MAC Basketball Tournament
Team
Overall Record
 Conference Record
MAC Tournament odds at Sportsbook 1
MAC Tournament odds at Sportsbook 2
(1) Buffalo
28-3
16-2
-175
-370
(2) Toledo
25-6
13-5
+300
+280
(3) Bowling Green
20-11
12-6
+1200
+1700
(4) Kent State
22-9
11-7
+2000
+3100
(5) Central Michigan
15-16
10-8
+3000
+5100
(6) Eastern Michigan
14-16
9-9
+6000
+9900
(7) Northern Illinois
15-16
8-10
+6000
+8900
(8) Akron
16-15
8-10
+3000
+6100
(9) Miami (OH)
15-16
7-11
+10000
+14100
(10) Ohio
14-16
6-12
+10000
+16500
(11) Ball State
15-16
6-12
+3500
+11000
(12) Western Michigan
8-23
2-16
+40000
+19500
*Odds taken on 03/05/19
Standing in Buffalo’s way is a Toledo team that likely needs an outright conference tournament win to get to the dance, plus Bowling Green and Kent State, two squads that definitely do.
The college hoops world is watching, as the stakes are high:Â if a team other than Buffalo finds its way into the winner’s circle, it will eat up a bid from another team hoping to hear its name called on Selection Sunday.
Here’s how the bracket looks for this year’s MAC tournament.
2019 MAC Tournament Bracket
2019 MAC tournament bracket.
With a bye to the quarters, the top-four seeds only need to win three games to capture the tournament title. The #5-#12 seeds all have to string together four straight wins.
Bulls Seeking 4th Conference Tourney Title in 5 Years
Buffalo is the cream of the MAC, rolling to a league best 16-2 record, and currently in the midst of a nine-game winning streak, including four straight on the road against conference foes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0B5pLAFVx0
This unit is senior driven, with five upperclassmen making big contributions, none more than CJ Massinburg, who leads their balanced attack with 18.5 points a game while blistering from behind the arc at a 42% clip.
He’s supported by Nick Perkins, averaging 14.8 points and 7.3 rebounds coming off the bench. He’s been especially lethal heading into the tournament, upping his scoring to 20.5 points a game in his last five.
.@BleacherReport names Nick Perkins their National Sixth Man of the Year!
— Buffalo Men's Basketball (@UBuffaloMBB) March 11, 2019
They’ve been a top-25 team for all but one week this entire season, and are rated as the most efficient team in the MAC on both ends of the floor.
This is a team that likes to spot up from deep too, with four players who have attempted at least 100 three-pointers on the year.
Toledo on the Bubble
It’s easy to look at the Rockets’ schedule and assume that a decent showing should get them in. They’ve racked up 25 wins on the year and are a steady in second in the MAC.
But they have a woefully low non-conference strength of schedule, ranking 338th in the NCAA.
Toledo's Jaelan Sanford earns 1st team All-MAC honors. Nate Navigato and Marreon Jackson are honorable mention and AJ Edu is a member of the All-Freshman team.
There are no quality wins to their credit, with only one top-100 win on their resume against UC-Irvine. They’d need a run to the championship game, presumably needing to beat Buffalo in the final to win the tourney title – a team they’ve lost to twice this year.
They’ll rely heavily on point guard Jaelan Sanford, who averaged 15.4 points per game on the season, and sophomore guard Marreon Jackson (11.5 points and 4.3 rebounds on the year).
Other Teams That Could Surprise
Kent State posted the third-most wins in the conference, and that was with senior Jaylin Walker missing six games for disciplinary reasons.
Not a good sign that one of those strikes cost him a chance to play on senior night – and Kent still has his availability on the bubble right up to the MAC tournament.
In his absence, Philip Whittington (10.6 ppg, 7.6 rpg) has helped steady the ship.
JUSTIN TURNER FOR THE WIN WITH 0.9 SECONDS LEFT!!!!!!!!
Bowling Green is the other top-four team in the field that could make a run, if their backcourt of Justin Turner and Dylan Frye get it cooking.
Turner averaged 18.7 points a game this year, and Frye added 12.5 points a contest. They are also one of two teams to knock off the Bulls this season in the MAC.
What’s the Best Bet to Make Here?
The only thing that could hamper Buffalo is not being under the pressure of having to win to get in. If you think hunger makes a team more dangerous, then lean towards Toledo, who has everything to prove here.
Barring that, the only other case I could make is for Bowling Green, a half-decent squad that is essentially being disregarded at +1700. They are on the opposite side of the draw as Buffalo and were in contention for the MAC title before a late-season swoon saw them lose four of five.
Otherwise, the Bulls are your pick, and the team to beat.
Having worked in and around sports since 1997, Eric is truly a knowledgeable expert. The two-time journalism grad specializes in all things NBA and NFL. From TSN.ca to CTV's Olympic Broadcast Consortium, Eric's work has appeared in local and national publications alike.
