2022–23_Mid-American_Conference_men's_basketball_season
2022–23 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season
Sports season
The 2022–23 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season is the season for Mid-American Conference men's basketball teams. It began with practices in October 2022, followed by the start of the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. Conference play began in January 2023 and concluded in March 2023. The 2023 MAC tournament was held at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio for the 24th consecutive season.[1]
Quick Facts League, Sport ...
| 2022–23 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | NCAA Division I |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Regular season | |
| League champions | Toledo |
| Runners-up | Kent State |
| Season MVP | RayJ Dennis |
| Tournament | |
| Champions | Kent State |
| Runners-up | Toledo |
| Finals MVP | Sincere Carry |
| Mid-American men's basketball seasons | |
← 2021–22 2023–24 → | |
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More information Conf, Overall ...
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Toledo | 16 | – | 2 | .889 | 27 | – | 8 | .771 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kent State † | 15 | – | 3 | .833 | 28 | – | 7 | .800 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Akron | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 22 | – | 11 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ball State | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 20 | – | 12 | .625 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 19 | – | 14 | .576 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Buffalo | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 15 | – | 17 | .469 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Illinois | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 13 | – | 19 | .406 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami (OH) | 6 | – | 12 | .333 | 12 | – | 20 | .375 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling Green | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 11 | – | 20 | .355 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Michigan | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 8 | – | 23 | .258 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Michigan | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 10 | – | 21 | .323 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Michigan | 4 | – | 14 | .222 | 8 | – | 23 | .258 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2023 MAC tournament winner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Toledo won their third straight regular season championship with a 16-2 record in MAC Play.[2] RayJ Dennis was named player of the year.[3] Second seed Kent State defeated Northern Illinois, Akron, and top seeded Toledo to win the MAC tournament.[4][5][6]
Coaching changes
Ball State
On March 14, 2022, Ball State fired James Whitford after nine seasons with a 131–148 record at the school.[7] Ball State hired UCLA assistant coach Michael Lewis on March 25, 2022.[8]
Miami
After the season Miami fired head coach Jack Owens after five years and a 70–83 record.[9] On April 1, 2022, Miami hired Travis Steele, who had been let go by Xavier at the end of the 2022 season.[10]
Western Michigan
Clayton Bates resigned on On March 7, 2022 as the head coach of Western Michigan after posting a two-year record of 13–39.[11] On April 5, Michigan State associate head coach Dwayne Stephens was named the new head coach.[12]
Coaches
More information Team, Head coach ...
| 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 | 6 | 274–190 (.591) | 94–59 (.614) | 54–38 (.587) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ball State | Michael Lewis | UCLA (Asst.) | 1 | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bowling Green | Michael Huger | Miami (FL) (Asst.) | 8 | 115–105 (.523) | 115–105 (.523) | 59–69 (.461) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Buffalo | Jim Whitesell | Buffalo (Assoc. HC) | 4 | 430–340 (.558) | 55–32 (.632) | 36–18 (.667) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Central Michigan | Tony Barbee | Kentucky (Asst.) | 2 | 138–150 (.479) | 7–23 (.233) | 6–12 (.333) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eastern Michigan | Stan Heath | Lakeland Magic | 2 | 219–228 (.490) | 10–21 (.323) | 5–15 (.250) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kent State | Rob Senderoff | Kent State (Asst.) | 12 | 219–140 (.610) | 219–140 (.610) | 115–81 (.587) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Miami | Travis Steele | Xavier | 1 | 70–50 (.583) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Northern Illinois | Rashon Burno | Arizona State (Asst.) | 2 | 9–21 (.300) | 9–21 (.300) | 6–14 (.300) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ohio | Jeff Boals | Stony Brook | 4 | 114–75 (.603) | 59–33 (.641) | 31–21 (.596) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Toledo | Tod Kowalczyk | Green Bay | 13 | 367–272 (.574) | 231–160 (.591) | 126–87 (.592) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Western Michigan | Dwayne Stephens | Michigan State (Assoc. HC) | 1 | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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Notes:
- Appearances, titles, etc. are from time with current school only.
- Years at school includes 2022–23 season.
- MAC records are from time at current school only.
- All records are through the beginning of the season.
The preseason coaches' poll and league awards were announced by the league office on October 26, 2022.[13] Kent State was named as a slight MAC favorite over 2021–22 regular season champion Toledo and 2022 MAC tournament champion Akron.
Preseason men's basketball coaches poll
More information Place, Team ...
| Place | Team | Points | First place votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kent State | 135 | 6 |
| 2. | Toledo | 131 | 4 |
| 3. | Akron | 127 | 2 |
| 4. | Ball State | 94 | -- |
| 5. | Ohio | 91 | -- |
| 6. | Buffalo | 82 | -- |
| 7. | Eastern Michigan | 68 | -- |
| 8. | Western Michigan | 66 | -- |
| 9. | Bowling Green | 42 | -- |
| 10. | Central Michigan | 38 | -- |
| 11. | Miami | 36 | -- |
| 12. | Northern Illinois | 26 | -- |
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MAC Preseason All-Conference
More information Honor, Recipient ...
| Honor | Recipient |
|---|---|
| Preseason All-MAC First Team | Enrique Freeman, F, Akron, Jr. |
| Payton Sparks, C, Ball State, So. | |
| Sincere Carry, G, Kent State, R-Sr. | |
| JT Shumate, F, Toledo, Sr. | |
| Lamar Norman Jr., G, Western Michigan, Sr. | |
| Preseason All-MAC Second Team | Xavier Castaneda, G, Akron, Sr. |
| Kevin Miller, G, Central Michigan, So | |
| Emoni Bates, F, Eastern Michigan, So. | |
| Malique Jacobs, G, Kent State, R-Sr. | |
| Setric Millner Jr., F, Toledo, Sr. |
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Rankings
Main article: 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
More information Pre, Wk 2 ...
| 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 | RV | RV | RV | |||||||||||||||||
| C | RV | RV | |||||||||||||||||||
| Miami | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Illinois | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Toledo | AP | RV | |||||||||||||||||||
| C | RV | RV | |||||||||||||||||||
| Western Michigan | AP | ||||||||||||||||||||
| C | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| 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 | |
[14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] [46] [47] [48] [49] [50] [51] [52]
Conference matrix
More information Akron, Ball State ...
| Akron | Ball State | Bowling Green | Buffalo | Central Michigan | Eastern Michigan | Kent State | Miami (OH) | Northern Illinois | Ohio | Toledo | Western Michigan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. Akron | — | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 |
| vs. Ball State | 1–1 | — | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| vs. Bowling Green | 1–0 | 2–0 | — | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| vs. Buffalo | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 |
| vs. Central Michigan | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| vs. Eastern Michigan | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | — | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| vs. Kent State | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | — | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 |
| vs. Miami (OH) | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | — | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 |
| vs. Northern Illinois | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 |
| vs. Ohio | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | — | 1–0 | 0–1 |
| vs. Toledo | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | — | 0–1 |
| vs. Western Michigan | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | — |
| Total | 13–5 | 11–7 | 5–13 | 9–9 | 5–13 | 5–13 | 15–3 | 6–12 | 9–9 | 10–8 | 16–2 | 4–14 |
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Mid-American men's basketball weekly awards
More information Week, Player(s) of the Week ...
| Week | Player(s) of the Week | School |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 14[54] | RayJ Dennis | Toledo |
| Nov 21[55] | JT Shumate and Malique Jacobs | Toledo and Kent State |
| Nov 28[56] | Payton Sparks and Miles Brown | Ball State and Ohio |
| Dec 5[57] | Curtis Jones | Buffalo |
| Dec 12[58] | RayJ Dennis | Toledo |
| Dec 19[59] | Jaylin Sellers | Ball State |
| Dec 26[60] | Sincere Carry | Kent State |
| Jan 2[61] | Reggie Bass | Central Michigan |
| Jan 9[62] | Enrique Freeman | Akron |
| Jan 16[63] | Miryne Thomas | Kent State |
| Jan 23[64] | RayJ Dennis | Toledo |
| Jan 30[65] | Enrique Freeman | Akron |
| Feb 6[66] | Xavier Castaneda | Akron |
| Feb 13[67] | Jaylin Hunter and Tyson Acuff | Ohio and Eastern Michigan |
| Feb 20[68] | Enrique Freeman and RayJ Dennis | Akron and Toledo |
| Feb 27[69] | Emoni Bates and Mekhi Lairy | Eastern Michigan and Miami |
| Mar 6[70] | RayJ Dennis and Sincere Carry | Toledo and Kent State |
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Mid–American Tournament
Main article: 2023 MAC men's basketball tournament
Kent State defeated Toledo in the final to earn the conference's automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA tournament.[71] Sincere Carry was the MVP.[72]
NCAA tournament
Main article: 2023 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
Kent State was placed as the 13th seed in the Midwest Regional where they lost to Indiana in the first round of the NCAA tournament.[73][74]
National Invitation tournament
Main article: 2023 National Invitation Tournament
Toledo received an automatic bid to the National Invitation tournament where they lost to Michigan in the first round.[75][76]
Postseason awards
RayJ Dennis was the unanimous selection for player pf the year.[77]
- Coach of the Year: Tod Kowalczyk, Toledo
- Player of the Year: RayJ Dennis, Toledo
- Freshman of the Year: Reggie Bass, Central Michigan
- Defensive Player of the Year: Malique Jacobs, Kent State
- Sixth Man of the Year: Jalen Sullinger, Kent State
Honors
More information Honor, Recipient ...
| Honor | Recipient |
|---|---|
| Postseason All-MAC First Team | Xavier Castaneda, Sr., G, Akron |
| Enrique Freeman, Jr., F, Akron | |
| Sincere Carry, R-Sr., G, Kent State | |
| RayJ Dennis, Jr., G, Toledo | |
| JT Shumate, Sr., F, Toledo | |
| Postseason All-MAC Second Team | Payton Sparks, So., C, Ball State |
| Jarron Coleman, R-Jr., G, Ball State | |
| Malique Jacobs, R-Sr., G, Kent State | |
| Setric Millner Jr., Sr., F, Toledo | |
| Dwight Wilson III, Grad., F, Ohio | |
| Postseason All-MAC Third Team | Jaylin Sellers, So., G, Ball State |
| Curtis Jones, So., G, Buffalo | |
| Emoni Bates, So., F, Eastern Michigan | |
| Mekhi Lairy, 5th, G, Miami | |
| David Coit, So., G, Northern Illinois | |
| Postseason All-MAC Honorable Mention | Leon Ayers III, Sr., G, Bowling Green |
| Anderson Mirambeaux, Sr., F, Miami | |
| Kaleb Thornton, Sr., G, Northern Illinois | |
| Jaylin Hunter, Jr., G, Ohio | |
| Lamar Norman Jr., Sr., G, Western Michigan | |
| All-MAC Freshman Team | Reggie Bass, Central Michigan, G |
| Ryan Mabrey, Miami, G | |
| AJ Brown, Ohio, G | |
| Elmore James, Ohio, G | |
| Seth Hubbard, Western Michigan, G | |
| All-MAC Defensive Team | Enrique Freeman, Akron |
| Greg Tribble, Jr., G, Akron | |
| Demarius Jacobs, Sr., G, Ball State | |
| Malique Jacobs, Kent State | |
| Sincere Carry, Kent State | |
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- Zarrella, Tony. "MAC Tournament staying in downtown Cleveland through 2030". Cleveland 19 News. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
- "History: Toledo men win third consecutive outright MAC Championship". Toledo Blade. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- "2023 All-MAC basketball: Xavier Castaneda, Enrique Freeman, Sincere Carry earn honors". Akron Beacon Journal. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- "Northern Illinois 57, Kent State State 76". ESPN. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- "Akron 73, Kent State 79". ESPN. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- "Toledo 78, Kent State 93". ESPN. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- "Sources: Ball State fires Whitford after 9 seasons". ESPN.com. March 14, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
- Karpinski, Izzy (March 25, 2022). "Ball State hires Michael Lewis as men's basketball coach". Fox 59. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
- Media, Field Level. "Miami (Ohio) parts ways with coach Jack Owens". Gwinnett Prep Sports. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
- "Travis Steele introduced as new Miami RedHawks men's basketball coach". WCPO. March 31, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
- "Western Michigan men's basketball coach Clayton Bates steps down after two seasons". Detroit Free Press. March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
- Knight (SpartyOnHuskers), Kevin (April 5, 2022). "Longtime Michigan State assistant Dwayne Stephens leaves for Western Michigan". BT Powerhouse. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
- "Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll & All-MAC Teams Announced" getsomemaction.com. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
- "AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll, Week 1". Associated Press. November 7, 2022.
- "AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll, Week 2". Associated Press. November 14, 2022.
- "AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll, Week 3". Associated Press. November 21, 2022.
- "AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll, Week 4". Associated Press. November 28, 2022.
- "AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll, Week 5". Associated Press. December 5, 2022.
- "AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll, Week 6". Associated Press. December 12, 2022.
- "AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll, Week 7". Associated Press. December 19, 2022.
- "AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll, Week 8". Associated Press. December 26, 2022.
- "AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll, Week 9". Associated Press. January 2, 2023.
- "AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll, Week 10". Associated Press. January 9, 2023.
- "AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll, Week 11". Associated Press. January 16, 2023.
- "AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll, Week 12". Associated Press. January 23, 2023.
- "AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll, Week 13". Associated Press. January 30, 2023.
- "AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll, Week 14". Associated Press. February 6, 2023.
- "AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll, Week 15". Associated Press. February 13, 2023.
- "AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll, Week 16". Associated Press. February 20, 2023.
- "AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll, Week 16". Associated Press. February 27, 2023.
- "AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll, Week 17". Associated Press. March 6, 2023.
- "AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll, Week 18". Associated Press. March 13, 2023.
- "MAC champs! Kent State beats Toledo". FOX 8 Cleveland. March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
- "Flash Dance: Kent State Headed To NCAA tournament". Mid-American conference. March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
- "Indiana men open NCAA tournament push against Kent State Friday". WDRB. March 12, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- Horner, Scott (March 18, 2023). "LIVE: Indiana basketball beats Kent State in March Madness action". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- "Bufkin, Baker lead Michigan past Toledo 90-80 in NIT". CBS Sports. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- "Michigan basketball a 3 seed in NIT, to open tournament at home vs. Toledo". Detroit Free Press. March 12, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.