MAC madness on its way to Cleveland

After first-round games at home sites, scene shifts to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse

The Mid-American Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournaments are headed for Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. David S. Glasier has a look at the teams and players to watch.

The University of Akron men and Central Michigan University women own the top seeds and byes to the quarterfinals in the MidAmerican Conference tournaments.

First-round games in the men’s and women’s tournaments are scheduled for March 9 at home sites.

The scene shifts to Rocket Mortgage Field House for the women’s quarterfinals on March 11, the men’s quarterfinals on March 12, men’s and women’s semifinals on March 13 and the two championship games on March 14.

This is the 21st straight year the MAC has staged its basketball tournaments at the downtown Cleveland venue formerly known as Gund Arena and Quicken

Loans Arena.

The University at Buffalo men’s and women’s teams claimed the tournament titles and coveted automatic bids to the NCAA tournament in 2019.

“Getting to Cleveland and playing in one of the premier sports arenas in the country means so much to our student-athletes, coaches and fans,” said Jeff Bacon, the MAC’s senior associate commissioner for championships and sport development.

The MAC rewards the top four seeds in each draw with byes to the quarterfinals.

On the men’s side, that means the East Division regular-season champion Zips (24-7) and No. 2 Bowling Green (21-10), the East Division runner-up, are joined by No. 3 Ball State (18-13) and No. 4 Northern Illinois (18-13) in not having to play a first-round game.

Ball State and Northern Illinois finished atop the West Division with 11-7 marks.

Players to watch include the Toledo duo of junior guard Marreon Jackson (19.7 points, 5.4 assists) and senior forward Willie Jackson (12.8 points, 11.8 rebounds), both of them from Garfield Heights High School.

Northern Illinois senior guard Eugene German (20.5 points) and Akron senior guard Loren Cristian Jackson

(19.8 points) finished 1-2 in regular-season scoring.

Bowling Green junior guard Justin Turner (18.8 points), Buffalo junior guard Jayvon Graves (17.1 points) and Ohio sophomore guard Jason Preston (16.7 points, 7.5 assists, 6,5 rebounds) are coming into the tournament off strong performances in the regular season.

On the women’s side, Central Michigan (23-6) assured itself of playing at least one game in Cleveland this year along with No. 2 Ball State (21-9), No. 3 Kent State (18-11) and No. 4 Ohio (18-11).

Central Michigan junior guard Micaela Kelly (21.5 points) is the front-runner for MAC women’s Player of the Year. Buffalo freshman guard Dyaisha Fair (21.1 points) and Eastern Michigan junior guard Areanna Combs (19.0 points) are in the mix, too.

Ohio has one of the MAC’s best scoring duos in redshirt freshman forward Erica Johnson (18.7 points) and sophomore guard Ciera Hooks (18.1 points)

TIM PHILLIS — FOR THE NEWS-HERALD Akron guard Loren Cristian Jackson on the move against Buffalo in the quarterfinals of the 2019MAC men’s tournament. The Zips are the No. 1 seed this year.