Defending tourney champion Buffalo is the top seed

MACtion is alive and well, with the 2019 Mid-Atlantic Conference Tournament set for Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Buffalo is the top seed this year, looking to defend its MAC Tournament title. The Bulls have won three of the last four conference tournaments.

The stakes

Buffalo has been the top dog in the MAC all season. After pulling a massive opening round upset against Arizona and No. 1 NBA draft pick Deandre Ayton last year, Nate Oats’ Bulls won’t sneak up on anyone. Buffalo has spent most of the season ranked in the top 25 of the polls and will enter the conference tournament as the heavy favorite.

Teams on the bubble are rooting hard for the Bulls. If another MAC team wins this tournament, it’s going to take an at-large bid away from someone else because Buffalo is safe regardless. The MAC tournament has heavy stakes in that regard.

Format

Though the MAC regular season is divided into divisions, the conference tournament bunches all the teams together, seeded by record. The top four seeds get byes into the quarterfinals. The bottom eight teams face off in the first round, in games at the campuses of the schools seeded 5-8. The final three rounds of the tournament will be held at Quicken Loans Arena.

Teams

1. Buffalo Bulls (16-2)
2. Toledo Rockets (13-5)
3. Bowling Green Falcons (12-6)
4. Kent State Golden Flashes (11-7)
5. Central Michigan Chippewas (10-8)
6. Eastern Michigan Eagles (9-9)
7. Northern Illinois Huskies (8-10)
8. Akron Zips (8-10)
9. Miami (OH) RedHawks (7-11)
10. Ohio Bobcats (6-12)
11. Ball State Cardinals (6-12)
12. Western Michigan Broncos (2-16)

Bracket & schedule

The first two rounds will be broadcast online on ESPN+, followed by the semifinals split between CBS Sports Network and Fox College Sports. The championship game on Saturday will be televised ESPN2.

Full bracket (PDF): MAC

Here is the MAC Tournament schedule, with all times ET.

Monday, March 11

On campus sites

Game 1: No. 9 Miami at No. 8 Akron, 8 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 2: No. 12 Western Michigan at No. 5 Central Michigan, 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 3: No. 10 Ohio at No. 7 Northern Illinois, 9 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 4: No. 11 Ball State at No. 6 Eastern Michigan, 7 p.m. (ESPN+)

Thursday, March 14

Game 5: No. 1 Buffalo vs. Game 1 winner, 12 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 6: No. 4 Kent State vs. Game 2 winner, 2:30 p.m.* (ESPN+)
Game 7: No. 2 Toledo vs. Game 3 winner, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 8: No. 3 Bowling Green vs. Game 4 winner, 9 p.m.* (ESPN+)
*times are approximate

Friday, March 15

Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 6:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 9 p.m. (Fox College Sports)

Saturday, March 16

Championship Game: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)