Buffalo has won 4 of the last 5 conference tournaments

Buffalo was the best MAC team during the regular season, and was the best in the MAC Tournament as well. The Bulls beat Bowling Green in the championship game to earn their second straight conference tournament title and fourth in the last five years.

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 & results

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 51, No. 8 Akron 80
Game 2: No. 12 Western Michigan 67, No. 5 Central Michigan 81
Game 3: No. 10 Ohio 61, No. 7 Northern Illinois 80ESPN+ESP
Game 4: No. 11 Ball State 61, No. 6 Eastern Michigan 43

Thursday, March 14

Game 5: No. 1 Buffalo 82, No. 8 Akron 46
Game 6: No. 5 Central Michigan 89, No. 4 Kent State 81
Game 7: No. 7 Northern Illinois 80, No. 2 Toledo 76
Game 8: No. 3 Bowling Green 99, No. 11 Ball State 86

Friday, March 15

Game 9: No. 1 Buffalo 85, No. 5 Central Michigan 81
Game 10: No. 3 Bowling Green 71, No. 7 Northern Illinois 67

Saturday, March 16

Championship Game: No. 1 Buffalo 87, No. 3 Bowling Green 73