MAC Sports Blog by VanDelay Sports

#3 Akron will face #6 Eastern Michigan in the second game in the 2010 MAC Basketball Tournament quarterfinals. Akron comes in 22-9 and 12-4 in MAC play losing out on the MAC regular season championship on the final day of the regular season. EMU is 17-14 and 8-8 in MAC play.

My colleague Luke is calling for an Akron 15 point + romp in this one. I love the trio of Medlock, Dobbins, and Bowdry on EMU, but this is going to be a tough sledding for the Eagles who will need to commit few mistakes to beat Akron in their home-away-from-home in Cleveland.

Fan section report - Akron fans behind the AK bench have huge cutouts of player/coaches heads (imagine the roleplay segment on PTI, only jumbo-sized). Very sharp.

Attendance report - Let’s just say it’s looking like the decision to go back to playing 1st round games at home sites was probably a good one.

19:24 - Less than a minute in and there’s a double technical on some post whistle pushing. From my vantage point Hitchens instigated it, Bowdry and Dobbins both have a personal now, not ideal.

16:46 EMU up 7-6, Akron has looked sloppy so far… their usual style in these quarterfinal games has been to come out so-so and turn it up in the 2nd half. Wonder if we’ll see more of the same this year.

15:41 - Lotsa fouls early in this one with Akron commiting 5 of the 7 team fouls so far. EMU up 10-9.

12:23 - Dobbins and Bowdry both have 2 fouls. Both teams racking them up with aggressive offense and sloppy defense. Akron up 16-12.

11:12 - EMU not going away yet… down 2, 16-14.

8:25 - Chris McKnight with 3 fouls, Dobbins airballs the and-1. 20-19 EMU leads.

7:00 - McNees with his second timely 3 and Akron is back up 24-20. Things are still a little chippy as Carlos Medlock crashes into Brett McKnight after the whistle and some slight unpleasantness is exchanged.

5:29 - Medlock with a big 3, he had been having a pretty poor game with 3 TOs and 2-6 shooting. Akron up 26-23.

5:03 - Dobbins with his 3rd. Maybe we can get a couple of quick touch fouls on Conyers and Bowdry so all the best players can be on the bench in foul trouble.

3:40 - It’s been the Carlos Medlock show on both ends of the floor for the past few minutes, knotted up at 29.

3:31 - EMU +5 on the boards.

2:19 - Now Medlock with his second foul too… This could get ugly for either team foul-trouble wise if the 2nd half is cleaner. AK up 33-31.

1:02 - 35-31 Akron leads… is that the score or the foul differential, I’m not sure.

Halftime - EMU with some awful ball movement around the trap, McNees runs the clock down before finding Conyers for a fade away 3 in the corner as time expires. Akron is up 40-32, suddenly looking somewhat comfortable dispite struggling for a lot of the half. Akron shooting 55% from the field but only 5-10 at the line. Stats like that could keep Eastern in it.

Both teams are boardering on foul trouble… Dobbins and C McKnight have 3; Bowdry, Medlock, Green, Cventinovic and B McKnight all have 2. Gotta hope for a cleaner 2nd half.

18:16 - 46 - 32 Akron pulling away, Eastern has not looked good out of the locker room.

16:09 - EMU sloppy with the ball. 46-32, but get bailed out as Bowdry takes a nice charge on Conyers. Higgins hits a 3 and EMU is back within 11.

15:35 - Akron with a travel and now we’ll take the media timeout.

Atmosphere update - Akron’s band, cheerleaders, and dance team are all the best groups we’ve seen in the early session today.

I’m being told I failed to appreciate the Western and Central bands… guess I’ll have to pay more attention to the Bronco music makers tomorrow.

13:41 - 51-40 Akron up and looking to take control. Eastern’s trading punches with them for now.

11:21 - Medlock feeling it with 15 points. Since we’re in Cleveland he takes a LeBron-style heat check that airballs… Lotsa airballs in this game. Akron up 52-44.

11:08 - Bowdry and Medlock doing their jobs, Dobbins doing very little for Eastern… he has 4 points and 0 boards. That’s a problem.

9:25 - Dobbins finally gets a bucket then Bowdry with a nice And-1 opportunity… Hits the freebie 52-49. Akron tightening up on offense, should be looking for ball movement here.

9:08 - Dobbins with a terrible 4th foul on the inbounds, Akron will be going to the line the rest of the way. Hitchens badly misses, B McKnight rebound, back to Hitchens, misses another 3. Medlock clobbered on a runout to the hoop, no call, AK runs back down and Hitchens lays it in. Frenzied minute there… 54-49.

8:23 - Now Brett McKnight with 4 fouls. Bowdry misses the front end… not the way to score an upset. Both of these teams building a brick fort at the line, 5-11 for Akron, 6-12 EMU.

7:32 - Chris McKnight buries a step-back 3 and Akron is pulling away again 57-49. EMU needs to get back in the flow offensively, and if I’m Ramsey I put Dobbins back in now, he was heating up with 3 quick buckets before getting his 4th and they’ve gotta stop the run and score some points if EMU has any hope of staying in this.

7:25 - And Dobbins is back. And Cvetinovic just fouled out. Bowdry just missed a 3-point-play opportunity and is at the line for 2… And wow, someone made 2 FT’s in a row. Minor miracle for the way things are going for these two teams.

7:10 - Eastern looks to set up the press but then lets C McKnight catch the ball unmolested about halfway to the timeline. That was easy. 58-51 Akron.

6:28 - Chris McKnight, open, corner, nylon. Too easy. Akron up 10 again.

5:58 - Uh oh, Chris McKnight just fouled out, and it was a questionable call, but I’ll say this… If you’re one of the best players in the league like McKnight why are you ripping the ball out of a guy’s hands when you’ve got 4 fouls. Gotta be smarter than that. 61-54 AK, Eastern with the ball…

5:15 - Sloppy ball handling Eastern keeps the ball, a bucket here would get some major momentum… even better, Hitchens with a dumb reach on Medlock who’s headed to the line well into the double bonus. Swish, Swish. 61-56.

4:42 - Akron running the clock way down without getting into anything remotely resembling an offense. Bailout foul call on Medlock with about about 4 on the shot clock. Roberts makes 2 freebies, up 7.

4:00 - EMU with about 4 offensive rebounds and putback tries before finally hitting one. Great determination by Bowdry and Dobbins there. Akron scores, EMU with a three, and now Ramsey got T’d up… for some reason. He’s mad, but I really don’t know what happened there. A shame to see at this point with 3:30 left and two teams who were trading punches.

3:32 - Roberts laces both freebies and Akron’s up 67-61 with the ball. The Zips really needed that, they were reeling to an extent. Now we’re at a media timeout and everyone can catch their breath to an extent.

3:00 - Good defensive stand there for Eastern and they take a TO before Medlock does something risky. Need a good possession here… And before we can inbound Akron with a 30 second timeout. Chess match.

2:55 - Medlock draws a foul, he’s been good at that and from the line - now 8-8 down 4.

2:22 - Hitchens with an excellent take, Medlock counters with a ridiculous 3. EMU down 3…

2:01 - Conyers called for a hip check, EMU getting it back down 3…

1:40 - Bowdry takes it to the hoop, miss, rebound, shot… swirls around the rim twice… sinks it. EMU down 1, Akron time out.

1:06 - Brett McKnight with a pretty take, but he can’t get it to fall. EMU ball only down 1 here. 1st option has to be Medlock trying to draw a foul, has been working all half.

0:56 - Medlock nails an open 3 and Akron almost loses the inbounds before recovering. This place is getting quiet as Dambrot takes a TO to talk it over. Press row is having flashbacks of Akron vs Toledo in the first round last year when Hitchens bailed them out of what looked like a sure choke job.

0:38 - McKnight gets to the hoop, lays it off the glass and EMU goaltends it going for the block. Tied at 71.

OVERTIME

With only a 2 second differential Medlock dribbles it all the way down to about 8 seconds before getting in the offense. He acts like he’s going to drive but pulls back at the 3 point line. He tries to draw a foul in mid-air, realizes he’s not going to get the call and passes off. EMU misses a 3, Dobbins grabs the board while falling down, and tries to throw up a shot that gets blocked out of bounds as the horn blows.

Akron can put up points quickly, but Chris McKnight and Cvetinovic are already fouled out and Brett McKnight and Hitchens have 4. Could go either way.

4:37 - They’re still trading buckets as McKnight makes it look easy and Bowdry makes it look hard, 73-73. Btw, since Chris McKnight is fouled out I feel like I can now refer to Brett McKnight by last name only… because typing a B is that hard to do.

Clock malfunction, we wait.

4:01 - Brett McKnight, very open… misses a 3. Medlock gets inside and scores it. EMU up 2…

McNees can’t hit a 15 footer and EMU walks it up… 3:19 left.

2:57 - EMU with a hard time getting into an offensive flow (they didn’t make the extra pass) and after an airball have a shot clock violation.

2:25 - McNees hits one from a good foot behind 3. EMU bricks a shot. Akron up 76-75.

1:59 - Harris swats the ball, it hits the glass then he blocks it again. The whole Akron radio team in front of us goes crazy… that’s not goaltending guys, he’s the one who put it off the glass in the first place.

1:49 - Tied up at 76. EMU ball. Bowdry with an excellent rebound on a missed second FT there.

1:30 - Eastern gets inside, but can’t hit it… Zeke rebounds, Dobbins fouls him, he’s done.

Marshall misses both… WAIT lane violation… Oh, and he hit it, that hurts. AK by 1.

1:20 - Conyers with one of the dumbest, hip check 5th fouls of all time 30 feet from the hoop and he’s done. Medlock who’s been accurate to the line. He hits both, now Roberts to the line at the other end.

1:06 - Roberts splits, tied again… Akron with a big steal, McNees on a run out… Blocked! Loose ball, floor scramble. Akron gets it and calls a timeout.

:35 - just like the first half EMU running it all the way down… ball movement like crazy… 3! 6 seconds left, McNees runs it down, cuts through the EMU D, step back THREE!!! 0.6 seconds left. Pandemonium! (ok, not exactly, but it just got exciting)

0.8 - Not sure why the timeout there… everyone was all over the place, just inbounding and trying to fire something up would have been their best chance there.

And after coming dangerously close to taking a 5 second violation Bowdry just rifles it in at Medlock so he’ll touch it and Akron won’t get the ball back under their own hoop.

DOUBLE OVERTIME!!!

4:30 - Akron misses a jumper. Medlock takes a really long ill-advised jumper that bounces out of bounds.

4:00 - Hitchens with a 3. Not sure how he got that over Harris. Bowdry is left open for 3, thinks about it, shoots it, clank. AK ball up 3.

3:07- Brett McKnight with a scoop layup. EMU with a miss. AK ball up 5. Crowd getting loud. Can Akron dodge this giant bullet?

2:23 - EMU gets it back but Medlock with a bad TO trying to do too much. Can’t really fault him, he’s had an excellent game.

1:30 - Medlock’s legs look done as he misses another 3, then fouls Hitchens at the other end. AK at the line up 86-81. Hitchens splits at the line.

1:05 - EMU turnover. This is pretty much done. Now an off the ball foul on Harris… and an intentional one. Bad just got worse.

0:43 - Someone’s about to get T’d. Lots of chippyness. Hitchens with his 2nd tech, and Bowdry gets called for a personal. Also Harris on EMU with a Tech, which gives him 5 so he’s done while Hitchens goes to the showers with 2 Ts. Akron 88-81. And after all that McNees is on the line with the personal foul shots.

0:32 - 90-83, McNees gets tied up on the inbounds, and Dambrot calls a timeout before he coughs up the ball. Akron looking comfortable here, despite how hot/cold they are at the line.

0:25 - 92-86 after Medlock nails a 3. He has 39 points. Heckuva performance by Carlos Medlock today.

And nearly at the end of the TO Ramsey gets T’d up again. He can go party with Humpty Hitchens… This should be a good presser.

Apparently it’s because the refs were looking at the tape and they called a flagrant on Bowdry and tossed him. Honestly this has been an abomination from the refs. They’ve been bad both ways and you can’t blame the EMU loss on them, but talk about not letting the players play.

22 left, McNees going to the line. Akron’s student section believes they have won, and I agree. Akron moving on. I’ll be back from the PM games in about an hour.

Another week has passed and we now know much more about the MAC Championship races as well as the bowl picture for MAC teams. With Central Michigan’s win over Ball State and Northern Illinois’ loss @ Ohio, CMU returns to play in the MAC Championship Game after a year off on 2008. CMU’s opponent is still to be determined as the winner of Friday’s Temple @ Ohio game will represent the MAC East. Should Ohio win on Friday it would be a rematch of the 2006 MAC Championship Game where CMU defeated Ohio.

The bowl picture for MAC teams is also more clear. Because of the obvious proximity and the success of their program, Central Michigan will likely play in their 4th consecutive Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (formerly the Motor City Bowl). Meanwhile, the winner of the Temple @ Ohio game will not only win the MAC East, but will likely also play in the GMAC Bowl with the loser likely headed to the International Bowl. With the way the rest of the bowl games look now, it is also highly likely that NIU will get a bowl berth as well at 7-4, although a win over Central Michigan would go a long way for NIU in strengthening their case. Bowling Green should also remain in the bowl picture at 6-5 as they face Toledo on Friday. A win for BG would give them a 7-5 record and a very good shot at a bowl berth while also eliminating their rival Toledo (5-6) from any hopes of a bowl game. Toledo is one of three MAC teams at 5-6 who would become bowl eligible with a win in the final week of the season along with Western Michigan and Kent State.

For reference, last season a 6-6 NIU team was able to play in a bowl game as one of 5 MAC teams tying a conference record. Keep checking the bowl projections at Football-Bowl.com for more updates on where MAC teams will play this postseason.

By now you have probably heard of Fatheads, those wall cling graphics that stick to the wall and can be moved without hurting the paint. The durable vinyl sports posters are now available for four MAC schools as Fathead has recent added Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Ohio and Western Michigan logos to their available inventory. Typically overlooked, the addition of four MAC schools to the Fathead inventory is a nice win for the Mid-American Conference and is an even bigger win for MAC sports fans.

Want to get your hands on one of these great MAC Fatheads? Check out VanDelay Sports for CMU Fatheads, EMU Fatheads, Ohio Bobcats Fatheads and WMU Fatheads today or click the link below to check out the entire Fathead inventory of college team logos & helmets.

> Your favorite college teams gone big - Fathead.com

Zippy says Akron is #1 as the Akron cheerleaders prepare before their game against Bowling Green.

Final - Linhart hits two more FTs and that’s it as BG misses a few shots and Akron runs it out. 63-55 Akron wins. Chris McKnight and Darryl Roberts both of whom were around for the Doug Penno heartbreaker game two years ago (unless I’m mistaken) both look very pleased. Should be a good one tomorrow between two teams who have never (unless I’m mistaken) been to the NCAAs.

0:23 - Linhart hits both, Miller gives it up and BG misses a shot, and the Zips are just about ready to stick a fork in this one. Apparently one of those FTs was Linhart’s 1,000th point.

0:33 - B McKnight hits both FTs, Miller follows with a crazy driving layup that goes, Linhart to the line. Zips 59-55

0:43 - C McKnight splits a pair at the line and Miller comes back with a 3 followed by an Orr timeout to set up the D. 57-53 Zips. The parade to the FT line won’t do it here. BG has to create a turnover.

1:06 - BG misses a desperation 3, Akron controls the rebound, but has issues with the trap. Akron coaches quickly ask for a timeout… They’re up with the ball 56-50. BG is going to need some steals here…

1:27 - Cvetinovic going to the line… Zips up 4.

2:02 - THE BANK IS OPEN! Miller with a 3. 53-50 McNees goes to the line.

2:18 - Miller misses on a drive, somehow comes up with a board after it’s smacked around and scores. Linhart airballs a floater, comes up with the rebound on the other end but gets blasted by his own teammate, causing him to trip and travel. BG ball, they’re down 53-47.

3:30 - McNees with a 3, Linhart with a floater! Akron up 53-45, BG having problems scoring again… They’re pulling away…

5:15 - Miller misses the front-end of a 1-1. I’m speechless. And then he makes a sweet reverse layup. 47-45 Zips lead.

5:34 - McKnight with a 3 and Roberts with a 12 footer the Zips are up 4 and Orr wants a time out. Alright, I’m done with puke reporting for the next 5 minutes, time to watch the end of this… Should be a good one.

7:30 - And some drunk guy courtside just blew chow on the floor near the tunnel. That’s a technical foul… (it’s not really a T)

7:57 - Brett McKnight gets fouled as he tries to lay one in, and it almost falls, but pops back out. Regardless he’ll be going to the line… Ha, Syracuse is going into overtime. I have my fingers crossed that this one goes 6 OTs too.

8:07 - Suddenly BG can’t miss as Clements hits one from NBA range as the shot clock winds down. Dambrot needs a timeout. BG fans give their team a standing O. They’re up 43-40.

8:56 - Akron fans sense that their team is in trouble and start to get loud… Very cool. Offensive foul on Akron kills their mojo.

9:07 - Someone besides Miller (Brian Moten) hits a 3! Then Scott Thomas gets fouled on the way to the hoop, and it falls. Chance to tie at 40 with the FT… Tied.

10:12 - If I’m BG I think about kicking up the defensive pressure. With Hitchens out for this one I’m not sure if McNees and Roberts could handle the pressure.

11:22 - Nate Miller is on fire. He’s hitting 3’s, he’s tossing in 10 footers as he falls to the floor. He has 15 points (13 this half) and he’s the only reason BG is still in this as Akron leads 38-32.

14:15 - McNees hits a no, no, no, YES! 3. Miller answers it. 33-27 Akron leads.

15:28 - Brett McKnight should be able to blast by Otis Polk off the dribble. He fails to recognize the mismatch and badly misses a jumper. Akron’s up 30-24. BG still having trouble hitting shots, but they’re showing signs of life.

18:30 - Nate Miller with 5 quick points and BG is only down 6, 28-22. The Zips with a quick timeout and the assistants are NOT happy with their player’s efforts based on some fiery body language.

20:00 - Just noticed Chris McKnight with 10 boards already, that’s huge.

Halftime - 28-17 Akron leads at the half. That resounding thud you hear is the shooting of the Bowling Green Falcons. They’re 5-25 from the field and really haven’t built any momentum at all in the first half. Of course if you’re Akron right now you’re probably a little disappointed that you’re only up 11 with the way that BG has looked out there.

0:10 - 28-17 Akron leads, as Dambrot calls a TO to talk about the final shot.

3:09 - Awful foul on Cventinovic who slides under Jakubowski 30 feet from the hoop for a block. Now BG who’s shooting 20% from the floor gets FTs. 21-15

3:47 - Akron leads 19-13 and they’ll have the ball when we come back. BG is shooting 20%. They’re probably lucky that they’re only down 6. For what it’s worth Akron definitely wins the battle of the cheerleaders, dance teams, and bands. No contest on all 3.

7:51 - 16-11 Zips. Akron starting to heat up from the floor, they’re shooting about 41%. BG is shooting 21%. Nate Miller has been invisible so far scoring 2 points on 1-4 shooting and a missed FT.

8:04 - After blowing an open layup 2 minutes ago Polk gets fouled and hits one. Akron 14-11 after Polk misses the freebie.

10:28 - Akron up 10-9. BG not shooting well from distance, they’re 0-5.

11:31 - Akron leads 10-6. Update on our pregame keys… Akron 2-6 from 3 and Nate Miller has done little with just 2 points so far… Really BG has been fouled shooting a 3 twice already?

13:51 - Remember how cold Akron came out last night, and they trailed Miami for most of the first half? Well they’re just as cold tonight, but they’re still winning 7-5.

15:21 - So everyone’s Mom has told them if they don’t have anything nice to say not to say anything at all, right? Well please notice how I’m not saying anything about the BG Dance Team.

15:22 - BG getting into their offense a little better now and we’ll go to the timeout with Akron up 7-4. Miller has 1 coming at the line when we get back. BG 2-8 shooting and Akron 3-7 shooting so far. Combined both teams are 1-6 from 3 so far.

16:45 - Tons of missed shots so far and Akron’s up 4-0. Not wanting to see this offensive effort continue, Orr asks for a TO.

20:00 - Pretty decent contingents from both crowds here tonight. Still, I don’t think you’ll be seeing any attendance records coming down this year.

Pregame - Gotta expect that this is going to be a close, good game. Nate Miller played like a beast against OU last night, can he come up with a similar performance tonight? Akron shot 50% on 24 3 pointers. Can they put together another shooting performance like that? We’ll see…

Tillman and Polk prepare for the opening tip as #1 Bowling Green takes on #9 Ohio.

Final - 74-61 final.

3:18 - 62-45 BG. I’m done until the end of this.

5:08 - 59-45 BG leads. Like I said earlier Ohio is cooked. BG’s going to be a tough out in this tournament. Not only does Nate Miller look like he’s out to prove a point about POTY, but they’re getting production spread around across the rest of their roster. They’ll be a tough out in this tournament.

7:49 - 52-41 BG lead. Everytime OU shows some signs of life it’s half-hearted… Like Jerome Tillman gets an and-one opportunity but bricks the FT. Nate Miller still putting on a show with 22 points. BG shooting 57% vs OU’s 37%… there’s your difference.

11:07 - Name that tune… Surfin’ Bird by the Trashmen!!! Where’s Peter Griffin when you need him!?!?! (48-35 BG)

11:30 - Just as OU starts to show signs of life they lose Scott Thomas and he converts a 3 point play when Tommy Freeman tries to recover to him too late. 48-35 BG.

13:23 - 45-32 BG. OU still missing tons of makeable shots.

15:47 - Still 45-30. OU looks cooked.

16:39 - 45-30 Marschall with two E-A-S-Y looks from about a foot away. Gross calls a quick TO. This one is slipping away.

17:26 - 41-30 BG. It’s still the Nate Miller show, he has 20 points so far.

Halftime - Dobbs gets a beautiful floater that goes halfway down before popping back out and BG gets back down court with 10 seconds left and laces an NBA three to go up 35-27 at the half. That really took the air out of the Bobcats who had just cut it to 5. If Ohio wants to compete in this they’ve gotta hit some shots in the second half, they’re shooting percentage so far has been horid.

1:33 - Pretty finishes by Washington and Coleman OU down 32-24.

3:53 - OU shooting 6-21, BG shooting 11-19. There’s your 10 point difference.

3:53 - Wait, it’s the 110, I hear them! Oh… it’s canned music. That’s right, they’re playing canned OU Pep Band music (Stand Up and Cheer). What a joke.

4:04 - BG goes up 28-18 and OU takes a timeout. Bowling Green looks like the better team right now. They’re getting to the hoop, getting open shots and forcing the Bobcats into bad decisions and contested shots.

7:45 - BG up 14-10. The only scoring since the last update was a 3-pointer by, you guessed it, Nate Miller. He has 12 of BG’s 14. OU really has to put that guy in shackles, no reason for him to be getting this many open looks. Also, I pointed out earlier today that Nate Miller’s POTY snub could be trouble for OU. So far it looks like he came out with something to prove. OU is just 3-15 shooting… that’s not gonna do it.

11:37 - BG up 11-10. OU still having trouble converting inside 5 feet, and Nate Miller is absolutely killing the Bobcats with most of BG’s points. OU has to stop Miller if they hope to stay with the Falcons this time out (BG won both games against Ohio so far this season.)

15:41 - 6-4 BG lead. Ohio having trouble converting from inside 3 feet early.

Pregame - Bowling Green’s band is gonna need a long set list for this one. As discussed earlier the Ohio band didn’t make the trip. We’re about a minute away from tip off.

Kent State & Buffalo players prepare for tip-off in their MAC Tournament Quarterfinal match.

Final - Buffalo wins 65-62. In this blogger’s opinion that was some poor play calling down the stretch by Geno Ford down the stretch, I don’t know how you don’t involve Mincy more in those last possessions.

0:05.7 - Terrible inbounds play by Geno Ford there. For some strange reason they had Mincy triggering it in, and when nobody was open he passed it into a corner and the Buffalo defender spiked it off the Kent player as he fell out of bounds.

0:07.5 - Fisher brings the ball up. Why not Mincy???? Kent is very disjointed on offense and Geno calls a timeout. Look for a Mincy drive, kickout to Fisher for a 3 to put it into OT here.

0:22 - Kent tries for a couple of steals then fouls… Good call to extend the game with the way UB has been from the stripe… and Gamble clanks the first one off the rim… laces the 2nd 3 point game.

0:40 - Mincy dishes to Simpson who can’t finish, but who gets the rebound? Mincy! He gets fouled and is going to the line.

0:50 - For some reason Kent immediately fouls Andy Robinson, though he (of course) splits the pair. Kent down 4 with the ball.

0:51 - Mincy again, this time driving and kicking to Simpson who lays it in. Kent ALMOST steals it and UB calls a panic TO.

1:13 - Finally they beat the traps, find a wide open Boudreau and he gets fouled on the way up and hits both.

1:22 - Kent State more defensive pressure almost steal twice, knock it out, UB can’t get into their offense.

1:28 - 61-58 UB. Kent State puts a trap on just over midcourt and the Bulls are forced to call a TO. They’ll have 22 to shoot.

1:55 - Mincy spinning, driving, layup… Then he fouls Gamble coming up the court. UB 14-24 at the line, but Gamble hits both. Still ugly. Mincy makes a fast, pretty drive again. It’s 61-58 with 1:41 left.

2:08 - After a TO, Mincy gets bumped taking a runner, no call, but it’s still KSU ball. Fisher gets a clear shot at the hoop after a pretty move, but misses the runner badly. Boudreau hits a turnaround at the other end. Pretty! and UB is up 59-54.

3:21 - Betts splits them but the board is backtapped and UB controls it up 3.

3:22 - KSU with a turnover. UB gets to the hoop but can’t convert. Fisher gets to the hoop but he can’t convert. Touch foul called on the rebound, now Sullinger’s done too and UB should be shooting up 2 already.

3:57 - Told you… 1 of 2, 56-54 UB.

3:58 - 55-54 UB. It looks like Fisher just got his fourth foul and Buffalo will be going to the line (where they’re sure to split the pair) when we come back.

4:37 - 54-53 UB a back and forth game and Singletary just fouled out. UB should be going to the line for 2 when this one resumes.

7:02 - 51-50 Kent thanks largely to Fisher who I openly ripped in the first half. He’s definitely heating up and just bailed Kent out with an NBA distance 3 with the shot clock winding down.

8:51 - Kent up 48-45. Sullinger and Singletary both with 4 fouls, could be trouble for Kent.

10:33 - UB is 6-12 at the line. That’s a problem. 46-43 Kent leads.

11:40 - Al Fisher sighting, he gets to the hoop, gets fouled and hits the bucket. Kent by 1, FT coming after the TO. Name that Tune again, and this time they’re using canned music. It’s “Please Don’t Stop the Music” by Rihanna and the only words that are played in the 30 second clip are “Please don’t stop the music.” Seriously if people don’t guess these songs right based on what they’ve heard in the first two they should be showered with choruses of boos. Also how do they pick people for these? So far 4 contests and 1 fan has had a Michigan State shirt and another a UConn shirt. Way to pick the MAC fans outta the crowd…

11:44 - Buffalo hits a tough turnaround jumper to go up 1 and make me eat my words.

13:31 - 42-39 Kent as Betts misses two freebies. This is not looking good for the Bulls, it’s just 3 points, but it seems like a lot more right now.

15:17 - Still 37-36. I gotta say the Kent State dance team’s blue weird vinyl like dresses are a huge improvement over the weird pant-suit like things from past years.

15:50 - 37-36 Kent. The Flashes are clearly in control of this one as Buffalo is having a lot of trouble finding ways to score. Kent’s bench has scored 19 points. That’s a big difference.

18:51 - 34-30 UB. The Kent fans behind me want me to report on the one-sided officiating in this. The fouls were 9-8 at the half, so obviously I disagree. Should I offer them a towel?

20:00 Second Half - This just in, the MAC has revoked Al Fisher’s 2008 POTY award. Ok, obviously I made this up.

Halftime - 31-30 UB. Buffalo has to be a little disappointed that they were up 10 with 4 minutes left and let Kent all the way back into this one. Al Fisher is 0-4 and had a nice seat on the bench during Kent’s run to close the half. Kent State got back in it because they made an effort to start getting good shots and you can see that in the stats with a 12-6 KSU lead in points in the paint. UB ran out to a sizable lead on open jumpers, but cooled off as the half wore on. They need to find a way to consistently score if they’re going to stay in this.

0:21 - 31-30 Buffalo, Kent on an 11-2 run. The refs totally miss a Kent player being thrown to the floor on the rebound and Buffalo calls a timeout to collect themselves for the final shot.

1:01 - UB up 2, things not going well for them as Kent commits a blocking foul 35 feet from the hoop but Buffalo misses the front end of the 1-1 and send Brandon Parks to the line with a foul on the rebound.

2:56 - 31-26 Buffalo. Kent has finally started getting some good looks and they’ve gone on a little run here. Kent is 2-8 from 3, UB is 5-6. That’s because the 3’s that Buffalo has taken have been on good ball movement. Most of Kent’s have been bad shots being jacked up.

4:39 - Lots of fouls, traveling and slop play. 29-19 UB lead.

7:24 - 22-15 UB. It’s time for trivia, and they’re smartly doing it with a Buffalo fan… What is?…

8:41 - Kent is getting frustrated with the UB defensive pressure–they’re picking up about 30 feet out– and launching bad jumpers. Not a good attack plan, Geno needs a timeout but he’s not taking one.

9:51 - Buffalo still up 22-13. They’re shooting 64% to Kent’s 33%, that’s the difference. Though the Kent fans sitting 2 feet behind me are yelling in my ear at an 100% annoyance, so they’ve got that going for them… which is nice.

11:15 - 22-13 Buffalo leads. The Bulls are making Kent State pay when they gamble for steals and leave anyone an open shot. Will be interesting to see if Buffalo can keep shooting at this high of a clip.

13:56 - Buffalo up 17-8. This is just so much of a faster paced game than the last one, it’s like watching a different sport almost.

15:57 - This game is off to a much faster start with Buffalo up 12-5 already. My gentleman’s bet with J. Scott Fitzwater of MAC Report Online that some team will score higher than 66 1/2 today is already looking good.

Pregame - Pretty strong Kent State contingent here. They’re right behind me and they’re loud (and slightly annoying). These bands are pathetic vs. Ball State from last game, I’m already disappointed.

The Ohio band was noticeably absent from Thursday's MAC Tournament Quarterfinal game against BG.

Alright, time for me to take off my MAC hat, and put on my OU Alum hat for 5 minutes…

The Ohio University Band is always one of the bright spots of the week in Cleveland. They always sound superb and are very entertaining. They (along with the OU dance team who are also great at what they do) are often the talk of press row and the staff here at the Q who is here for about 10 hours of 4 games, and 8 sets of cheerleaders, dance teams and bands.

Ohio University’s band won’t be here today, or for any of the tournament. Apparently this decision was made due to a midseason budget cut and OU President Roderick McDavis’s refusal to cover the expenses of the band. I realize that the economy is in bad shape and that businesses, universities, and organizations across the country are tightening the belt wherever possible. Still, this really isn’t acceptable for a couple of reasons.

The OU band does a fantastic job representing the university. As I already mentioned, they get a lot of good buzz from the everyone at the Q for these games. The old saying is, “You can’t put a price on good publicity.” Really that’s not true. I work in marketing and I can tell you that you can put a price on good pub, because it’s my (real) job to measure that type of stuff. If OU’s band being here sways 1 or 2 young instrument players who might be in the crowd today to attend Ohio University does that outweigh the cost of getting the band up here for the university? I say it does.

It’s really unfair to the students in the band who work their butts off supporting the team, representing the university, and entertaining crowds to have this trip pulled on them with 24 hours notice. Not only do they deserve to travel to Cleveland to root for the team that they’ve been supporting all season, but if this decision was made at the beginning of the year, maybe students could have raised the money to make the trip, much like the OU Dance Team did.

It takes away from the game atmosphere to not have the band here. On Tuesday no bands made the trip to Cleveland and according to my counterparts the atmosphere in the Q really lacked. During the first game when the Ball State band was rocking out (they were very good) it was noticable, and enjoyable. A smattering of early quotes that I’ve heard from others on press row who are OU alums and those in the MAC office include, “It’s pathetic,” “Unacceptable,” and “Furious.”

Really, it is pathetic that President McDavis wouldn’t cough up the funds to get the band to Cleveland, and if I run into him at any Bobcat pregame festivities in Cleveland you can be sure that I’ll tell him exactly that. He can add this notch to his belt when he’s counting the reasons why he has been a less than successful President during his almost 5 year tenure at OU.

Dan Whitmyer is the head basketball writer at VanDelay Sports (and a proud Ohio University grad). He can be reached at dwhit@vandelay-sports.com

Tipoff before the Ball State/Central Michigan game

Final - Ball State wins 64-61. Of course Jones misses the front end after going 8-8 from the line today. Bitzer takes 2 dribbles to get to halfcourt and launches a pretty shot, but only draws glass. We’ll be back in 30 for Kent vs Buffalo.

0:02.0 - CMU misses a 3, hits a put back and Jones gets fouled on the inbound. It’ll be a one and one when we come back from timeout. He hits the front end and it’s academic.

0:11 - Frazier hits them both. 5 point game.

0:11 - Harmon throws it away. Ball State picks off the pass and Frazier gets fouled.

0:17 - BSU burns clock, waits until there are about 8 seconds on the shot. Lampley clears everyone out, crosses over, pulls up from about 15 feet and nails a jumper. BSU by 3 and CMU takes a time out. not good for them as they need a 3 here and are 2-11 from beyond the line on the day.

0:48 - Beautiful inbounds play to Jones 5 feet from the hop who should have shot it before he came down. Instead he loses it trying to go back up and CMU is in a runout to the other end. They miss it and there’s a scrum for the loose ball and Marcus Van comes up hobbled for CMU. There’s now a TO with BSU still up 1… Van’s still out there, that’s good for CMU.

1:04 - Jones about 18 feet out on the wing picks up his dribble and gets trapped. He’s in trouble and BSU burns a time out with only 7 seconds to shoot. This possession is important enough to do that. BSU is up 1 and could really put the pressure on CMU here.

1:47 - Frazier loses it, gets it back, and hits a tough turnaround. CMU touches it in the cylinder and BSU is now up 1 with the ball.

2:05 - Bitzer misses a tough leaner, BSU runs it back down court, doesn’t see anything obvious and the bench calls a TO with 25 left to shoot and CMU still up 1.

2:44 - Bitzer hits 2 FTs, Jarrod Jones to the line, his first shot uses every portion of the rim. His second swishes. CMU by 1.

3:19 - BSU hits a pair of FTs after a ref completely misses an out of bounds call right in front of us. CMU up 1.

3:47  - Bitzer gets fouled and hits the shot CMU is up 57-54. That thud you’re hearing is my prediction of this game hitting the under of 114 1/2.

Before OT - All the OU people on press row are talking about how those two final possessions reminded them of Tim O’Shea execution. It’s funny if you’re familiar with O’Shea’s plays when his team would need a final shot at the end of the game.

End of 2nd Half - 52 all we’re going to overtime after Ball State gets it in, but airballs a 3.

0:04.7 - Ball State ball, I don’t understand how the refs missed that call in realtime while everyone in the stands and on press row pretty much waved it off.

0:00 - CMU waits too long. The shot clock goes off, but none of the officials notice, CMU grabs the rebound and lays it in. They celebrate, Ball State screams, and the refs are reviewing it. This one’s going to get overturned and BSU should have the ball with about 3 seconds and the game tied.

0:39 - CMU looks awfully disjointed on offense, Harmon eventually airballs a 3 and Hardiman grabs the board, lays it in and gets fouled. He misses the shot, but Bitzer grabs the board. We’re tied and CMU is holding for the final shot.

1:10 - Jarrod Jones get the ball with his back to the hoop about 7 feet away, gets bumped as he turns (no call) and hits the shot anyways. BSU up 2.

1:36 - Bitzer steals a pass. They set up the offense and Bitzer laces a wide open jumper. We’re tied!

2:12 - Crazy sequence with Ball State running the clock down, missing a prayer of a shot as the clock ran down, Jarrod Jones getting the rebound, looking like a freshman and not kicking it back out to run clock. Jones lost  it as he tried, the ball ended up on the court before CMU controlled it, and it got knocked out of bounds on transition. Finally Harmon made a jumper and CMU is only down 2.

3:46 - BSU tacks on way too easy of a layup right after CMU’s timeout and go up 50-44. We’re inside the official 4 minute timeout and I think Bitzer is going to need to knock down some jumpers if CMU has a chance here.

4:47 - Ball State up 48-44 as Van sink two at the line for CMU. It looks like Ball State is trying to pull away and CMU takes a 30 second timeout to talk things over.

7:33 - Ball State back up by 2. CMU has taken over in rebounding going up 25-18. And CMU fouls Giles while he’s shooting a 3, not good.

10:10 - CMU finally takes the lead 40-38, but misses the and 1, BSU going to the line.

11:40 - Tied at 38 thanks to a timely jumper by Jordan Bitzer… and it’s time for name that tune being played by the CMU band. (Are we sure that we can’t have the Ball State band play it?)… It’s YMCA, unless the contestant is the deaf guy from the Amazing Race he knows this, though it doesn’t really matter since in the 1st half they proved that they hand out the prize whether you get the answer right or not… Yep, YMCA. Good job random contestant guy.

12:32 - 38-36 Ball State, CMU still hasn’t lead in this one. Time for the First Merit T-Shirt Cannon… “If you want a t-shirt, let them hear you!!!” Fans stay seated, yell “Ahhhhhhhh” and wave there arms. Note to readers who’ll be here later, jump around a little, you’ll stand out like a sore thumb and will be a shoe in to get a free shirt… And in times of economic crisis, you can’t really sneeze at a free shirt. It’s all about resale value.

15:11 - Ball State’s Pep Band has to be the early favorite for Best Band at the MAC Tournament… with OU’s band not coming to Cleveland this week someone new has to take that crown.

15:51 Second Half - 36-32 still Ball State leading. If CMU keeps sending the Cardinals to the line without getting there themselves they’ll be in trouble. Couple that with the fact that Ball State has a 7-0 lead off turnovers and that’s why they’re leading.

Halftime - 29 -28 Ball State leads. My prediction of this game hitting the under… not looking so good.

0:39 - Both teams are starting to wake up after the noon start time Ball State still leads 29-26 but we’re starting to see CMU hit some jumpers.

3:58 - 23-17 Ball State and we’re up to 4 assists. Ball State is 8-11 at the line, CMU hasn’t attempted a FT. That’s the difference.

4:25 - This just in, they’re doing trivia during game timeouts again this year. 1 down and nobody’s answered, “What is Buffalo sucks?” yet.

6:53 - 17-11, still Ball State lead. Obviously not a whole lot of scoring. Little ball movement, backing up what I said earlier there have been 2 assists in this game so far… that’s not a lot.

11:27 - 15-9, this game has had a strange flow really with a lot of quick shots on both ends. Laron Frazier on BSU has 8 points already and Ball State is winning based on the fact that they’ve gotten to the line 6 times already vs 0 for CMU and they hold an 8-4 rebounding edge.

14:20 - 11-6 Ball State leads early. Spread scoring on both ends. CMU sloppy with the ball has turned it over 4 times already. I promise these will be more interesting as we really get going.

16:13 - My note to bettors, always bet the under on the noon MAC Tournament games. It seems like the teams come out really cold from the field every year. No difference this year as it’s a 6-2 Ball State lead. The O/U is 114 1/2 for this game. We’ll be checking on that later.

20:00 First Half - Getting started here in the Q. Even though Ball State is the 2 seed they’re 2 point underdogs against the Chips today. One thing I’m immediately noticing about this game, 2 pep bands are here. More on this later.

A few halftime stats to note from #6 Kent State vs #11 NIU:

• Al Fisher is shooting 8-13 from the field with 20 points
• NIU has two in double figures with 11 from Anderson and 10 from DiNunno
• Both teams are 15-30 from the field (50%) with NIU 5-8 from 3-point range and Kent 6-9 from deep
• Kent State is 1-6 at the FT line

We have 4 minutes until the 2nd half and we’re tied at 37-37. We’ll be back with more from the 2009 MAC Tournament, so keep checkin back for updates!

Game #2 of the day is set to begin pitting #6 Kent State vs #11 Northern Illinois. For Geno Ford’s Kent State squad the starters are:

• #21 Anthony Simpson, F, Jr
• #34 Julian Sullinger, F, Sr
• #22 Mike McKee, G, Jr
• #5 Al Fisher, G, Sr
• #11 Jordan Mincy, G, Sr

For Ricardo Patton’s NIU squad the starters for this game will be:

• #2 Najul Ervin, F, Jr
• #11 Mike DiNunno, G, Fr
• #12 Sean Smith, F, Sr
• #32 Darion Anderson, G, So
• #55 Michael Fakuade, C, Fr

NIU went 5-11 in MAC play and 10-19 overall and is #330 in the RPI. Kent State went 10-6 in MAC play and 18-13 overall and is #134 in today’s RPI rankings per CollegeRPI.com.