 Northern Illinois’ loss in Las Vegas earlier this week marked the end of post-season competition for Mid-American Conference basketball teams. As we close out March and head into April, we find continue a transition to spring football.
Here are some notes and links to a variety of MAC-related items . . . (CLICK READ MORE TO CONTINUE) Gauchos outscore NIU 38-20 in second half  LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- The Northern Illinois Huskies saw their season come to a close with a 70-63 setback to UC Santa Barbara on Monday afternoon in the Vegas 16 Quarterfinals at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Freshman Marshawn Wilson scored a team-high 14 points while junior Aaric Armstead added a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
NIU held an 11-point halftime lead but shot just 25.9 percent (7-of-27) in the second half as UC Santa Barbara came back to advance to the Vegas 16 Semifinals. “I thought we played unbelievable basketball in the first half,” said NIU head coach Mark Montgomery. “They started the . . .  ATHENS, Ohio -- Redshirt sophomore guard Jaaron Simmons and redshirt senior forward Treg Setty led with 21 and 20 points, respectively, but the Ohio Bobcats fell to Morehead State 77-72 in the 2016 College Basketball Invitational semifinals on Wednesday at the Convocation Center.
The Bobcats shot 43.8 percent (21-of-48) from the field while going 7-of-21 (33.3 percent) from behind the arc. Meanwhile, Ohio (23-12) held Morehead State (22-12 to 37.9 percent (25-of-66) from the field -- including 38.9 percent (7-of-18) from three-point range. The Eagles edged the Bobcats in . . Lions thrive at foul line in narrow win  NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Like all of Ball State’s games in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), Wednesday’s quarterfinal at Columbia came down to the wire.
The Cardinals end-of-game magic, however, ran out at Levien Gymnasium as Columbia came back from seven points down on three occasions in the second half to advance to the semifinals with a 69-67 win. Ball State came from behind for overtime wins in the tournament’s first two rounds. “It was kind of a reverse of what we’ve been all year,” Ball State coach James Whitford said. “When we get into the final four minutes of a game, we’ve been outstanding all year. I thought we played the game the right way down the stretch. You just live with the consequences when that happens, and tonight it didn’t go our way.” Trey Moses scored a . . .  By MIKE SMITH
ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio Bobcats used rebounding and free throw advantages to come from behind to defeat the University of North Carolina Greensboro 72-67 Monday in College Basketball Invitational Tournament quarterfinal action at the Convocation Center. With the win, Ohio advances to semi-final play March 23. Site and opponent are yet to be determined. The visiting Spartans owned a 38-32 halftime edge and expanded their lead to 15 points (62-47) following a Demetrius Troy jumper with 7:45 remaining. Antonio Campbell scored with a layup on the following possession to kickoff a 10-0 Bobcat run. He also finished the burst with another score inside at 4:11 to pull Ohio within five at 62-57. The Bobcats had just . . .  MUNCIE, Ind -- Two late rallies - one to force overtime and one in the extra period -- lifted the Ball State Cardinals to an 83-80 win over Tennessee-Martin Sunday in College Insider.com Postseason Tournament action at Worthern Arena.
The victory, five days after wiping out a 20-3 deficit at Tennessee State to claim a 78-73 win in double overtime, advanced Ball State to a quarterfinal matchup at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Columbia. The Lions received a bye in the second round of the CIT. “This is an unbelievable win,” Cardinals coach James Whitford said. “We have a knack for playing for 40 minutes, and this is why you do. It was a great ending for us. You never give up. You keep fighting.” The hosting Cardinals (23-13) were down by 11 points (71-6) after Alex Anderson hit two free throws for the SkyHhawks with 1:56 remaining in regulation. BSU missed two shots but managed to come up with offensive rebounds. Ryan Weber finally hit a trey with 1:32 left to kick off a critical run. A pair of Bo Calhoun free throws . . .  Connar Tava, who redshirted after injuries this past season, announced he will not be back at WMU next year. KALAMAZOO, Mich.- Connar Tava entered his freshman year at Western Michigan with a four-year plan. A pair of foot surgeries this past season sidetracked his collegiate basketball career, but for Tava his plans after graduating from Western Michigan this upcoming April with a degree in finance and a minor in economics remain the same. Tava will forgo a fifth-year at WMU to pursue a master's of business administration at another institution.
"I have had an amazing four years at Western Michigan and I love Kalamazoo," Tava said, "But it was always my plan to get my degrees (undergraduate and MBA) at different schools. "When I got hurt and . . . Perkins, Bearden lead Buffalo scoring  PROVIDENCE, RI – The Buffalo Bulls gave third-seeded Miami all it could handle before falling 79-72, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Dunkin' Donuts Center on Thursday night.
The back-to-back Mid-American Conference champions finished the season 20-15. "I couldn't be more proud of the kids I coached this year," head coach Nate Oats said. "It's pretty well-documented what we've been through as a program with everything, and they just played their tails off for us all year." The Bulls had four players score in double-figures, paced by . . .  ATHENS, Ohio -- Redshirt senior forward Treg Setty tallied 30 points to lead the Ohio Bobcats past Albany (24-9), 94-90, in overtime on Wednesday in a 2016 College Basketball Invitational First Round game at the Convocation Center.
The Bobcats (22-11) shot 44.9 percent (31-of-69) from the field while going 11-of-27 (40.7 percent) from behind the arc. Meanwhile, Ohio held Albany to 45.0 percent (36-of-80) from the field -- including 30.8 percent (8-of-26) from three-point range. The Great Danes edged Ohio in several statistical area, with Albany advantages in rebounds (48-38), offensive rebounds (11-4), second chance points (17-6), bench points (28-12), and points in the paint (48-34). Setty’s 30 points were a career-high and he added 10 rebounds to achieve . . . End of line for talented Chippewa seniors  MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- The end of an era and the passing of the torch.
These realities hit home Wednesday as the Central Michigan Chippewas fell to UT Martin, 76-73, in the opening round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament at McGuirk Arena. Central Michigan finishes the season 17-16 and claimed a second-straight Mid-American Conference West Division title. With the loss, the Chippewas not only saw the curtains close their 2015-16 season, but also said farewell to a group of seniors that helped change the culture around CMU basketball. Chris Fowler, Rayshawn Simmons, John Simons and Austin Stewart played their final game in a Chippewa uniform. Those players were . . .  The Buffalo Bulls are currently on a four-game win streak. That equals their longest winning skein of the season. Most importantly, the Bulls put it all together at a perfect time.
The Bulls first managed to gain a No. 3 seed for the MAC tourney. That gave them a bye to the quarterfinal round. Buffalo then defeated the last two teams to hand them losses -- Miami (OH) and Ohio. A championship performance gave UB its second consecutive MAC tourney title, along with a berth in the NCAA tourney. If the Bulls are going to make it five straight wins, they'll have to come up with another solid performance -- and then some!! Here's a look at the two teams: (Click Read More to continue . . . ) Cardinals advance with double-OT victory  NASHVILLE -- The Ball State Cardinals waited 14 years for a postseason win. For at least 20 minutes of Tuesday night’s CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) opener, it looked like the Cardinals would have to wait a little longer.
It took a gritty effort, but BSU squad stuck with it and stuck together, overcoming an early 17-point deficit and 31 turnovers for a 78-73, double-overtime win at Tennessee State. In so doing, the Cardinals (20-13) accomplished two things they had not done since 2002: reach 20 wins in a season and win a postseason game. “Any win like this is incredible, especially when you think about it being postseason play, having to . . .  COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Akron Zips 2015-16 basketball campaign came to an end in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) on Tuesday as Ohio State outscored the Zips, 10-1, in overtime at Value City Arena en route to securing a 72-63 triumph over Akron.
The setback draws the curtain to the Zips' season with a 26-9 ledger, while the Buckeyes (21-13) advance to host Florida in the NIT's second round. The Zips were making their sixth appearance in the NIT and the fourth under head coach Keith Dambrot. Akron has made 11 Division I postseason appearances, including the eight of the last nine seasons. Junior Isaiah Johnson led the Zips' efforts with a team-high 16-point, 12-rebound performance to notch his sixth double-double on the campaign. Joining him . . .  DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men’s basketball team has accepted an invitation to participate in the inaugural Vegas 16 Basketball Tournament, March 28-30, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nev.
The Huskies will meet UC Santa Barbara on Monday, March 28 at 4:30 p.m. CT (2:30 p.m. PT) in the Vegas 16 quarterfinals, live on CBS Sports Network. “We are very excited to have the opportunity to participate in postseason play and be a part of the first Vegas 16 Tournament,” said NIU head coach Mark Montgomery. “This tournament is a great reward for our student-athletes after a successful 20-plus win season and we are looking forward to playing in a very good field on a neutral site.” The Huskies will be . . . 'best decision for our program at this time." -- Senderhoff  KENT, Ohio – Kent State University men's basketball head coach Rob Senderoff announced Sunday afternoon that the Golden Flashes will not participate in a postseason tournament this season.
"We were invited to play in multiple postseason tournaments, and it is an honor for any school in a league that typically only gets one bid to the NCAA Tournament to be invited to any postseason event. Ninety-nine percent of the time that we receive an invitation to one of these tournaments, we would choose to play, but after taking the last few days to evaluate what is best for our program and student-athletes, we have decided to decline those invitations," Senderoff said. "We are appreciative that the selection committees decided that our team was deserving of an opportunity to continue our season, but ... I also feel like (this) is the best decision for our program at this time." Injuries have plagued the Flashes over the past few months and would . . . |
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