Kent State rolls, Toledo tops favored MSU

If the early stages of this season were any indication, the Golden Flashes will be primed for another March run.

Other MAC schools have gotten off to great starts in the early season. Central Michigan and Western Michigan both blazed through conference season. Toledo also has been on a recent roll, punctuated with a upset victory at Michigan State last week. Bowling Green and Miami, both of which struggled through the non-conference season, each own a 2-0 record at the beginning of conference play.

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MAC WEST
Ball State (4-6, 0-1)
Key Players: G Chris Williams 24.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg; F Cameron Echols 15.4 ppg, 9.9 rpg; G Matt McCollom 10.1 ppg, 3.5 apg
Preseason favorites in the MAC West, the Cardinals high hopes suffered a huge blow when Wooden Award candidate Theron Smith announced that his knee would hold him back from playing this season. Smith tore his ACL at an NBA pre-draft camp last season, and hopes to return to Muncie at full strength next year.

A positive note for the Cardinals is the play of senior guard Chris Williams, who is the MAC’s leading scorer. The Cardinals dropped a 105-104 entertaining overtime home loss against Akron Saturday, a game in which Williams scored a Rhodes Arena-record 48 points. The loss marked Ball State’s fourth consecutive defeat, a string which included defeats to top-notch opponents Dayton, Xavier and Indiana.

Bowling Green (6-4, 2-0)
Key Players: C Kevin Netter 17.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg; F John Reimold 14.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg; F Ronald Lewis 9.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg
After sputtering to a uncharacteristic slow start, Bowling Green has exploded for a four-game winning streak. The Falcons also sit atop the MAC West standings, with an early 2-0 mark, including a Saturday 65-64 victory over Northern Illinois, where Cory Eyink hit a game-winning lay up with six seconds left.

The Falcons have benefited from the recent strong play of sophomore John Reimold, who recently won the MAC Player of the Week award. Bowling Green should only continue to improve, as forward Josh Almanson has returned from a stress fracture, which had sidelined him for much of the season. Tests are upcoming, as Bowling Green plays Ball State and at Kent State over the next week.

Central Michigan (7-3, 0-1)
Key Players: C Chris Kaman 19.2 ppg, 12.4 rpg; F Mike Manciel 14.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg; G J.R. Wallace 10.2 ppg, 2.5 apg
The Chippewas hoped to build upon a 7-2 start at Miami on Saturday, but the RedHawks scored the game’s final 15 points to knock off CMU. Upcoming games with Western Michigan and Ohio will be crucial to the squad’s success.

Junior center Chris Kaman has been an inside force all year, as he currently stands as the nation’s third leading rebounder. Kaman has had a double-double in eight of the nine games he has played this season.

Eastern Michigan (5-4, 0-1)
Key Players: F Ryan Prillman 20.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg; F Markus Austin 16.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg; F Steve Pettyjohn 11.4 ppg, 7.8 rpg
The Eagles will be a dangerous team in the upcoming months, as JaQuan Hart has been cleared to play. Hart is an Ohio State transfer, who was a top-50 recruit two years ago. The continued development of Prillman, Austin and Pettyjohn have lended to the Eagles early-season success.

Preseason All-MAC pick Ricky Cottrill has struggled in the early season. Cotrill has shot just 30 percent from the field. If Cottrill can find his shot, and if Hart can mesh with the rest of the team, Eastern could pull some major upsets in MAC play.

Northern Illinois (4-8, 0-2)
Key Players: G P.J. Smith 12.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg; F Marcus Smallwood 11.2 ppg, 9.0 rpg; G Jay Bates 8.0 ppg, 2.4 apg
The Huskies are continuing to search for consistency, as NIU has dropped five of its last six games, including a heartbreaking loss to Bowling Green Saturday. Smith and Smallwood have been steady performers for the Huskies, but Head Coach Rob Judson is searching for more scoring options.

The road does not get any easier for NIU, with upcoming road games at Toledo and Ball State.

Toledo (7-4, 1-0)
Key Players: F Keith Tripplett 16.4 ppg, 5.4 rpg; G Nick Moore 15.3 ppg, 3.2 apg; G Sammy Villegas 11.1 ppg, 2.7 apg
The Rockets pulled off perhaps the MAC’s biggest upset of the season, a 81-76 victory over Michigan State last week. The win was especially sweet for Head Coach Stan Joplin, who served as a MSU assistant prior to coming to Toledo.

Moore and Tripplett have formed a dangerous veteran combination, and contributions from youngsters like Villegas have helped. The Rockets also have posted wins over Detroit, Kansas State and Wright State. Toledo hits MAC play this weekend, with games against Northern Illinois and Marshall.

Western Michigan (8-3, 0-2)
Key Players: F Mike Williams 13.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg; G Robby Collum 13.5 ppg, 3.9 apg; F Anthony Kann 11.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg
Despite jumping out to a 8-1 non-conference record, Western now finds itself in a 0-2 hole in MAC play. The Broncos have an impressive list of victories, including wins over Michigan, Auburn and Virginia Tech, but have dropped conference games to Miami and Marshall.

Junior college transfer Williams has been a welcome addition, as his pairing with veterans Collum, Kann, Reggie Berry and Ben Reed has formed a balanced combination. Western hopes to create some in-state havoc this week, when it hosts Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan.

MAC EAST
Akron (6-4, 1-0)
Key Players: G Derrick Tarver 21.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg; G Jonathan Hollingsworth 19.6 ppg, 4.3 apg; F Darryl Peterson 14.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg
The Zips could be the wild card in the upcoming MAC East race. The team is loaded with talent, helped by the infusion of Junior College transfers Tarver and Hollingsworth. Coupled with the steady play of veterans Peterson and Andy Hipsher, the Zips have been playing strong ball thus far. Akron owns a three-game winning streak, highlighted by a 105-104 overtime victory at Ball State, where Tarver exploded for 33 points.

Akron hits MAC East play at full steam with showdowns against Ohio and Buffalo this week.

Buffalo (3-7, 0-1)
Key Players: G Turner Battle 10.8 ppg, 4.2 apg; F Mark Bortz 8.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg; F Clement Smith 8.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg
The youthful Bulls have struggled early this season. A major problem has been the lack of scoring, as evident by the team having no player averaging more than 11 points a game. Battle has developed into one of the league’s most versatile point guards, despite the team’s lack of success.

Buffalo’s only wins came against Chicago State, Rhode Island and Niagara. The team hopes to snap a three-game skid with games against Marshall and Akron this week.

Kent State (8-1, 1-0)
Key Players: F Antonio Gates 22.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg; G Eric Haut 15.0 ppg, 2.9 apg; F Anthony Wilkins 11.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg
Kent State had been quietly rolling through its season, starting with a 6-1 mark. The Golden Flashes, however, lacked a win over a top notch program, until the squad knocked off Boston College 86-83 last week in Cleveland. The team followed it up with a 88-85 MAC-opening win against Eastern Michigan Saturday.

Antonio Gates continues to be one of the conference’s best players. The versatile forward ranks among the conference leaders in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Role players on last year’s successful team, Haut and Wilkins have blossomed into legitimate threats. Kent State hopes to continue its upward trend against Miami and Bowling Green this week.

Marshall (6-3, 2-0)
Key Players: G Ronald Blackshear 18.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg; F Marvin Black 13.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg; F Ardo Armpalu 10.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg
Marshall improved to a MAC-East leading 2-0 with a huge 66-54 victory over Western Michigan Saturday. The team looks to continue its conference dominance with upcoming games against Buffalo and Toledo.

Blackshear continues to be the No. 1 option, but newcomers Black and Armpalu have helped to pick up the slack. Point guards Monty Wright and Ronny Dawn have helped distribute the ball.

Miami (4-7, 2-0)
Key Players: G Juby Johnson 13.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg; F Danny Horace 10.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg; G Chet Mason 9.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg
Miami’s 4-7 record is deceiving. The RedHawks have the nation’s third-toughest schedule, having already played Purdue, Dayton, Maryland, Butler, Xavier and Cincinnati. The early stages of MAC play have been successful for Miami, with victories over Central and Western Michigan.

The top aspect of the RedHawks’ is the team’s defensive play. Johnson, Mason and Horace have helped to pick up the scoring.

Ohio (3-6, 0-1)
Key Players: F Brandon Hunter 18.3 ppg, 13.0 rpg; F Sonny Johnson 15.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg; G Steve Esterkamp 11.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg
Ohio is another team with a record that may not do justice to the team’s enormous amount of talent. The Bobcats have been hot, defeating St. Bonaventure, a team who earlier knocked off MAC heavyweights Kent State and Toledo. The Bobcats also nearly defeated Kentucky on the road.

Hunter has proved why he is on the short list of any NBA scout. The forward has been an inside force. The play of Johnson and Esterkamp are crucial to the Bobcats success.

The team looks to get MAC play rolling against Akron and Central Michigan this week.