TML1000

One huge difference from Dillard's two seasons playing here v Fair's first two...a healthy Hemphill. Dillard also had Autumn Jones, who, while not an efficient scorer, was a veteran player confident in her ability...Fair has not really played alongside a player of that mindset either.

I have a feeling this team will be really good next season...like at-large bid good. I expect McEvans to take a big step, presumably all of the bigs will be back, I think Valenti-Paea will be a major contributor and Woolley, the other incoming player from Australia, has major potential as well....even if Fair is at the same level as this season, the team should be significantly improved. Hopefully they can make a run in the tourney this season, the talent is there to win it, but just so many teams that can beat each other in the MAC. Great things are once again on the horizon for the women.

It seems like Summer may be able to play at some point down the stretch....not sure if it is just talk but she has been practicing.

The conference really is a crapshoot...seems like BG, CMU, Ohio, UB, NIU, Kent and Ball can all beat each other. Unfortunately it looks like this will be a single bid year.

CMU v Ohio is postponed for tomorrow as well...I believe that was postponed a while back. If either of those teams were cleared UB could play one but seems unlikely at this point.

It looks like one of the women's games has been rescheduled as they now play a home and home against Ball on the 17th and 20th. That leaves 2 other games to be rescheduled for them, so the women have a chance to play all conference games assuming no additional games are called off. Highly doubt the men will play a full slate...the same goes for most of the men's teams.

Unfortunately the MAC will not be a 2 bid league this season.

A MAC coach getting the ax mid-year lol....get real.

The women's team rebounded from a tough loss at CMU with a solid win this evening at Akron. After a very slow start, down 20-4 late in the first, the team turned up the defense and allowed just 19 points in the second and third quarters combined. Fair once again led the way with Gaba again putting in a strong offensive performance with 15 points in 19 minutes. The most impressive effort came from Elias, playing 29 minutes and scoring 11 points with 16!!! rebounds. Elias has really earned much increased playing time with huge efforts on the boards and not committing fouls. With both Summer and Christie out, her jump in minutes and quality has been much needed. Also, Casey Valenti-Paea saw the first action of her career late in the game and promptly hit a three....very similar situation to that of Stephanie Reid in that she came over from Australia mid-season. She has more size and length than Reid, likely will not be quite the playmaker but is a better shooter. Given the recent struggles of Hall and Young, I would not be surprised to see Valenti-Paea get a few more minutes here and there...there is always room for knock-down shooting. I would expect her to play a large role going forward next season and beyond. The women return home Saturday to face a tough Eastern Michigan team before hitting the road for two more at Toledo and Northern. There are also still two postponed games to reschedule against Kent and Ball, against whom UB has two games each. Overall, the MAC is very open right now...Kent remains at the top but have a myriad of games to make-up having finally played a game tonight (their first MAC loss) against Ohio and have a record of just 4-1. CMU lost as well which puts them at 8-4, tied with Ohio while UB, Ball and Northern all stand at 7-3 with BG at 9-3, having lost tonight to Northern. The top 8 is largely set...only Toledo has a realistic chance to break in from the 9th spot as Akron, Western and Miami all have just one MAC win.

Postponed a half hour before tip-off...unreal. CMU didn't know about this before they left, let alone earlier today??? This season sucks.

Really disheartening when teams cannot execute down the stretch...make a few easy passes each possession and the game is easily won. Instead players trying to dribble the length of the court to nowhere. Where is the mental toughness with these teams???

The women pulled a men's team and blew a 13 point with 4 minutes left in regulation. Turnover after turnover in the final few minutes, no timeouts called until it was too late. Just brutal execution.

Williams had a clear path to the basket but launches a 3 with a ton of time on the clock....idc what the coach called, see the floor.

Clawed all the way back then blow a 6 point lead with 2 mins left...unreal.

Pathetic effort...looks like most of the guys would rather be anywhere else.

Nothing yet but it did not seem promising....hopefully just a sprain or partial but unfortunately when there is that little actually contact it is usually something longer term.

After a tough loss to Central, the women bounced back with a hard fought win over a young but strong BG team. Fair was once again incredible with 36 points on nearly 50% shooting with 7 rebounds and 6 assists while not coming off the floor until the final few seconds. Hall had by far her best game in quite a while with 17...hopefully she can find her shooting touch more consistently. McEvans was solid while Adeyeye and Walters were again big on the boards. After beating UB, Central proceeded to get blown out by NIU while Ohio lost to Ball in OT...UB's next two opponents are Ball and Ohio.

Second half was perhaps the best this team has looked under Whitesell. Hoping for a fairly comfortable win Tuesday afternoon before the big return game with BG. This squad has the potential to be right up there with BG and Toledo when clicking, playing together and sharing the ball.

Seems fairly appropriate...probably a bit high for BG but they have played well thus far. We have CMU Saturday and BG next Wednesday.

A solid road win...never easy to win away from home in the MAC. Fair again was awesome and efficient. Christie had a strong open to the game and Walters was very efficient in limited minutes due to foul trouble. Even without Summer, the 4 player post rotation is proving very valuable. Another road game this week at Eastern before a huge matchup with Central at home.

Do MAC football championships matter? Basketball championships matter because it means we get to the big dance...in football it is very debatable. What matters far more in football IMO is players that are drafted or at least get to and play in the NFL. We currently have one household name and a few other rostered players. If Patterson can become a solid NFL player, that would go a much longer way towards recruiting and legacy than would beating Ball State last week. We have also won our bowl games the past two seasons...I would argue bowl wins are also more valuable than MAC championships. Our ceiling and what I feel our aim should be in football is akin Boise State....a program that general college football fans recognize, that is consistently at the top of their conference, usually on the fringe of being ranked and one that produces a few NFL players every few years. We are not going to be a Big Ten program, we are not switching conferences...it is just the way it is. We need to make the most of where we are in the grand scheme. We can have a lot of fun being a big dog in a small pond.

And Syracuse is a shell of their former self as a program.

I believe Adeyeye had very limited minutes yesterday due to the shoulder issue she suffered against Bona. I assume she will get 20-25 minutes when healthy.

The women completed a comprehensive win over Western yesterday, thanks in large part to a 19-0 run in the 1st quarter. Another huge, and efficient, game from Fair. As long as she doesn't get to a point where she starts to forcing shots, she is unstoppable in this conference. The addition of Young should go a long way to ensure Fair does not feel the need to force things. Young brings another ball handling scorer and veteran presence. The foursome of Fair, Young, McEvans and Hall will go along way to make this team a true MAC contender. The play in the post has been improving, particularly on the rebounding side. Walters has been providing some tough minutes down low while Christie and Adeyeye have done well to alter shots with their length. Add in Gaba who has the ability to score in bunches at times and there is some solid depth. Hopefully Summer can return in the new year and at least provide 15-20 minutes per game. We all know the difference maker she can be when healthy but even just entering the rotation of forwards with the other four should prove very valuable. I would foresee the team settling into an eight player rotation (nine when Summer is playing) with Schiffer getting some minutes when an offensive spark may be needed. IMO, the team does have the potential to win the MAC...besides Central and Ohio, Kent is off to a very strong start along with Toledo. There seems to only be a few "weaker" teams in the conference so many games will be battles. Here is hoping to continued success and a full MAC season played.

This has been going on since the first game was played...same as in football. This is the bed the NCAA made, they are fine living in it. Ho-hum.