Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Tournament

Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
	Conference Basketball Championship
Sport	Basketball
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Number of teams	8
Format	Single-elimination tournament
Current stadium	Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Current location	Cleveland, Ohio
Played	1980–present
Last contest	2020 (canceled in progress)
Current champion	2019 Buffalo Bulls (4th)
Most championships	Ball State Cardinals (7)
TV partner(s)	Spectrum Sports, ESPN2
Official website	mac-sports.com/Sports/BasketballM.aspx
Sponsors
	VisitMyrtleBeach.com (2016–present); FirstEnergy (2009–2015); Kraft Foods (2001–2008)
Host stadiums
	Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (2000–present); SeaGate Centre (1996–1999); Savage Arena (1985, 1987–1989, 1995); Battelle Hall (1993–1994); Cobo Arena (1990–1992); Rockford MetroCentre (1984, 1986); Crisler Arena (1980–1982)
Host locations
	Cleveland, Ohio (2000–present); Toledo, Ohio (1985, 1987–1989, 1995–1999); Columbus, Ohio (1993–1994); Detroit, Michigan (1990–1992); Rockford, Illinois (1984, 1986); On-campus sites (1983); Ann Arbor, Michigan (1980–1982)

The Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Tournament is the NCAA Division I postseason single-elimination tournament for the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The winner of the tournament receives the MAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship. As of the next MAC tournament in 2021, the top eight teams in conference play will qualify for the tournament.[1] Since 2000, the MAC Tournament has been held at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. The finals are broadcast on ESPN2 and the semi and quarterfinals are broadcast on Spectrum Sports and ESPN3.

The tournament was first played in 1980 and expanded to include all conference members in 2000. The tournament continued to involve all conference members (barring postseason bans due to NCAA sanctions) through the 2020 edition, which was canceled in progress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2020, as part of a broader suite of changes to MAC postseason tournaments triggered by the pandemic, the MAC announced it would reduce its men's and women's basketball tournaments to 8 teams, with all qualifying teams playing in Cleveland. Additionally, the MAC will eliminate its basketball divisions and increase its conference schedule from 18 to 20 games. These changes will remain in place through at least the 2023–24 season.[1] Ball State has the most tournament championships with seven, followed by Kent State and Ohio, each with six titles.

Format

Seeding for the tournament is determined by winning percentage in conference play; during the era of MAC divisional play, divisional alignment did not figure into tournament seeding. The following tiebreakers are used:

1. Between two teams: A. Head-to-head competition; B. Division Record (only used if the two teams in question are tied for the Division lead); C. Winning percentage vs. ranked conference teams (top to bottom, regardless of division, vs. common opponents regardless of the number of times played); D. Coin flip

2. For multiple (3 or more) team ties: A. Total won-lost record/winning percentage of games played among the tied teams; B. Two (2)-team tie-breaker procedure goes into effect

Historical formats

From 2016 through the abbreviated 2020 edition, all 12 conference members participated in the tournament. The top four seeds received byes into the quarterfinals; seeds 5-12 played first-round games at the campus of the higher seed. Winners of the first-round games advanced to face the top four seeds in the quarterfinal round in Cleveland.

From 2012 through 2015, the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds received byes straight to the semifinals, with the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds beginning tournament play in the quarterfinals. Teams seeded 5–12 played an additional two rounds. First round games were played at the home sites of the higher seeds, with the remaining rounds being contested at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, then known as Quicken Loans Arena.[2] Under this format, a team seeded fifth or lower had to win four games in six days, while playing five games in eight days, to win the conference tournament. The division winners were guaranteed to receive a seed not lower than four.[3]

From 2002 through 2011, the format for the conference tournament was similar to the current format. Each conference member received a berth in the tournament, with the top four seeds receiving byes into the quarterfinals. Unlike the current format, division winners were guaranteed at least the No. 2 seed. First round games for seeds 5–12 were played at the home sites of the higher seeds, with the remaining rounds being contested at Quicken Loans Arena.

From 1980 through 1988, seven teams qualified for the three-round tournament. The No. 1 seed received a bye into the semifinals. In 1989, an eighth team was added and each of the teams participated in all three rounds. The tournament was expanded in 2000 to four rounds and included all 13 conference teams. The top three teams received byes into the quarterfinals.[4]

Tournament champions

Year	Champion	Score	Runner-up	Tournament MVP	Venue	City
1980	Toledo	85–70	Bowling Green	Jim Swaney, Toledo	Crisler Arena (first round on-campus)	Ann Arbor, Michigan
1981	Ball State	79–66	Northern Illinois	Ray McCallum, Ball State	Crisler Arena (first round on-campus)	Ann Arbor, Michigan
1982	Northern Illinois	79–75 (OT)	Ball State	Allen Rayhorn, Northern Illinois	Crisler Arena (first round on-campus)	Ann Arbor, Michigan
1983	Ohio	59–56	Bowling Green	John Devereux, Ohio	On-campus (championship at Anderson Arena)	Bowling Green, Ohio
1984	Miami	42–40	Kent State	Chuck Stahl, Miami	MetroCentre	Rockford, Illinois
1985	Ohio	74–64	Miami	Ron Harper, Miami	Centennial Hall	Toledo, Ohio
1986	Ball State	87–79	Miami	Dan Palombizio, Ball State	MetroCentre	Rockford, Illinois
1987	Central Michigan	64–63	Kent State	Dan Majerle, Central Michigan	Centennial Hall	Toledo, Ohio
1988	Eastern Michigan	94–80	Ohio	Grant Long, Eastern Michigan	Centennial Hall (first round on-campus)	Toledo, Ohio
1989	Ball State	67–65	Kent State	Billy Butts, Ball State	Centennial Hall	Toledo, Ohio
1990	Ball State	78–56	Central Michigan	Billy Butts, Ball State	Cobo Arena	Detroit, Michigan
1991	Eastern Michigan	67–66	Toledo	Marcus Kennedy, Eastern Michigan	Cobo Arena	Detroit, Michigan
1992	Miami	58–57	Ball State	Bill Gillis, Ball State	Cobo Arena	Detroit, Michigan
1993	Ball State	79–64	Western Michigan	Steve Payne, Ball State	Battelle Hall	Columbus, Ohio
1994	Ohio	89–66	Miami	Gary Trent, Ohio	Battelle Hall (first round on-campus)	Columbus, Ohio
1995	Ball State	77–70	Eastern Michigan	Steve Payne, Ball State	Savage Hall (first round on-campus)	Toledo, Ohio
1996	Eastern Michigan	77–63	Toledo	Brian Tolbert, Eastern Michigan	SeaGate Convention Centre (first round on-campus)	Toledo, Ohio
1997	Miami	96–76	Eastern Michigan	Devin Davis, Miami	SeaGate Convention Centre (first round on-campus)	Toledo, Ohio
1998	Eastern Michigan	92–77	Miami	Earl Boykins, Eastern Michigan	SeaGate Convention Centre (first round on-campus)	Toledo, Ohio
1999	Kent State	49–43	Miami	John Whorton, Kent State	SeaGate Convention Centre (first round on-campus)	Toledo, Ohio
2000	Ball State	61–58	Miami	Duane Clemens, Ball State	Gund Arena (first round on-campus)	Cleveland, Ohio
2001	Kent State	67–61	Miami	Trevor Huffman, Kent State	Gund Arena (first round on-campus)	Cleveland, Ohio
2002	Kent State	70–59	Bowling Green	Trevor Huffman, Kent State	Gund Arena (first round on-campus)	Cleveland, Ohio
2003	Central Michigan	77–72	Kent State	Chris Kaman, Central Michigan	Gund Arena (first round on-campus)	Cleveland, Ohio
2004	Western Michigan	77–66	Kent State	Mike Williams, Western Michigan	Gund Arena (first round on-campus)	Cleveland, Ohio
2005	Ohio	80–79 (OT)	Buffalo	Leon Williams, Ohio	Gund Arena (first round on-campus)	Cleveland, Ohio
2006	Kent State	71–66	Toledo	Kevin Warzynski, Kent State	Quicken Loans Arena (first round on-campus)	Cleveland, Ohio
2007	Miami	53–52	Akron	Tim Pollitz, Miami	Quicken Loans Arena	Cleveland, Ohio
2008	Kent State	74–55	Akron	Haminn Quaintance, Kent State	Quicken Loans Arena	Cleveland, Ohio
2009	Akron	65–53	Buffalo	Nate Linhart, Akron	Quicken Loans Arena	Cleveland, Ohio
2010	Ohio	81–75 (OT)	Akron	Armon Bassett, Ohio	Quicken Loans Arena (first round on-campus)	Cleveland, Ohio
2011	Akron	66–65 (OT)	Kent State	Zeke Marshall, Akron	Quicken Loans Arena (first round on-campus)	Cleveland, Ohio
2012	Ohio	64–63	Akron	D. J. Cooper, Ohio	Quicken Loans Arena (first round on-campus)	Cleveland, Ohio
2013	Akron	65–46	Ohio	Demetrius Treadwell, Akron	Quicken Loans Arena (first round on-campus)	Cleveland, Ohio
2014	Western Michigan	98–77	Toledo	David Brown, Western Michigan	Quicken Loans Arena (first round on-campus)	Cleveland, Ohio
2015	Buffalo	89–84	Central Michigan	Xavier Ford, Buffalo	Quicken Loans Arena (first round on-campus)	Cleveland, Ohio
2016	Buffalo	64–61	Akron	Willie Conner, Buffalo	Quicken Loans Arena (first round on-campus)	Cleveland, Ohio
2017	Kent State	70–65	Akron	Jaylin Walker, Kent State	Quicken Loans Arena (first round on-campus)	Cleveland, Ohio
2018	Buffalo	76–66	Toledo	Wes Clark, Buffalo	Quicken Loans Arena (first round on-campus)	Cleveland, Ohio
2019	Buffalo	87–73	Bowling Green	Jeremy Harris, Buffalo	Quicken Loans Arena (first round on-campus)	Cleveland, Ohio
2020	Cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic				Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (first round on-campus)	Cleveland, Ohio

Performance by school

School	Championships	Winning years	Appearances	W	L	Pct
Ball State	7	1981, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, 2000	33	37	27	.578
Ohio	6	1983, 1985, 1994, 2005, 2010, 2012	33	38	26	.594
Kent State	6	1999, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2017	32	34	27	.557
Miami	4	1984, 1992, 1997, 2007	33	38	28	.576
Eastern Michigan	4	1988, 1991, 1996, 1998	33	25	28	.472
Buffalo	4	2015, 2016, 2018, 2019	15	11	14	.440
Akron	3	2009, 2011, 2013	17	20	13	.606
Central Michigan	2	1987, 2003	22	14	20	.412
Western Michigan	2	2004, 2014	29	20	29	.408
Toledo	1	1980	30	26	28	.481
Northern Illinois	1	1982	21	11	18	.379
Bowling Green	0	–	32	19	31	.380
Marshall *	0	–	8	5	8	.385

* No longer member of MAC

Broadcasters

Year	Network	Play-by-play	Analyst
2020	ESPN2	Roy Philpott	David Padgett
2019	ESPN2	Robert Lee	Julianne Viani
2018	ESPN2	Clay Matvick	Rob Kennedy
2017	ESPN2	Mike Morgan	Chris Spatola
2016	ESPN2	Mike Morgan	Chris Spatola
2015	ESPN2	Bob Wischusen	LaPhonso Ellis
2014	ESPN2	Bob Wischusen	LaPhonso Ellis
2013	ESPN2	Bob Wischusen	Stephen Bardo
2012[5]	ESPN2	Bob Wischusen	Stephen Bardo
2011[6]	ESPN2	Bob Wischusen	Stephen Bardo
2010[7]	ESPN2	Ron Franklin	Mark Adams
2009[8]	ESPN2	Bob Wischusen	Mark Adams
2008[9]	ESPN2	Jon Sciambi	Mark Adams
2007[10]	ESPN2	Michael Reghi	Mark Adams

References

Strack, Jordan (May 12, 2020). "Major changes coming to Mid-American Conference". Toledo, OH: WTOL. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-04-07. Retrieved 2011-08-18.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Graham, Couch. "MAC changes its basketball tournament format, adds emphasis to regular season and protects teams with NCAA tournament at-large chances". Kalamazoo Gazette. Archived from the original on 24 August 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
(PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20160303205424/http://mac-sports.com/downloads1/360193.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)
"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2012-02-29.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
http://www.espnmediazone3.com/us/2011/02/28/championship-week-presented-by-dick%e2%80%99s-sporting-goods-schedule/?s-sporting-goods-schedule/
"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-04-12. Retrieved 2010-12-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-03-07. Retrieved 2009-03-01.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
http://www.espnmediazone.com/press_releases/2008_03_mar/20080303_ChampionshipWeek.htm%5B%5D
"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-02-07. Retrieved 2009-03-01.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

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[Strack-1] Strack, Jordan (May 12, 2020). "Major changes coming to Mid-American Conference". Toledo, OH: WTOL. Retrieved May 12, 2020.

[2] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-04-07. Retrieved 2011-08-18.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[3] Graham, Couch. "MAC changes its basketball tournament format, adds emphasis to regular season and protects teams with NCAA tournament at-large chances". Kalamazoo Gazette. Archived from the original on 24 August 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2011.

[4] (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20160303205424/http://mac-sports.com/downloads1/360193.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)

[5] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2012-02-29.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[6] ttp://www.espnmediazone3.com/us/2011/02/28/championship-week-presented-by-dick%e2%80%99s-sporting-goods-schedule/?s-sporting-goods-schedule/

[7] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-04-12. Retrieved 2010-12-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[8] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-03-07. Retrieved 2009-03-01.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[9] ttp://www.espnmediazone.com/press_releases/2008_03_mar/20080303_ChampionshipWeek.htm%5B%5D

[10] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-02-07. Retrieved 2009-03-01.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)