Seven games will transpire in Cleveland from March 13-15, determining which team punches a ticket to The Big Dance.
The month of March is synonymous with madness and basketball. It means it’s time for brackets galore, whether it’s the NCAA Tournament or the litany of conference tournaments.
Before The Big Dance commences later in March, all conferences must crown their representative for March Madness. That includes the Mid-American Conference which will hold its annual conference tournament from March 13 through March 15 at Rocket Arena — home of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Friday night officially concluded the MAC men’s basketball regular season, and now, the stage is set for the 2025 MAC Men’s Basketball Tournament. That signifies that every time the sneakers touch the hardwood, a team’s entire season is on the line.
The MAC only invites 8 of its 12 members to the tournament, and this year, Ball State, Buffalo, Central Michigan, and Northern Illinois missed the cut. That leaves eight teams seeking that coveted NCAA Tournament bid and a MAC championship:
- Akron Zips (25-6, 17-1 MAC)
- Miami RedHawks (23-8, 14-4 MAC)
- Kent State Golden Flashes (21-10, 11-7 MAC)
- Toledo Rockets (17-14, 10-8 MAC)
- Ohio Bobcats (16-15, 10-8 MAC)
- Western Michigan Broncos (12-19, 9-9 MAC)
- Eastern Michigan Eagles (16-15, 9-9 MAC)
- Bowling Green Falcons (14-17, 8-10 MAC)
Quarterfinals
Thursday, March 13
- (1) Akron vs. (8) Bowling Green, 11 a.m. ET (ESPN+)
- (4) Toledo vs. (5) Ohio, TBD* (ESPN+)
- (2) Miami (OH) vs. (7) Eastern Michigan, TBD* (ESPN+)
- (3) Kent State vs. (6) Western Michigan, TBD* (ESPN+)
* The games marked TBD will finish 30 minutes after the conclusion of the prior matchup
Semifinals
Friday, March 14
- (1)/(8) winner vs. (4)/(5) winner, 5 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network)
- (2)/(7) winner vs. (3)/(6) winner, 7:30 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network)
MAC Championship Game
Saturday, March 15
- TBD vs. TBD, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Notes and trivia
- Akron enters as the prohibitive favorite with a 17-1 conference record. The Zips are currently receiving one vote for the AP Top 25. They seek to become the first MAC school with back-to-back March Madness bids since Buffalo in 2018 and 2019.
- This is the first tournament since 2020 where the top seeded team isn’t Toledo. Despite Toledo earning the No. 1 seed every year from 2021-24, the Rockets never won the MAC Tournament in that timeframe.
- The last No. 1 seed to win the MAC Tournament was 2019 Buffalo. The last four champions were 2021 Ohio (No. 5 seed), 2022 Akron (No. 4 seed), 2023 Kent State (No. 2 seed), and 2024 Akron (No. 2 seed).
- The MAC has operated with an 8-team tournament since 2021. Prior to 2021, the No. 5 through No. 12 seeds participated in an opening round held on the campus sites, while the quarterfinals, semifinals, and MAC Championship Game were held in Cleveland.
- Rocket Arena, home of the Cleveland Cavaliers, has been home to the MAC Tournament since 2000. Prior centralized locations included Toledo, Columbus, Detroit, Rockford, and Ann Arbor.
- Ball State, Kent State, and Ohio tie for the lead with seven MAC Tournament championships apiece.
- Bowling Green is the only current MAC program that has never won the MAC Tournament.
- The MAC has not received two bids since 1999 when Kent State won the tournament but Miami (OH) received an at-large bid. Thus, 21st century history suggests the winner of this bracket is lone team dancing in March Madness.