2025 MAC Basketball Tournament

The MAC Conference Tournament got a facelift a few years ago, as the tournament was cut down to eight teams beginning in 2021 and that will be the format again this year. The top eight go to Cleveland and the recently-named Rocket Arena for a Thursday, Friday, Saturday event to determine the conference’s lone bid for the NCAA Tournament.

With 12 teams in the conference, Northern Illinois, Buffalo, Central Michigan, and Ball State failed to qualify. Akron and Miami of Ohio were locked into the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds more than a week before the tip off of the tourney. The state of Ohio (Ohio, Akron, Kent State, Akron) has won four in a row and this is a well-attended tournament with tons of alumni of those schools still living in the area.

 

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How to Watch the MAC Tournament

When: March 13-15

Where: Rocket Arena in Cleveland, OH

Format: No byes

Watch: ESPN+, CBS Sports Network, ESPN2; Championship Game on ESPN2 on Mar. 15 at 7:30 p.m. ET

MAC Tournament Bracket

MAC Tournament Seeds, Teams and Odds

1. Akron (+135)

2. Miami (OH) (+450)

3. Kent State (+240)

4. Toledo (+3000)

5. Ohio (+750)

6. Western Michigan (+5500)

7. Eastern Michigan (+4500)

8. Bowling Green (+4500)

(Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook accurate at time of publish)

Favorite To Win MAC Tournament

Heading into the tournament, Akron is a top-100 team for both Bart Torvik and KenPom. Rival Kent State is the second-best team in the conference and Miami is another tier below that. The biggest surprise in the MAC this year for me has been how much Toledo has fallen off. We’ll see if they can get it together at a big price in Cleveland.

But, the Zips are actually a very efficient offensive team. They are in the top 40 in 2P% and top 70 in 3P%, ranking in the top 40 in eFG% offense and top 80 in ORB% per Torvik. Defensively, nobody in the MAC is all that good except for Kent State, so we’ll see how the winner of this conference does in what will likely be a 4/13 game.

The Zips beat Kent State twice and Miami of Ohio once, splitting with Ohio en route to going 17-1 in conference play. The Golden Flashes actually lost seven conference games, including an 0-4 record against Akron and Miami. The RedHawks were third in conference play in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, as Miami’s defensive play really improved as the season went along.

MAC Tournament Darkhorse

As much as they’ve regressed, Toledo at 30/1 is the only team I’d put in this conversation. They play the 4/5 game against Ohio, a team that they beat twice during the regular season. The first game against Akron was competitive. The second one on Mar. 4 was not. The Rockets actually led for about 25 minutes of the Jan. 14 game before Akron took over and won by seven.

The Rockets were second in adjusted offensive efficiency, mostly because of a very good TO% of 14%. They actually didn’t shoot all that well this season, a big reason why Tod Kowalczyk’s team has its lowest ranking since 2011, his first season with the program. This will be the first year since 2020 and second since 2017 that the Rockets haven’t won at least 20 games unless they win this tournament or play in another postseason one. But, the 30/1 price gave me something to think about.

Players to Watch in the MAC Tournament

We don’t have an Enrique Freeman in the MAC this year, so the watch list is a bit smaller. Also, two of the four leading scorers in the conference are on teams that didn’t qualify for the MAC Tournament. The top leading scorers are both on Eastern Michigan, with Jalen Terry (16.5 PPG) and Da’Sean Nelson (16 PPG).

I-75 rivals Toledo and Bowling Green are also well-represented in the top 10, as the Rockets have Sam Lewis (15.9 PPG) and Sonny Wilson (15.3 PPG), while the Falcons have Marcus Johnson (15.8 PPG) and Javontae Campbell (15.2 PPG). There are 12 players averaging at least 12 PPG, though none of them are from one of the top two seeds.

Kent State has two in VonCameron Davis (15.2 PPG) and Jalen Sullinger (15.1 PPG). Akron’s leading scorer is actually Nate Johnson with 13.5 PPG. Miami’s scoring-by-committee approach is led by Peter Suder (13.3 PPG) and Kam Craft (13.2 PPG).

Betting Pick to Win the MAC Tournament

I think we’re absolutely trending towards an Akron vs. Kent State finale, which seems only fitting after how last year’s game ended. With the Zips first in the conference in eFG% offense and defense, 2P% offense and defense, and 3P% defense, they’re undoubtedly the team to beat in this league and I do think that they will win it. There isn’t a ton of value on any team in this conference, except for maybe Toledo, but the Rockets will be dogs to Ohio, Miami, and Akron, so that’s a hard path to navigate to win. The Zips were +155 when they won last year and this is a higher-rated team.

Pick: Akron (+135)

Steve Makinen Power Ratings

  • Favorites of 4.5 points or more in the MAC tourney boast a record of 34-5 SU since 2017, to go along with a respectable ATS record of 23-15-1 (60.5%). Favorites of 4 points or fewer are on a 9-15 SU and 6-18 ATS skid (25%).
  • The 2020 MAC tournament fell victim to COVID-19. However, since then, favorites have been on a major roll, 12-3 SU and 10-5 ATS (66.7%).
  • The semifinal round of the MAC tournament has been the most predictable as far as totals are concerned, 12-6 Under the total (66.7%) since 2014.

More Steve Makinen Conference Tournament Betting Trends.

Check out the other previews in our 2025 College Basketball Conference Tournament Betting Guide.

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