2026 MAC Conference Basketball Tournament Odds & Predictions

The MAC Conference Tournament will have more eyes on it than ever before because of the compelling story about the undefeated Miami of Ohio RedHawks. The team that enters the conference tournament off of a perfect regular season with a 31-0 record isn’t even favored to win what Bart Torvik ranks as the 16th-best conference in the nation. That distinction goes to Akron, as MAC Madness in Cleveland begins on Thursday, March 12.

Only eight of the 13 teams in the conference qualified for the tourney, a change that was adopted back in 2021. There used to be games on campus before the tourney shifted to Cleveland, but in what has been an unpredictable event in the past, conference officials thinned the field. With eight teams, everybody plays right away in the quarterfinals.

How to Watch the MAC Conference Tournament

When: March 12-14

Where: Rocket Arena in Cleveland, OH (repeat venue for years, despite several different names)

Format: Everybody plays in the quarterfinals, there is no re-seeding

Watch: ESPN+, CBS Sports Network, ESPN2; Championship Game on ESPN2 on Mar. 14 at 8 p.m. ET

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MAC Conference Tournament Bracket

Coming soon.

MAC Conference Tournament Seeds, Teams and Odds

1. Miami (OH) (+190)

2. Akron (-115)

3. Kent State (+1600)

4. Toledo (+1500)

5. Bowling Green (+2200)

6. Ohio (+7500)

7. Buffalo (+5500)

8. UMass (+4000)

Current Odds

(odds from DraftKings Sportsbook accurate at time of publish)

Favorite To Win MAC Conference Tournament

Despite Miami’s late-game heroics and unblemished record, Akron has been ranked as the best team in this conference throughout the season. The Zips have five losses to their name, falling to Purdue, Yale, Murray State, Miami, and Troy, with four on the road and one in a neutral setting. Akron’s statistical profile has been more impressive than Miami’s all season long, including a top-10 3P% at 39.2% and better efficiency metrics based on a tougher strength of schedule.

Miami beat Akron 76-73 on Jan. 3 and the two teams did not play again in the regular season. Based on the odds, they’re expected to be on a crash course here, with Miami No. 1 in the MAC in adjusted offensive efficiency and No. 2 in adjusted defensive efficiency, while Akron is No. 2 on offense and No. 1 on defense, by a pretty wide margin. Miami is actually fifth in eFG% defense in conference play, while Akron is No. 1 by 1.2% over Eastern Michigan, who didn’t qualify.

MAC Conference Tournament Darkhorse

With the odds for Akron and Miami, any other team qualifies as a darkhorse based on the price. Akron throttled rival Kent State twice, winning by 17 and 22, so even though the Golden Flashes are a good team and a 14-4 conference record is strong, they have not matched up well with the Zips this season.

Toledo nearly knocked off Miami on Mar. 3, losing 74-72. That was a pretty big departure from the first game on Jan. 9 when the Rockets lost by 14 at home. Toledo embraces variance as a pretty poor defensive team, but a pretty solid offensive unit. They’re playing slower this season than in past seasons, which I think is a mistake, but Tod Kowalczyk has coached there since 2010-11, so he probably knows what he’s doing more than I do.

You can make a case for Kent State or Toledo, and probably a stronger case for Toledo if they get past rival Bowling Green, as darkhorses, but the head-to-head meetings against their likely semifinal opponents didn’t go terribly well in three of the four data points.

Betting Pick to Win The MAC Conference Tournament

Hopefully we get what we all want here and that’s Akron vs. Miami for the title. I do believe that at this point Miami has done enough for an at-large berth, but they could remove all doubt by staying perfect. Akron’s probably going to be favored by 3.5 or 4 so against Miami in the title game if that’s the matchup that we get. Miami was 25-of-30 at the free throw line in the first game and just 20-of-53 from the floor, while Akron was 28-of-64 from the floor and only 9-of-10 at the stripe. I do think if we get the rematch, Akron wins it. The -115 price is cheaper than what the ML price will be for that game and given what Akron did to Kent State in two head-to-head meetings, I’m assuming they’ll get to the final.

Pick: Akron (-115)

Makinen Power Ratings for MAC

Coming soon.

Coming soon.

Check out the other previews in our 2026 College Basketball Conference Tournament Betting Guide.

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