Western Michigan

(21-13 overall, 11-5 MAC)

A superb freshman class and the steady play from now senior guards Mike Douglas (13.9 ppg), Demetrius Ward (4.9 apg) and forward Flenard Whitfield (13.1 ppg) resulted in the Broncos cruising to the top of the MAC West Division. With Douglas, Ward and Whitfield coming back and center Matt Stainbrook further establishing himself as an inside presence, the Broncos have an excellent chance to repeat.

Ball State

(19-13 overall, 10-6 MAC)

The Cardinals barely missed the 20-win mark last season, and returned perhaps the best NBA prospect in the MAC: senior forward Jarrod Jones (14.7 ppg, 8.4 rpg). “Jones has the size, athleticism, ability [and] he has a great shooting touch,” said Ball State head coach Billy Taylor. “He’s been a mainstay offensively. He’s a dominant rebounder. We’re just looking for more consistency from him this year.”

Central Michigan

(10-21 overall, 7-9 MAC)

Last season for the Chippewas can be blamed mostly on a brutal schedule and inexperienced freshmen. Central Michigan has a lot of potential and should be a much more improved team this year.

The Chippewas have a good point guard in sophomore Derek Jackson and sophomore Trey Zeigler, who averaged 16.4 ppg last year, the highest returning average in the MAC.

Northern Illinois

(9-21 overall, 5-11 MAC)

NIU can improve drastically this season, even after forward Nate Rucker transferred and Xavier Silas was lost to graduation. This is due to the fact that Mark Mongomery, hired last spring from Michigan State, brought in arguably the best recruiting class in the MAC. Three of those players include freshman twins Keith and Kevin Gray and 6’7″ combo forward Abdel Nader. “The race is open,” Montgomery said. “You have to throw in injuries, who is healthy, who gets hot, what player emerges, what recruits step up, and I hope that somewhere in that list [of teams picked to win], we exist.”

Eastern Michigan

(9-22 overall, 5-11 MAC)

The Eagles hired former Syracuse assistant Rob Murphy as their new head coach, who brought with him 7’0” center DaShonte Riley, and also welcomed forward Glenn Bryant from Arkansas. The Eagles’ top returning scorer is junior guard Derek Thompson after losing Brandon Bowry (19.9 ppg) to graduation.

Toledo

(4-28 overall, 1-15 MAC)

The future doesn’t look bright in Toledo, as it is reeling from NCAA sanctions that knocked down scholarships from 13 to 10 due to unacceptable academic progress. “We’re a very young, inexperienced team,” said Tod Kowalczyk, Toledo’s head coach. “But they are chomping at the bit to play. We are looking forward to the future and dealing with this team in the present. We aren’t going to focus on what happened in the past.”