Eastern Michigan (9-5, 3-0)

The preseason favorite has not disappointed – EMU is off to its first ever 3-0 conference start on the shoulders of a defense that tops the MAC in opponents field goal percentage. The Ryan Coleman-led Eagles have won five in a row by an average of 21 points.

Ball State (9-5, 2-1)

Junior guard Tina Bolte led the Cardinals to a pair of wins last week, scoring 17 points per game – well over her 11.6 season average. The lone blemish in MAC play came at Toledo.

Northern Illinois (6-8, 2-1)

Growing pains plagued NIU and first-year coach Carol Owens early, as the young Huskies often beat themselves with a myriad of turnovers. Junior guard Stephanie Raymond is 71 points shy of 1,000 on her career and merits an individual grade of ‘A.’ NIU can make some noise in the crowded mid-section of the MAC West if Jessie Wilcox continues to mature into a second offensive option to Raymond.

Toledo (6-7, 1-2)

A 5-2 start has quickly faded, as Toledo has lost five of its last six games. An impeccable 4-0 record on its home court, Toledo features well-rounded scoring with nine players having scored in double figures so far.

Western Michigan (4-10, 1-2)

WMU boasts two top 10 MAC scorers; Junior forward Lindsey Brown with 16.2 points per game, and junior guard Carrie Moore with 15.4, but hasn’t lived up to the hype of a pre-season coaches poll No.2 ranking.

Central Michigan (9-5, 0-3)

CMU opened the season 9-1, and hasn’t won since 2005. A Dec. 30 loss to Michigan State has CMU on a four-game skid. Junior forward Ann Skufca leads CMU with 12.2 ppg.

Bowling Green (12-2, 3-0)

The Falcons hold a 13.9 victory margin over opponents. They’re first in MAC defense allowing 54.2 points per game and second in offense with 68.9 points per game. They’re the most complete team in the MAC east. Four players average double digit points per game. Bowling Green is far superior to any of the other teams in the MAC.

Kent State (9-5, 2-1)

With the amazing play of senior forward Lindsay Shearer averaging a MAC-leading 18.6 points per game and tough team defense, the Golden Flashes might surprise some teams down the road.

Buffalo (6-8, 1-2)

The Bulls lead the MAC with a 42 percent field goal percentage and are good enough to compete for the MAC East if team-scoring leader Heather Turner continues to play well.

Miami-Ohio (6-8, 1-2)

Senior guard Cindi Merrill is good and averages more than 16 points per game. But last I checked, playing defense wins games. The RedHawks’ opponents shoot .437 – good enough for last in the MAC.

Ohio (5-9, 2-1)

Talk about a shooting team: The Bobcats lead the MAC shooting .429 from behind the three-point arc and are second from the free throw line, shooting almost 75 percent. Too bad that’s about the only thing this team does well. The rest of Ohio’s game – defense and offense – is mediocre, at best.

Akron (3-11, 0-3)

The Zips have the MAC’s worst scoring offense, field-goal percentage and the defense isn’t much better. They lose by an average of 13.8 points per game and turn the ball over more than 20 times per contest. Need I say more?

THE VERDICT:

Off to a quick start, Bowling Green is our pick to win the MAC and punch its ticket to the NCAA tournament. Its MAC-leading scoring offense, defense and margin of victory, and an offense that protects the ball gives BG more scoring chances. The Falcons are led in scoring (15 points per game) and rebounding (8.3) by Ali Mann.

Eastern Michigan, the West division leader, has a formidably-sized starting lineup, a stellar defense and a killer instinct shown by the margin of victory, but being last in free-thrown percentage will hurt EMU at crunch time.

The pack of teams at 2-1, NIU, Ball State, Toledo, Kent State and Ohio, all have various flaws that will most likely turn the season clock to midnight come March.