March Madness News & Predictions<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n- 2016 March Madness Sleepers Predictions and Picks<\/a><\/li>\r\n
- 2016 March Madness Longshots and Best Long Shots Picks and Predictions<\/a><\/li>\r\n
- 2016 March Madness Preview<\/a><\/li>\r\n
- 2016 NCAA March Madness Expert Picks<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n
2016 Mid-American Conference Tournament Preview<\/h2>\nFavorites<\/h3>\nAkron Zips<\/h3>\n
LeBron James isn\u2019t the only pertinent basketball figure making the city of Akron proud this year. There\u2019s also the Zips, who\u2019ve just won the MAC East division by going 13-5 in conference play. With that record, the Zips will enter the conference tournament as the No. 1 seed. That\u2019s a nice rebound for the Zips, who finished just seventh in the conference but managed to make it all the way to the quarterfinal round last year.<\/p>\n
![\"March-Madness---News-Banners_250x130_v2\"](\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/March-Madness-News-Banners_250x130_v2.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>Now, they\u2019re not just expected to go deep in the tourney, but also to win their first tournament title since 2013. The Zips are fancied largely because of a balanced offense and defense that both rank inside the top 100 in Division I ball. Akron is 63rd<\/sup> overall in scoring with 78.0 points per game, while limiting their opponents to only 68.5, 95th<\/sup> overall.<\/p>\nAnd unlike LeBron, the Zips have a totally dependable outside shooting touch. They\u2019re No. 1 in the nation with 12.1 threes per game on a scary good 40.0 percent clip. Akron enters the tournament on the heels of a three-game win streak.<\/p>\n
Ohio Bobcats<\/h3>\n
![\"2016-Mid-American-Basketball-Championship-Predictions-Preview\"](\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/OHIO.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Ohio offers some similarities with Akron. Like the Zips, Ohio can torch foes with its terrific offense, one that even ranks higher in the nation than Akron. The Bobcats average 78.9 PPG, good for 47th<\/sup> overall. They are dangerous from beyond the arc, too, with the Bobcats nailing 8.2 3FG\/G (68th) on 38.3% shooting (32th). They\u2019re more than just a bunch of players that jacks up lots of threes, though.<\/p>\nThe Bobcats also are efficient inside the arc, where they have nailed 53.0% of their two-point shots this season. These numbers definitely say a lot about the positive impact of transfers guard Jaaron Simmons forward Kenny Kaminski. Both players have given Ohio\u2019s offense a tremendous boost, as Simmons averaged 15.3 PPG in the regular season, while Kaminsky put up 12.9 PPG.<\/p>\n
Last season, Ohio mustered just 67.6 PPG. Together with leading scorer Antonio Campbell (17.2 PPG), Simmons and Kaminski will spearhead Ohio in its quest to win the program\u2019s third MAC tournament title since 2005.<\/p>\n
Create a betting account now<\/a> and cash in on the NCAAB action.<\/p>\nSleeper<\/h3>\nCentral Michigan Chippewas<\/h3>\n
![\"2016-Mid-American-Basketball-Championship-Predictions-Preview\"](\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/CHIPPEWAS.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
It doesn\u2019t look good on the Chippewas\u2019 resume that they were swept in their regular season series with Western Michigan, a team that\u2019s scraping the bottom of the MAC West. Central Michigan also took a step back this season after finishing with 23 wins last year, as it managed a disappointing 17-14 overall record this campaign.<\/p>\n
Still, it\u2019s hard to deny the appeal of a team that beat both Akron and Ohio this season. Those wins over the conference\u2019s heavyweights serve as a reminder of how good CMU can be when it plays to its full potential. Head coach Keno Davis is banking on his team\u2019s experience to help them get that automatic bid they desperately want, as they have virtually zero percent chance<\/a> to make it to the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team.<\/p>\nThe Chippewas have eight players who have logged in at least 15.0 minutes per game last season, when CMU reached the MAC tourney\u2019s finals, albeit losing to Buffalo. Their best player is senior Chris Fowler, who averaged 16.2 points. 6.0 assists, and 3.9 rebounds back in the regular season.<\/p>\n
Central Michigan is another team with players opposing teams don\u2019t want to see unmanned in three-point territory. The Chippewas are 13th<\/sup> in the nation with 9.8 thres per contest.<\/p>\nLong Shot<\/h3>\nWestern Michigan Broncos<\/h3>\n
Western Michigan could\u2019ve ended up with a better MAC and overall record (7-11\/13-18) if it weren\u2019t for the season-long absence of All-MAC forward Connar Tava. Tava was gone even before the season even began after breaking his foot<\/a> back in October. Without him, the Broncos didn\u2019t have their top playmaker and rebounder from last season, when Tava led the team with 3.3 assists and 6.2 rebounds per game.<\/p>\nWinning the MAC tournament title is a stretch for the Broncos, but if they could get the likes of Drake LaMont and Anthony Avery to muscle up better numbers in support of the team\u2019s 1-2 punch of Thomas Wilder and Tucker Haymond, then WMU might just be the team to make a surprise run in the tourney.<\/p>\n
Writer’s Prediction<\/h3>\n
Ohio defeats Central Michigan in the finals.<\/p>\n
2016 Mid-American Conference Tournament Preview<\/h2>\nFavorites<\/h3>\nAkron Zips<\/h3>\n
Akron Zips<\/h3>\n
LeBron James isn\u2019t the only pertinent basketball figure making the city of Akron proud this year. There\u2019s also the Zips, who\u2019ve just won the MAC East division by going 13-5 in conference play. With that record, the Zips will enter the conference tournament as the No. 1 seed. That\u2019s a nice rebound for the Zips, who finished just seventh in the conference but managed to make it all the way to the quarterfinal round last year.<\/p>\n
And unlike LeBron, the Zips have a totally dependable outside shooting touch. They\u2019re No. 1 in the nation with 12.1 threes per game on a scary good 40.0 percent clip. Akron enters the tournament on the heels of a three-game win streak.<\/p>\n Ohio offers some similarities with Akron. Like the Zips, Ohio can torch foes with its terrific offense, one that even ranks higher in the nation than Akron. The Bobcats average 78.9 PPG, good for 47th<\/sup> overall. They are dangerous from beyond the arc, too, with the Bobcats nailing 8.2 3FG\/G (68th) on 38.3% shooting (32th). They\u2019re more than just a bunch of players that jacks up lots of threes, though.<\/p>\n The Bobcats also are efficient inside the arc, where they have nailed 53.0% of their two-point shots this season. These numbers definitely say a lot about the positive impact of transfers guard Jaaron Simmons forward Kenny Kaminski. Both players have given Ohio\u2019s offense a tremendous boost, as Simmons averaged 15.3 PPG in the regular season, while Kaminsky put up 12.9 PPG.<\/p>\n Last season, Ohio mustered just 67.6 PPG. Together with leading scorer Antonio Campbell (17.2 PPG), Simmons and Kaminski will spearhead Ohio in its quest to win the program\u2019s third MAC tournament title since 2005.<\/p>\n Create a betting account now<\/a> and cash in on the NCAAB action.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t look good on the Chippewas\u2019 resume that they were swept in their regular season series with Western Michigan, a team that\u2019s scraping the bottom of the MAC West. Central Michigan also took a step back this season after finishing with 23 wins last year, as it managed a disappointing 17-14 overall record this campaign.<\/p>\n Still, it\u2019s hard to deny the appeal of a team that beat both Akron and Ohio this season. Those wins over the conference\u2019s heavyweights serve as a reminder of how good CMU can be when it plays to its full potential. Head coach Keno Davis is banking on his team\u2019s experience to help them get that automatic bid they desperately want, as they have virtually zero percent chance<\/a> to make it to the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team.<\/p>\n The Chippewas have eight players who have logged in at least 15.0 minutes per game last season, when CMU reached the MAC tourney\u2019s finals, albeit losing to Buffalo. Their best player is senior Chris Fowler, who averaged 16.2 points. 6.0 assists, and 3.9 rebounds back in the regular season.<\/p>\n Central Michigan is another team with players opposing teams don\u2019t want to see unmanned in three-point territory. The Chippewas are 13th<\/sup> in the nation with 9.8 thres per contest.<\/p>\n Western Michigan could\u2019ve ended up with a better MAC and overall record (7-11\/13-18) if it weren\u2019t for the season-long absence of All-MAC forward Connar Tava. Tava was gone even before the season even began after breaking his foot<\/a> back in October. Without him, the Broncos didn\u2019t have their top playmaker and rebounder from last season, when Tava led the team with 3.3 assists and 6.2 rebounds per game.<\/p>\n Winning the MAC tournament title is a stretch for the Broncos, but if they could get the likes of Drake LaMont and Anthony Avery to muscle up better numbers in support of the team\u2019s 1-2 punch of Thomas Wilder and Tucker Haymond, then WMU might just be the team to make a surprise run in the tourney.<\/p>\n Ohio defeats Central Michigan in the finals.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>Now, they\u2019re not just expected to go deep in the tourney, but also to win their first tournament title since 2013. The Zips are fancied largely because of a balanced offense and defense that both rank inside the top 100 in Division I ball. Akron is 63rd<\/sup> overall in scoring with 78.0 points per game, while limiting their opponents to only 68.5, 95th<\/sup> overall.<\/p>\nOhio Bobcats<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nSleeper<\/h3>\n
Central Michigan Chippewas<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nLong Shot<\/h3>\n
Western Michigan Broncos<\/h3>\n
Writer’s Prediction<\/h3>\n
![\"March-Madness---News-Banners_620x110_v2\"](\"http:\/\/topbet.eu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/March-Madness-News-Banners_620x110_v2.gif\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"