Just a few days out from the start of the season, Ohio has been chosen by the coaches as the preseason favorite in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) for 2018.
Unlike some other conferences, the MAC votes on divisions as well as outright and conference tournament champion – which might be a bit odd to project a team to win the tournament that you don’t think would win the regular season in a non-existent bracket.
The Bobcats, who went 17-15 (10-6 MAC) last season, received nine of their division’s first-place votes, eight for regular season champions and five for tournament champions though, more than anyone in all three. They also landed a trio on the Preseason East All-MAC Team – the only school to do that.
Ball State actually wound up with more votes to win their division, but got none in the outright category and just one for the conference tournament. That likely represents the West being a slightly easier path to a division title than the East, where Bowling Green is one of the other big favorites in the league.
Rounding out teams with first place votes was Western Michigan in the West. Buffalo, Central Michigan and Miami (OH) – last year’s tournament champion – tacked on over 40 voting points in each of their own divisions.
The full list of preseason team projections and individual honorees can be seen below via the MAC:
(first place votes) – points
EAST Division
1. Ohio (9) – 68
2. Bowling Green (3) – 60
3. Buffalo – 45
4. Miami – 42
5. Kent State – 22
6. Akron – 15
WEST Division
1. Ball State (10) – 70
2. Western Michigan (2) – 59
3. Central Michigan – 43
4. Eastern Michigan – 30
5. Northern Illinois – 29
6. Toledo – 21
Regular Season Champions: Ohio (8), Bowling Green (3)
Tournament Champions: Ohio (5), Miami (2), Western Michigan (2), Bowling Green (1), Ball State (1)
Preseason East All-MAC Team
Kallie Seimet, Bowling Green
Tia Jimerson, Ohio
Andrea Mitrovic, Buffalo
Vera Giacomazzi, Ohio
Lizzie Stephens, Ohio
Katie Kidwell, Bowling Green
Margaret Payne, Miami
Preseason West All-MAC Team
Meg Wolowicz, Northern Illinois
Rachel Bontorager, Western Michigan
Ellie Dunn, Ball State
Jordan Smith, Eastern Michigan
Kalina Smith, Central Michigan
Amber Seaman, Ball State
Maurissa Leonard, Toledo
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