Ohio University, a team heavy with sophomores and freshmen picked by many to roll through the league this year, is struggling. Kent is 9-3. Akron is 7-5. The most solid team in the league looks to be Ball State, now 6-3.
University of Akron basketball player Brett McKnight is back with the team after a string of suspensions that caused him to miss all of preseason practice and most of non-conference play. Why is there a collective "ugh" when the discussion turns to Mid-American Conference basketball? The convenient excuse is, in a league that annually has about 150 athletes on scholarship, more than two-thirds of them -have come into the MAC the past two years.
But the reality is that this is nothing new. It reflects the reality of college basketball. Of the 20 players selected to the MAC's All-Freshman teams between 2007 and 2010, eight of them later transferred out of the league. Those players, and others who followed them, have to be replaced.
The real issue seems to be a vacuum of player leadership. Ohio University (6-6), a team heavy with sophomores and freshmen picked by many to roll through the league this year, struggles. The Bobcats have seen their most veteran players depart or miss playing time for disciplinary reasons.
Akron (7-5), a traditional MAC power, only recently got its most veteran player, Brett McKnight, back after a string of suspensions that caused him to miss all of preseason practice and most of non-conference play.
Kent's 9-3 record, is more a reflection of senior Rod Sherman and junior Justin Greene holding a youthful team of eight newcomers together despite a string of player suspensions.'
In some fashion, nearly every team in the league has the same problems.
On the ball: The most solid team in the MAC looks to be Ball State (6-3). Four Cardinals, led by 6-9 junior Jarrod Jones, average between 14.7 and 9.3 points per game. Defensively, Ball State is holding teams to 62.1 points and 39.5 percent shooting per game. This is coach Billy Taylor's fourth year with the Cardinals and he has contended for a MAC West division title in every one. This season he has a team that could win it all.
Movin' on up: About the best that can be said for MAC basketball to this point is three teams expected to be league doormats -- Toledo, Western Michigan and Buffalo -- are playing well at the moment. The rebuilding Rockets (3-9) have won two straight games at home over Valparaiso and Florida Atlantic.
Western was expected to struggle after losing MAC Player of the Year David Kool. But the Broncos (6-6) have gotten a surprising lift from freshman center Matt Stainbrook, a 6-10, 265-pound product of St. Edward High. Considered a project coming out of high school, Stainbrook has locked down the starting job at center and is averaging 9.4 points and 5.1 rebounds.
But the biggest surprise is arguably Buffalo (7-3) which now has to be considered a legitimate contender in the suddenly dysfunctional MAC East Division. Three of the preseason favorites-- Ohio, Akron and Kent State -- are all in some form of disarray. Coach Reggie Witherspoon may be the early leader for coach of the year with his decision last season to redshirt senior guard Byron Mulkey.
As a result, Mulkey gives Buffalo the most consistent point guard in the league. He is averaging 14.2 points, 4.9 assists and 3.7 steals while shooting 80 percent from the line. The Bulls also have the early favorite for MAC Freshman of the Year in ultra athletic 6-6, 225-pound forward Javon McRea, scoring eight points per game. He plays strictly off the bench, averaging 18 minutes a game, and leads the MAC with 66 percent shooting from the field and is fifth in rebounds at 7.3 per game.