30 In 30: Mid-American Conference

Junior point guard D.J. Cooper could be MAC Player of the Year this season for Ohio University. (Photo courtesy of ESPN)

Conference previews roll on with the league that gave us a No. 14 seed upset in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, the Mid-American Conference. Divisional picks will be made at the end after each team has been profiled.

1) Western Michigan - After participating in the College Insider tournament, the Broncos reprise their 21-win campaign of a year ago by returning all five starters, with an NCAA Tournament appearance that would be the fourth in program history and first since 2004. Unlike most other teams with one star player, Western has a two-man effort when it comes to he who makes the motor run. Detroit guards Demetrius Ward and Mike Douglas are equally adept offensively; but it's Douglas who stands out in the stat lines, as the point man averaged nearly five assists per game and shot an eye-popping 47 percent from three-point range last season.

2) Kent State - The reigning regular season MAC champions will look to complete the road to a repeat with a new coach, as Rob Senderoff takes over after Geno Ford was hired at Bradley. The Golden Flashes, who went to the Elite Eight under current USF head man Stan Heath back in 2002, return four starters from last year's squad; and senior power forward Justin Greene is the center of attention once again. Last year, the Lincoln High School product was not only the team's leading scorer and rebounder; but he backed it up by averaging over one blocked shot and one steal every night. Senior guard Carlton Guyton is also back as the top long distance threat, (he shot 40 percent from beyond the arc last season) and will be a full-time starter this season in a backcourt that also includes junior Randal Holt and senior point man Michael Porrini.

3) Ball State - The Cardinals are another team that returns four starters this season, and two of them will pay huge dividends almost immediately. Power forward Jarrod Jones, a 6-9 senior, is back to patrol the paint after leading Ball State in scoring and rebounding in his junior campaign; while 5-11 dynamo Randy Davis returns to anchor the backcourt from the point guard spot. Ball State is also home to an interesting nugget that may appeal to older baseball fans, or those who have a great memory of former diamond stars in the form of sophomore forward Matt Kamieniecki, whose father Scott pitched for the New York Yankees in the early 1990s.

4) Akron - The Zips begin their defense of the conference championship with Nikola Cvetinovic, their senior from Serbia, leading the way as Akron's leading scorer and rebounder a year ago. Sophomore point guard Alex Abreu also returns to anchor the backcourt after a promising freshman campaign, but the highlight of the Zips' guard rotation is senior Brett McClanahan, who is the top long distance threat as well as the leading incumbent free throw shooter. Seven-footer Zeke Marshall will provide a much-needed size advantage up front in a conference filled with power forward/center hybrids.

5) Miami (Ohio) - The Redhawks will always be a football program first and foremost after introducing the world to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and two-time Super Bowl winner Ben Roethlisberger, but Charlie Coles' team is one on the rise after an eleven-win season in the MAC one year ago. Bruising senior forward Julian Mavunga returns for his final season, and could be a double-double per night player. The real surprise in the conference, however, could be contained in the form of 6-4 junior guard Orlando Williams. Prime for a breakout season after averaging close to ten points per contest last year, Williams shot 40 percent from three-point range for the Redhawks as well.

6) Ohio University - The first university in the country to offer an undergraduate program in sports management (credit Msgr. McClancy High School basketball coach and devout Pittsburgh Pirates fan Don Kent for that nugget) is still hanging around the top half of the MAC standings as the Bobcats still bask in their first-round upset of Georgetown as a No. 14 seed in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Point guard D.J. Cooper, a freshman on that team, is now a junior that has become progressively good; almost to the point where he is one of, if not the, best in the conference. Averaging sixteen points per game last year, Cooper's true success lies in the parts of the stat lines that casual fans neglect: More than two steals per game, a staggering 7.5 assists every night, and an assist to turnover ratio of better than 2:1. A point guard that can score, dish it out and control the ball all at the same time? If you're a coach at any level, that makes you say "Sign me up!" before reading any further.

7) Buffalo - The Bulls were a .500 team in MAC play that managed to win twenty games on the year, but that number may be hard to come by again since the teams ahead of Buffalo either improved significantly or have more pieces coming back. For Buffalo, senior shooting guard Zach Filzen is the key to the offense one year removed from leading the team in scoring, free throw percentage, and three-point shooting. Sophomore power forward Javon McCrea, the Bulls' leading rebounder last season, could also be the X-factor on the heels of a rookie season in which he established himself as a high-percentage shot taker by shooting an astounding 63 percent from the field.

8) Bowling Green - The Falcons were the school that landed former Siena and Seton Hall boss Louis Orr after he was canned by the Pirates in favor of Bobby Gonzalez following the 2005-06 season. Now in his fifth season at the helm of Bowling Green, Orr returns his two biggest contributors for what will be their junior and senior seasons: Forwards A'uston Calhoun and Scott Thomas. The leading scorers and rebounders last season; averaging nearly 24 points and over 12 rebounds per game last season, Calhoun and Thomas will take the pressure of 5-6 junior point guard Jordon Crawford, who will facilitate things from the backcourt.

9) Eastern Michigan - Do-it-all forward Brandon Bowdry has graduated, leaving a gaping hole for the Eagles to fill on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the combination of senior point guard Darrell Lampley and junior shooter Derek Thompson will be the men who will attempt to replace the productivity, while junior forward Jamell Harris picks up the slack on the glass this year. One positive for Eastern fans will come next year when former Syracuse backup Dashonte Riley, a seven-foot center, becomes eligible after transferring from Jim Boeheim and the Orange.

10) Central Michigan - The Chippewas may be facing an uphill battle this season, but something to look forward to in Mount Pleasant this season will be the return of Trey Zeigler; a homegrown talent not only entering his sophomore year, but also coming back as the conference's top returning scorer after the two players ahead of him graduated. Sophomore guard Derek Jackson, who led the team with 50 steals last season, will move into a full-time starter role in the backcourt alongside Zeigler, who is also the team's top returning rebounder.

11) Northern Illinois - Conference scoring leader Xavier Silas has departed, but the Huskies retain second-leading producer Tim Toler in their first year under new head coach Mark Montgomery. However, the former top assistant to Tom Izzo at Michigan State will have a hard time replacing Silas, who at 22.3 points per game was not only the MAC's top scorer; but also NIU's only player over double figures in that category.

12) Toledo - The Rockets lose the services of top scorer Malcolm Griffin, but retain both of their top rebounders from a season ago on a young team looking to make their mark after winning just four games last season. Sophomores Reese Holliday and Delino Dear will be expected to handle the majority of the offensive duties on a team in which they are the lone returning starters.

Mid-American Conference East Division Picks

1) Kent State

2) Akron

3) Miami (Ohio)
4) Ohio University

5) Buffalo

6) Bowling Green

Mid-American Conference West Division Picks

1) Western Michigan

2) Ball State

3) Eastern Michigan

4) Central Michigan

5) Northern Illinois
6) Toledo