Ball State Men's Basketball No. 8 in MAC Preseason Poll
November 01, 2023 | Men's Basketball
The Ball State men's basketball team has been picked to finish No. 8 in the Mid-American Conference preseason poll, the league office announced Wednesday.
The vote of the MAC head coaches has Akron projected to win both the regular season and tournament championships. The Zips received 121 points including 11 first-place votes. Kent State (104 points) and Ohio (102) came in directly behind Akron.
The full poll and Preseason All-MAC Teams can be found below.
Ball State received 55 points to outpace Buffalo (38), Western Michigan (33), Eastern Michigan (22) and Central Michigan (14).
Preseason First Team All-MAC selections consisted of Akron's Ali Ali and Enrique Freeman, Kent State's Chris Payton, Ohio's Jaylin Hunter and Toledo's Dante Maddox Jr.
Toledo won the 2022-23 MAC regular season crowd with a 16-2 record, while Kent State beat the Rockets 93-78 in the conference tournament championship game last March in Cleveland.
The Cardinals went 20-12 (11-7 MAC) last season in head coach Michael Lewis' first leading the program to earn the No. 4 seed in the league tournament. Ball State returns junior forwards Mickey Pearson Jr. (7.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game) and Basheer Jihad (7.1 points, 3.6 rebounds) to lead a young roster.
2023-24 MAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
(First Place Votes)
1. Akron (11) – 121 Â
2. Kent State – 104
3. Ohio (1) – 102
4. Toledo – 93
5. Northern Illinois – 82
T6. Bowling Green – 64
T6. Miami – 64
8. Ball State – 55 Â
9. Buffalo – 38
10. Western Michigan – 33 Â
11. Eastern Michigan – 22 Â
12. Central Michigan – 14
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Tournament Champion: Akron (9), Kent State (1), Ohio (1), Toledo (1)
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2023-24 MAC Men's Basketball Preseason All-MAC Teams
First Team
Ali Ali, Guard, Akron, Sr.
Enrique Freeman, Forward, Akron, Sr.
Chris Payton, Forward, Kent State, Grad.
Jaylin Hunter, Guard, Ohio, Sr.
Dante Maddox Jr., Guard, Toledo, Jr.
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Second Team
Tyson Acuff, Guard, Eastern Michigan, Jr.
Jalen Sullinger, Guard, Kent State, Jr.
Anderson Mirambeaux, Center, Miami, Sr.
David Coit, Guard, Northern Illinois, Jr.
AJ Brown, Guard, Ohio, So.
