Toledo

College Football: #23 Miami @ Georgia Tech Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:20:02 -0500

Four games are on the schedule before Saturday, with the big one being an ACC Coastal showdown between #23 Miami (7-3, 4-2) and Georgia Tech (7-3, 4-3). The Hurricanes, currently in the driver's seat in the division, need a win to keep that status since North Carolina lurks just one game behind in the standings. And with the Heels due to take on NC State and Duke to end the season, a loss here could essentially hand the division to a Carolina team that has already defeated Miami and Georgia Tech. The young Hurricanes will have their hands full dealing with one of the ACC's best defenses, led by possible firt-round draft pick DE Michael Johnson.

Not to mention an option attack that once you focus too much on the ground game of QB Josh Nesbitt and RB Jonathan Dwyer, a big play through the air comes by way of WR Demaryius Thomas. How much have the young Hurricane quarterbacks (Robert Marve and Jacory Harris) progressed throughout the season? We'll learn here, but given the crazy nature of the ACC it would be fitting if the Yellow Jackets won this game at home.

Friday's Games

6:00 PM ET Buffalo at Bowling Green

The MAC East is on the line in this one, with Turner Gill's Bulls one win away from clinching the division. A wild overtime win at Akron last week put Buffalo (6-4, 4-2) in this position, but they're going to be tested on the road in this one. QB Tyler Sheehan has played better football of late, helping lead the Falcons (5-5, 3-3) to wins over Kent State and Ohio. There's an equally capable quarterback on the other side of the field in Drew Willy, a major reason for Buffalo's recent turnaround.It'll come down to what the two defenses can do in this one, and with the Bulls leading the MAC in turnover margin they'll win a close one. Expect the phone of Coach Gill's agent to be ringing this offseason.

7:07 PM ET Miami (OH) at Toledo

The Redhawks (2-8, 1-5 MAC East) were expected to contend in the MAC East but they, like Toledo (2-8, 1-5 MAC West), are now playing out the string. This is also the final home game of the Tom Amstutz era, with "Toledo Tom" stepping down to take a fundraising position within the athletics department at season's end. His player surely want to send him out with a win, and they should do just that in a wild affair.

9:30 PM ET Fresno State at San Jose State on ESPN2

The Bulldogs (6-4, 3-3) haven't met expectations this season, currently sitting in sixth place in the WAC and in desperate need of a victory to guarantee themselves somewhere to go come bowl season. But they visit one of the WAC's best defenses in San Jose State (6-5, 4-3), which has found a way to win six games despite having one of the nation's worst offenses. Fresno State has better talent across the board, but I don't think they're admitting how much that early-season loss to Wisconsin took out of them. The Spartans win a close one, and keep an eye on their NFL-ready corners in Coye Francies and Christopher Owens.

-Will Muschamp designated "head coach in waiting" at Texas.

For all the talk about who could fill openings at Tennessee and Clemson, one man's name can now be taken off of that list. Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp has been designated head coach in waiting at the school, meaning that whenever Mack Brown decides to retire the job is his. This development, which has happened in college basketball in recent years, has even caught the attention of Virginia Tech athletics director Jim Weaver. With their defensive coordinator, Bud Foster, having interviewed at Clemson there is obviously some incentive to keeping him in Blacksburg besides the fact that he's an excellent football coach. This is an interesting development to keep an eye on this offseason in regards to possible head coaching openings.

GameNight: Toledo at Florida

CHN — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:16:43 -0500

Start: Nov 14 2008 - 6:00pm

Preview & Prediction: By Raphielle Johnson

The season opener for both teams is also a first-round game in the CBE Classic, but with the Gators guaranteed to take on Syracuse in Kansas City on the 24^th this isn’t your usual tournament format. While the Rockets will be making their debut under new head coach Gene Cross with four returning starters, the focus will be on the point guard position for the home team. Jai Lucas recently announced his intentions to transfer when the semester ends; a decision that you have to think was influenced by the current commitment of Kenny Boynton.

Nick Calathes, one of the most versatile players in the SEC, looks to be the option at the point and that may not be such a bad thing for head coach Billy Donovan. Alongside Calathes is a good mix of experienced returnees and talented newcomers who will get their first taste of college basketball (those exhibitions don’t count for much). And they do stand to be tested for at least a half in this one by a Toledo squad that returns four starters, led by senior guards Tyrone Kent, Jonathan Amos and Ridley Johnson. Despite the talent of those Toledo guards, look for frontcourt players such as Dan Werner, Alex Tyus and Kenny Kadji to be the difference in a Gator victory. Winner: Florida

Preview & Prediction: By Blake Hofstad

On paper, this game does not look like much. Florida is once again back at the top of the SEC, while Toledo shouldn't challenge in the MAC. But this game is the first look at the newest Gators. In order for Florida to unseat Tennessee as the SEC East champion, these guys need to step up. Kenny Kadji, Eloy Vargas and Allan Chaney will be the Gators responsible for filling the shoes vacated by Mareesse Speights. If they perform well here, Florida's season will look a whole lot better. If you're planning on catching a game Friday night, this will be the only one on.

Toledo has 2 players returning who averaged better than 12 points a game last season, and they both fit the Nick Calathes mold, guards who can rebound. Florida counters with Calathes and Walter Hodge at the guard positions. Calathes is a frontrunner for SEC Player of the Year, while Hodge has embraced his leadership role after the departure of the entire championship team. At the forward slots, the Gators will rely on Chandler Parsons, Dan Werner and the aforementioned freshmen to pound the low post. Like Florida, expect the Rockets to lean on new faces in the frontcourt. However, the Toledo recruiting class can't hold a candle to Florida's. Asking Ian Salter and Zac Taylor to match up with the Florida big men is not a task I see Toledo handling too well in their season opener. Winner: Florida 83-64

MAC Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:17:57 -0500

HTML clipboard

Conference Rank: 13th

10 year average: 13th

MAC Conference Page

All-MAC Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Al Fisher	Kent State	Sr
G	Michael Bramos	Miami	Sr
G/F	David Kool	Western Mich.	Jr
F	Anthony Newell	Ball State	Sr
F	Jerome Tillman	Ohio	Sr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
Mid-Major All-Americans Michael Bramos Al Fisher		Points: Anthony Newell (Ball) 16.9 Tyrone Kent (Toledo) 16.9 Rebounds: Anthony Newell 8.0 Assists: Michael Allen (Ohio) 4.0

MAC Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

41	Kent State	MAC	1	NCAA
73	Miami (OH)	MAC	2	NIT
97	Western Michigan	MAC	3
122	Central Michigan	MAC	4
129	Ohio	MAC	5
173	Akron	MAC	6
178	Toledo	MAC	7
196	Bowling Green	MAC	8
238	Eastern Michigan	MAC	9
256	Ball State	MAC	10
291	Buffalo	MAC	11
298	Northern Illinois	MAC	12

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the MAC?

Other MAC Content

Head Coach Q&A's

Charlie Coles: Miami

Conference Media Poll

Other

Rise & Fall: MAC

State of 08: Ohio

College Football: Miami (Ohio) @ Buffalo Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:17:59 -0500

I'm not going to even get into my opinion as to teams playing on Election Day (I sure hope the Miami (Ohio) and Buffalo players get to the polls), but there is football to be played on both Tuesday and Wednesday with all three games being MAC matchups. Could Ball State be a possible upset victim on Wednesday night? Who will take control of a muddled MAC East race after these two days? Here's a preview of the three games on the slate for Tuesday and Wednesday night.

Tuesday: Miami-Ohio (2-6, 1-3) @ Buffalo (4-4, 2-2) 7:30 PM EST on ESPN2

The Bulls are currently tied with Akron atop the MAC East standings, with the Redhawks just a game back in the standings. The division race has been every bit as wild as what's been going on in the ACC but without the same amount of national television coverage. But in QB Drew Willy the Bulls have one of the better signal-callers in the MAC. Miami will most certainly have their hands full with Buffalo, especially when you take into consideration the following two statistical rankings: Miami is tied for last in turnover margin and twelfth in total offense. Yes the Redhawks are second in the conference in total defense, but the fact that their offense struggles to put points on the board will cost them in this one. Buffalo wins and gives a little clarity to the East race.

Wednesday's Games

Northern Illinois @ #17 Ball State 8 PM EST on ESPN2

The race in the MAC West is wide-open in regards to the top four in the division, but thankfully for the conference those four teams are with either zero or one league loss. An NIU win in Muncie would throw the race for a loop and eliminate any small, correction miniscule, chance that the Cardinals would have to crash the BCS party. QB Nate Davis is arguably the best quarterback in the conference, but he'll have his hands full with the league's top-ranked defense. And if Brady Hoke isn't the unanimous choice for MAC Coach of the Year then don't be surprised if one of those votes went to Northern Illinois' Jerry Kill, who has the Huskies one win away from bowl eligibilty in his first year in DeKalb. But they don't get that sixth win here, for the Cardinals have too much offensive firepower to drop this one at home.

Toledo (2-6, 1-3) @ Akron (4-4, 2-2) 8 PM EST on ESPNU

It's been a tough year for the Rockets, who announced today that head coach Tom Amstutz would step down at season's end and take on a fundraising role within the athletic department. The problems for Toledo have been on offense, with the conference's eleventh-ranked attack struggling to establish a consistent passing game and failing to hold onto the football (11th in turnover margin). The Zips, on the other hand, find themselves tied with Buffalo atop the MAC East due to a ranking of third in the MAC in turnover margin and fifth in total offense. But the Rockets do have a shot at putting some points on the board due to Akron being one of the poorer defenses in the MAC (12th in total defense). So even though the Rockets would like to win one for their soon-to-be departed head coach, look for the Zips to pull out a close one.

- Phil Fulmer steps down at Tennessee.

Unless you've been away from a computer, radio or television all day then you know that Tennessee head coach Phil Fulmer will be stepping down come season's end. The main culprits in this: the eleventh-ranked offense in the SEC and recent struggles to beat rivals Alabama, Florida and Georgia. Add to this a decline in the quality of recent recruiting classes and you have all the makings for a departure. Fulmer is currently 150-51 at Tennessee and won a national title back in 1998. The Volunteers (3-6, 1-5) need to win out to reach bowl eligibility this season and host equally struggling Wyoming on Saturday.

-Texas Tech named FWAA/Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week.

Thanks to their exciting 39-33 home win over then-#1 Texas the Red Raiders were named National Team of the Week by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Other nominees were Florida (49-10 win over Georgia) and Northwestern (24-17 win over Minnesota clinched with an interception return for a touchdown with 12 seconds remaining).

State of '08: Ohio

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:33:26 -0400

HTML clipboard

Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

OHIO

OHIO STATE - While Xavier has had more consistent success since 2001, its hard to match Ohio State's 2007 campaign: Reaching the National Title game while finishing 1st in the RPI. OSU has also won 20 games in 8 of 10 seasons and reached 6 Big Dances.

XAVIER - Sean Miller has picked up where Thad Matta left off, and Matta followed the success of Skip Prosser, who continued the foundation set by Pete Gillen. Since 1986, there's been a continual run of impressive postseason success at Xavier, including 2 Elite Eight trips in the past 5 years.

KENT STATE - Pretty much whatever success you see at Kent State can still be attributed to the job Gary Waters did in the late 90's, turning a dormant program into a winner. In the last decade, the Golden Flashes have made 5 NCAA Tournaments and 4 NITs, and have won at least 20 games in each of those seasons. In 2009, Kent State is once again the projected MAC champ.

CINCINNATI - This is obviously a storied program, but the post-Huggins era has gotten off to a slow start. There hasn't been a tourney trip in the past three seasons, nor a finish above .500 in conference play. 2009 should be better, but the Big Dance will most likely have to wait another season.

DAYTON - After a hot start, Dayton stumbled to an 8-8 finish in A10 play, their third season in a row without a winning league record. From 2000-2005, Dayton won at least 9 league games every season, and made 3 NCAA Tournaments and 2 NITs.

6. MIAMI - The RedHawks have never been bad in Charlie Coles lengthy career. In fact, just one time in 11 seasons has his team failed to go at least .500 in the MAC. His last five teams have finished in the RPI Top 100, and this year's squad looks postseason-worthy once again.

7. AKRON - Keith Dambrot's four year tenure has been highly impressive. The Zips have been finished in the RPI Top 75 the past four seasons, consistently challenged for MAC titles, and advanced to two NITs. The team does lose a lot of talent this year, so it might be Dambrot's most challenging season.

8. OHIO - Ohio is a solid program that has never gone more than couple seasons here or there without contending for the MAC title. The Bobcats have won at least 18 games the past four seasons (including the '05 Big Dance), though the off-season departure of 8-year coach Tim O'Shea was puzzling.

9. WRIGHT STATE - We might be in thee midst of Wright State's best run in program history. Brad Brownell led the Raiders to the '07 Tournament in his first season, and followed that up with another 20+ win season last year. This year, WSU should once again contend for the Horizon League title.

10. TOLEDO - The Rockets haven't made the NCAA's since 1980, but it hasn't been all bad in the meantime. In 2001 & 2007, the Rockets won MAC regular season titles, but couldn't get over the conference tournament hump. Last year was disappointing, and new coach Gene Cross will need to elevate the program's overall talent-level.

11. CLEVELAND STATE - Twenty years after last making the postseason, the Vikings made the NIT in Gary Waters' second season. The Vikings won 10 league games and 20 overall games for the first time since 1993, and there's a legitimate shot they could earn their first Tourney trip since 1986.

12. BOWLING GREEN - Falcons basketball peaked in the 60's. The start of Dan Dakich's tenure, from about 99 to 02, looked promising.. but things went down hill. The last three years have featured sub-200 RPI teams, though the 2009 squad looks promising.

13. YOUNGSTOWN STATE - The Penguins basketball teams have never been able to match the football teams accomplishments. There are occasional hopeful seasons, but 2001 was the last time YSU really did any damage.

Last: North Carolina - Next: Oklahoma

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)

Toledo Signs Clayton Sterling

Press Release — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:56:06 -0400

TOLEDO, OH - Head Coach Gene Cross announced on Tuesday that Clayton Sterling (Brooklyn, NY) has joined the University of Toledo men’s basketball program. Sterling’s addition brings the Rockets’ incoming recruiting class size to five with Sterling joining Stephen Albrecht (Crown Point, IN), Larry Bastfield (Baltimore, MD), Ian Salter (Fairfax, CA) and Zac Taylor (Oregon, OH).

“I’m really looking forward to having Clayton as part of our program,” Cross said. “He brings great leadership and a winning attitude to what is already a strong group, and it’s always important to have a point guard who comes from a winning background and is a good leader.”

A 6-2, 180-pound guard, Sterling averaged 16.8 points, six rebounds and five assists per game for Boys and Girls High School as a senior and was named to the New York Daily News All-Brooklyn First Team and also was a second-team all-city selection. In addition, he helped the Kangaroos to back-to-back appearances in the Public School Athletic League title game and was named his team’s Most Valuable Player each year. As a junior, he was named his team’s Defensive Player of the Year and averaged 6.2 points, three rounds and two assists per game.

Cross said Sterling’s ability to play both guard positions in the backcourt will be valuable for the Rockets in the upcoming 2008-09 campaign.

“Clayton played the point for his team in high school, but I also feel we’ll be able to play him off the ball and play him and Larry (Bastfield) together,” Cross said. “I want to be able to play two point guards at times to run our offense more efficiently and push the ball up the floor.”

MAC Tournament: Day One

Bill Kintner — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 09:44:52 -0400

Game 1

The No. 7 seed Eastern Michigan beat No. 10 Ball State 59-55 to put the Cardinals out of their misery and moved into the semifinals against No. 2 Western Michigan at noon. Justin Dobbins led the Eagles with 21 points, including a put-back that gave them a 45-44 lead and led to an 8-0 run to pull away from Ball State.

Fav quote:

“We expected them to play well. They had nothing to lose. They are a much better team than that record indicates.”
- Eastern Michigan coach Charles Ramsey

Game 2

It was a three game sweep as No. 6 Central Michigan whipped No. 11 Northern Illinois 83-71. Senior guard Giordan Watson led the Chippewas with 20 points. Central Michigan led by as much as 22 in the second half before a late comeback to make the score respectable. CMU plays Akron at 2:30 pm.

Fav quote:

“I know we have good shooters. When you have good shooters, they make shots.”
- CMU player Giordan Watson

Game 3

The No. 8 seed Toledo beat arch-rival No. 9 Bowling Green 52-48 to avenge a regular-season loss to the Falcons. The Rockets shot a meager 33.3 percent from the field and 5.9 percent (1-17) from 3-point land. Jonathan Amos led the Rockets with 15 points. Toledo plays Kent State at 7 p.m.

Fav quote:

“We bogged down on offensively. We had open shots , we just couldn’t convert. At one point they had nine offensive rebounds and I was pretty disappointed with that.”
- Toledo coach Stan Joplin

Game 4

No. 5 Miami, took a lead with three minutes thanks to the shooting of Kenny Hayes and the RedHawks made 7-of-8 free throws in the final minute to hold off No. 12 Buffalo 69-68. Michael Bramos led Miami with 23 points. The RedHawks were out-rebounded 38-22 and had just four offensive rebounds. Miami plays Ohio at 9:30 p.m.

Fav quote:

“We were getting frustrated because they were playing a lot harder than us. We had to come in the second half and match their intensity.”
- Tim Politz, Miami player

MAC Game of the Work Week

Ryan Molnar — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 04:23:41 -0500

Toledo has been on a run lately and they get arguably their toughest test this week as they travel to Athens, Ohio to meet up with the Ohio Bobcats. These two teams are seemingly going in different directions right now. Toledo is currently undefeated in MAC play and is looking like a lock to get the first round bye in the MAC tournament. Ohio plays well at home but is another team all together when it goes on the road. The good news for Ohio is this game is on the road. First of all before getting any further it is important to look at two things. First of all, Toledo plays in the very watered down MAC West division. It isn’t hard to go undefeated when your opponents are the directional Michigan schools and Northern Illinois. However, Toledo has shown some strength when they went on the road and beat Buffalo in New York. They just got done taking care of Miami at home this weekend as well. Ohio has been playing very well so far this year at home and that’s what really makes this game so interesting. If this game were in Toledo there would probably be no chance of a Bobcat upset. Ohio has been a completely different team thus far from the friendly confines of the Convo. Ohio is also a team that has been in the midst of three different shake ups. The first came when senior forward Ken Ottrix was suspended from the university for a DUI in September. Next up was when head coach Tim O’Shea dismissed senior forward Johnnie Jackson from the team right before conference season was to begin. Then, right before the Kent State game the team lost it’s only true point guard in junior Antonio Chatman. The Bobcats are now down to 9 players who began the season on the team. They have added a few walk-ons but the case remains that this is a very thin team. It will be interesting to see what each team tries to do. Will Toledo try and push the ball and get it into more of an up and down tempo to speed up Ohio? Will Ohio step it up on the perimeter defensive end and shut down Justin Ingram? This game is crucial for Ohio if it wants one of the first four spots in the conference tournament. If they get one of those coveted four spots then it will have a first round bye. The keys for Ohio will be to force it down low to their talented big men Leon Williams and Jerome Tillman. For Toledo it will be to use it’s depth to it’s advantage and to try and wear the Bobcats out.

Drexel 57 - Toledo 52

Press Release — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 11:26:42 -0500

Philadelphia, Pa. – Drexel held Toledo to just one field goal in the final six minutes and made five of six free throws in the last minute to defeat the Rockets, 57-52. The Drexel (3-2) defense forced 22 turnovers in the game and held Toledo (2-3) to just 2-for-17 from behind the arc in the contest. The Rockets entered the game shooting better than 38 percent from long range.

After trailing for the entire second half, the Rockets took a lead at 44-43 when Tyrone Kent scored on a lay-up after a steal with 6:15 to play. That would be their last lead of the game. Drexel responded with a three-pointer from Tramayne Hawthorne (Steelton, Pa./Steelton-Highspire) at the 4:49 mark to put the Dragons ahead, 46-44. The teams exchanged trips to the line before Drexel’s Frank Elegar (Bronx, N.Y./St. Raymond’s) converted a three-point play to make it a five-point game. Toledo got as close as two points after Keonta Howell sank a trey with just 28 seconds remaining, but the Dragons rallied from their early struggles at the line to put the game away.

Elegar led the way for Drexel with a season-best 15 points and nine rebounds. Chaz Crawford (Philadelphia, Pa./Hargrave Military Academy) had 10 boards on the night and added eight points and a pair of blocks. Senior Bashir Mason (Jersey City, N.J./St. Benedict’s) chipped in with 12 points and six rebounds. The Dragons were victorious despite committing a season-high 25 turnovers, including 17 in the first half.

Toledo’s Florentino Valencio had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Justin Ingram was also in double figures with 10 points, while Howell scored nine points. Howell and Ingram entered the game each averaging more than 19 points per game.

- Drexel Athletic Communications -

MAC Recap: 11-18

Ryan Molnar — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 10:55:38 -0500

The MAC had four teams in action yesterday and last night with all but one team winning. Kent State picked up a good win at home over Detroit. Marquette handed it to Eastern Michigan. Toledo took care of Middle Tennessee State in overtime, and Buffalo came away with an impressive win over Miami (FL). Kent State had a balanced attack lead them to a 61-48 victory over the University of Detroit Mercy at the MAC Center yesterday afternoon. Kent State held Detroit to just 38 percent shooting and withstood a hot start from behind the 3-point line from the Titans. Detroit hit its first three triples, but then proceeded to only shoot three-of-16 the rest of the game. Freshmen guard Rodriguez Sherman led Kent State with 14 points in his first colleigate start. Due to many suspensions of players he was thrust into the lineup and did not commit one turnover in 31 minutes of play. Senior Armon Gates scored 12 points and brought down a career high 8 rebounds. He is known more for his 3 point shooting ability but in this game he was only able to make two three pointers. Kent State returns to action on Tuesday when they host Temple University. Eastern Michigan fell hard to #17 Marquette University 95-62. The Eagles were led by freshmen Devon Dumes who was the only player on Eastern in double figures as he scored 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field while hitting 4-of-7 from behind the arc. EMU stayed with Marquette for much of the first half but could not withstand Marquette’s hot shooting from the field along with its stingy defense. The Golden Eagles connected on 48% of it’s three point attempts while Eastern hit just 38% of theirs. Marquette had five players in double figures and were led by sophomore guard Dominic James who had 17 points. EMU will take on Detroit on Wednesday, November 29th. Toledo got their first win of the year last night but it wasn’t easy. Playing against Middle Tennessee State in the Virgin Islands as part of the Paradise Jam Tournament, Toledo fell down by as much as 18 points at the half but battled back to win it 75-69 in overtime. Senior guard Justin Ingram came up big for the Rockets scoring a career-high 32 points. He also hit the three that forced overtime. Senior forward Keonta Howell came up with 21 points and 6 rebounds and overcame a 20 point deficit with a 22-2 surge late in the second half. Ingram hit the game-tying three with only 0.9 seconds left on the clock. Middle Tennessee State rode their 72.7 percent shooting to a 18 point halftime lead. Toledo will play VCU on Monday afternoon in their last game at the Paradise Jam Tournament. The Buffalo Bulls win over the Miami Hurricanes was the school’s first win over a school from the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Bulls defeated the Hurricanes 60-57 in the America’s Youth Classic in Evansville, Indiana last night. Yassin Idbihi hit the game-winning jumper with 3.7 seconds remaining to carry the Bulls to their third win of the season. The senior forward led Buffalo with 22 points and a career high 14 rebounds. Buffalo only shot 36.5 percent but played solid defense and came up big on the boards. Buffalo was able to out-rebound Miami 43-35, including 16 offensive boards. Buffalo will take on Evansville in the final game of the tournament today. Today’s games feature Ball State hosting Prairie View A&M, Bowling Green hosting Furman, Akron hosting Tiffin, Ohio hosting Yale, Buffalo on the road at Evansville, and Central Michigan hosting UMKC. Here are my predictions: Ball State, Akron, Ohio, and Central Michigan all win, while Bowling Green and Buffalo both lose. Yesterday: 1-3. Overall: 6-4.