Two minutes and 27 seconds into the game, Ball State's Malik Perry hit a lay-up that gave the Cardinals a 6-4 lead over home-standing Western Michigan. Only 23 seconds later, Nate Hutchison connected on a 3-pointer to give the Broncos their first lead of the game.
They would never trail again.
Mike Douglas scored a career-high 25 points and had a perfect night shooting the basketball while Flenard Whitfield, Juwan Howard Jr. and Hutcheson also scored in double-figures for Western Michigan, who took sole possession of first place and clinched at least a share of the MAC West title with a convincing 87-70 win over the Cardinals.
Justin Greene is Kent State's best low-post scoring threat. Randal Holt the Golden Flashes' top outside shooter, Rodriguez Sherman the most athletic playmaker and Carlton Guyton the best at scoring points in bunches.
ESPN college basketball columnist Pat Forde recently took a few heavy-handed shots at the Mid-American Conference in his weekly column (I guess you could call it a column. As usual it is a long, incoherent assortment of pointless ramblings concerning NCAA basketball. Forde must be responsible for a certain number of words each week, so he throws a bunch of speculative drivel in, seemingly to add to the column's length).
They can be a coaches best friend and biggest headache at the same time. They are celebrated when they choose their school, then broken down and built back up when the hard work begins. After four years of being the dominant “big man on campus,” they become just another face in the crowd. However, more and more these days, college coaches are depending on them for immediate production.
The 2010-11 Mid-American Conference basketball season is winding down and the final two weeks of the season are loaded with extremely important games. When all the games are final and the First Energy MAC Championship Tournament seeds are set, they will toss the balls in the air and teams will do battle with the tournament championship, and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, on the line.
Silas has the offensive game, ball-handling ability, size and quickness to play at the next level. Do not be surprised to hear his name called on NBA Draft day. This season, despite playing on a team that has struggled, Silas again proved that he is among the elite scorers in the nation, averaging 22.8 points per game. This leads the MAC and is good enough to place Silas eighth in the nation. Silas is a complete scorer, shooting from the perimeter as well as taking the ball to the rim. He has connected on 52 3-pointers this season (sixth in the conference) and is fifth in the league in 3-point percentage at 41.6.
At 6-6, 235 pounds Bowdry is thin for a forward, but what he lacks in bulk, he more than makes up for in intensity. Playing 32.2 minutes per game Bowdry leads the Mid-American Conference in rebounding at 9.5 per contest. He always seems to be in great rebounding position and has the kind of knack for knowing how the ball is going to come off the rim, an instinct all great rebounders must possess.
Cooper is one of the most exciting MAC players to watch in a long time, a lightning-quick point guard with an outstanding feel for the game. He can play whatever role he has to. He can facilitate the Bobcats offense and make his teammates better, or he can take over the game offensively...scoring points in bunches. Though only a sophomore, Cooper is like a coach on the floor for Ohio coach John Groce because he rarely makes mistakes and knows how to get his teammates into the best position to score.
When Julian Mavunga's team needed him the most, he threw them on his shoulders and carried them to the top of the MAC East standings. That's how this season has played out for the 6-foot-8 RedHawks forward, who went on a tear after Miami's leading scorer, Antonio Ballard, went down for the rest of the season with a wrist injury on Jan. 27. Miami lost the first game following Ballard's injury, but followed that up by winning five straight conference games to climb into a tie with Kent State for the MAC East lead. In those games Mavunga averaged 16.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game while shooting 52.1 percent from the floor (24-of-46).
Mulkey does not have the bulky scoring numbers, he rebounds well for a guard but his rebounding stats aren't eye-popping and his 4.9 assists are strong, but not earth-shattering for the guy running the point on a team loaded with shooters. But Mulkey does have something that can't be measured with numbers alone...outstanding leadership and a winning mentality that has carried his Bulls into the thick of the conference championship chase.