2001–02 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season

The 2001–02 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season began with practices in October 2001, followed by the start of the 2001–02 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. Conference play began in January 2002 and concluded in March 2002. Ball State was the runner-up in the 2001 Maui Invitational Tournament. They opened their season by beating #4 Kansas and #3 UCLA before losing to #1 Duke in the final.[1]

2001–02 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season
LeagueNCAA Division I
SportBasketball
Number of teams13
Regular season
League championsKent State
Season MVPKeith McLeod
Tournament
ChampionsKent State
  Runners-upBowling Green
Finals MVPTrevor Huffman
Mid-American men's basketball seasons
2001–02 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
East
Kent State 17 1   .944 30 6   .833
Bowling Green 12 6   .667 24 9   .727
Ohio 11 7   .611 17 11   .607
Miami (OH) 9 9   .500 13 18   .419
Marshall 8 10   .444 15 15   .500
Buffalo 7 11   .389 12 18   .400
Akron 5 13   .278 10 21   .323
West
Ball State 12 6   .667 23 12   .657
Toledo 11 7   .611 16 14   .533
Western Michigan 10 8   .556 17 13   .567
Northern Illinois 8 10   .444 12 16   .429
Central Michigan 5 13   .278 9 19   .321
Eastern Michigan 2 16   .111 6 24   .200
2002 MAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

Kent State won the regular season title with a conference record of 17–1 by five games over second-place Ball State and Bowling Green. Kent State defeated Bowling Green in the MAC tournament final and represented the MAC in the NCAA tournament.[2] There they defeated Oklahoma State, Alabama, and Pittsburgh before losing to then eventual national runner-up Indiana Hoosiers in the Elite Eight.[3][4][5][6]

Preseason awards

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The preseason poll was announced by the league office on October 25, 2001.[7]

Preseason men's basketball poll

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(First place votes in parentheses)

East Division

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  1. Kent State (31) 313
  2. Marshall (7) 261
  3. Ohio (5) 231
  4. Bowling Green (6) 218
  5. Miami
  6. Akron 107
  7. Buffalo 52

West Division

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  1. Central Michigan (30) 270
  2. Ball State (17) 248
  3. Toledo (2) 210
  4. Western Michigan 126
  5. Northern Illinois 103
  6. Eastern Michigan 74

Honors

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[8]

Honor Recipient
Preseason All-MAC Theron Smith, Ball State
David Webber, Central Michigan
Trevor Huffman, Kent State
Tamar Slay, Marshall
J.R. VanHoose, Marshall
Brandon Hunter, Ohio

Postseason

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Mid–American Tournament

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NCAA tournament

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Postseason awards

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[9] [10]

  1. Coach of the Year: Stan Heath, Kent State
  2. Player of the Year: Keith McLeod, Bowling Green
  3. Freshman of the Year: Ben Reed, Western Michigan
  4. Defensive Player of the Year: Demetric Shaw, Kent State

Honors

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[9][11]

Honor Recipient
Postseason All-MAC First Team Andrew Mitchell, Kent State
Trevor Huffman, Kent State
Keith McLeod, Bowling Green
Theron Smith, Ball State
Brandon Hunter, Ohio
Postseason All-MAC Second Team Patrick Jackson, Ball State
Len Matela, Bowling Green
Antonio Gates, Kent State
Leon Rodgers, Northern Illinois
Steve Reynolds, Western Michigan
All-MAC Freshman Team Ben Reed, Western Michigan
Darryl Peterson, Akron
Turner Battle, Buffalo
Nate Gerwig, Kent State
Danny Horace, Miami

References

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  1. ^ "2001-02 Ball State Cardinals Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  2. ^ "Golden Flashes win MAC for third time in four years". ESPN. Retrieved May 25, 2022.[dead link]
  3. ^ "Kent State rides big lead to first-round upset". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  4. ^ "Kent State stifles Tide to reach Sweet 16". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 25, 2022.[dead link]
  5. ^ "Kent State reaches fourth round for first time". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 25, 2022.[dead link]
  6. ^ "Hoosiers make long-awaited return to Final Four". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  7. ^ "MAC BASKETBALL PRESEASON TIPOFF HELD".
  8. ^ "PRESEASON MEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-MAC TEAM ANNOUNCED".
  9. ^ a b "MAC ANNOUNCES POST SEASON AWARDS".
  10. ^ "MAC ANNOUNCES TOP TWO INDIVIDUAL AWARDS".
  11. ^ "MAC ANNOUNCES 2002 ALL-MAC MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM".