The 2008–09 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season began with practices in October 2008, followed by the start of the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. Conference play began in January 2009 and concluded in March 2009. Bowling Green and Buffalo shared the regular season title with a conference record of 11–5. Fifth-seeded Akron defeated Buffalo in the MAC tournament final and represented the MAC in the NCAA tournament where they lost in the first round to Gonzaga.[1][2]
| 2008–09 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | NCAA Division I |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Regular season | |
| League champions | Bowling Green and Buffalo |
| Season MVP | Michael Bramos |
| Tournament | |
| Champions | Akron |
| Runners-up | Buffalo |
| Finals MVP | Nate Linhart |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling Green | 11 | – | 5 | .688 | 19 | – | 14 | .576 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Buffalo | 11 | – | 5 | .688 | 21 | – | 12 | .636 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami | 10 | – | 6 | .625 | 17 | – | 13 | .567 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Akron † | 10 | – | 6 | .625 | 23 | – | 13 | .639 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kent State | 10 | – | 6 | .625 | 19 | – | 15 | .559 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio | 7 | – | 9 | .438 | 15 | – | 17 | .469 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ball State | 7 | – | 9 | .438 | 14 | – | 17 | .452 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Michigan | 7 | – | 9 | .438 | 12 | – | 19 | .387 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Michigan | 7 | – | 9 | .438 | 10 | – | 21 | .323 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Michigan | 6 | – | 10 | .375 | 8 | – | 24 | .250 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Illinois | 5 | – | 11 | .313 | 10 | – | 20 | .333 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Toledo | 5 | – | 11 | .313 | 7 | – | 25 | .219 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preseason awards
editThe preseason poll was announced by the league office on October 30, 2008.[3]
Preseason men's basketball poll
edit(First place votes in parentheses)
East Division
edit- Kent State (16) 124
- Miami (6) 109
- Bowling Green 70
- Akron 67
- Ohio 66
- Buffalo 35
West Division
edit- Western Michigan (15) 122
- Eastern Michigan (7) 105
- Central Michigan 79
- Toledo 71
- Ball State 55
- Northern Illinois 39
Tournament champs
editKent State (11), Miami (7), Bowling Green (2), Eastern Michigan (2)
Honors
edit| Honor | Recipient |
|---|---|
| Preseason All-MAC East | Nate Linhart, Akron |
| Nate Miller, Bowling Green | |
| Al Fisher, Kent State | |
| Michael Bramos, Miami | |
| Jerome Tillman, Ohio | |
| Preseason All-MAC West | Anthony Newell, Ball State |
| Carlos Medlock, Eastern Michigan | |
| Darion Anderson, Northern Illinois | |
| Tyrone Kent, Toledo | |
| David Kool, Western Michigan |
Postseason
editMid–American tournament
editNCAA tournament
editPostseason awards
edit- Coach of the Year: Louis Orr, Bowling Green
- Player of the Year: Michael Bramos, Miami
- Freshman of the Year: Jarrod Jones, Ball State
- Defensive Player of the Year: Nate Linhart, Akron
- Sixth Man of the Year: Brett McKnight, Akron
Honors
edit| Honor | Recipient |
|---|---|
| Postseason All-MAC First Team | Michael Bramos, Miami, G/F |
| Al Fisher, Kent State, G | |
| Nate Miller, Bowling Green, F | |
| Rodney Pierce, Buffalo, G | |
| Jerome Tillman, Ohio, F | |
| Postseason All-MAC Second Team | Darion Anderson, Northern Illinois G |
| Brandon Bowdry, Eastern Michigan F | |
| Brett McKnight, Akron, F | |
| Tyrone Kent, Toledo, G | |
| David Kool, Western Michigan, G | |
| Postseason All-MAC Honorable Mention | Mike Allen, Ohio, G |
| Tyler Dierkers, Miami, F | |
| Greg Gamble, Buffalo, G | |
| Jarrod Jones, Ball State, F | |
| Brandon Lampley, Ball State, G | |
| Nate Linhart, Akron, F | |
| Chris McKnight, Akron, F | |
| Brian Moten, Bowling Green, G | |
| Chris Singletary, Kent State, G/F | |
| Marcus Van, Central Michigan, F/C | |
| All-MAC Freshman Team | Anthony Hitchens, Akron, G |
| Jarrod Jones, Ball State, F | |
| Mike DiNunno, Northern Illinois, G | |
| Steven Coleman, Ohio, G | |
| Flenard Whitfield, Western Michigan, F |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Freshman guard Hitchens sparks Akron to its first NCAA tourney berth since 1986". ESPN. Retrieved May 24, 2022.[dead link]
- ^ "Akron challenges, but Zags establish dominance with rally in second". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
- ^ "KENT STATE, WESTERN MICHIGAN NAMED PRESEASON FAVORITES".
- ^ "MAC ANNOUNCES 2008–09 PRESEASON ALL-MAC MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM".
- ^ a b "MAC ANNOUNCES COACH OF THE YEAR, ALL-MAC AND ALL-FRESHMAN TEAMS".
- ^ "MAC ANNOUNCES MEN'S BASKETBALL SPECIALTY AWARDS".