ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas is putting some respect on the Mid-American Conference’s name with his Bilas Index.
Bilas released his list of top 68 NCAA men’s basketball teams and two MAC teams make the grade for the veteran hoops expert and there’s little surprise who’s on the list.
With the NCAA Tournament approaching, the Miami RedHawks are the darlings of college basketball
The Miami RedHawks have definitely earned their spot at No. 26 on that list as they remained undefeated (26-0) on the season after putting together two close, but solid halves to beat the UMass Minutemen Feb. 17 to go to 13-0 in the conference, the first time in program history.
“My on-court view of the RedHawks is to rank them in the mid-40s of The Bilas Index,” he writes. “But, winning matters, especially when there is a goose egg on the right side of the record. And Miami is a good team that can shoot it, with quality shots and a very pleasing offense.”
Coached by Travis Steele, the RedHawks will face Bowling Green, Western Michigan, Toledo, Ohio and Eastern Michigan to finish the MAC regular season. They’ve beaten the first four once and will face Eastern Michigan for the first time. The combined record of those teams is 62-71. It would seem the odds of finishing the regular season perfect would be in their favor.
It would also seem to set up an inevitable collision course with the No. 2 team in the MAC
The Akron Zips basketball team comes in at No. 51 on the Bilas Index
The Akron Zips are not undefeated. They, however, just continue to win under head coach John Groce, who has made the program his own. This season is no exception giving them the No. 51 slot on the Bilas Index.
UA is 21-5 (12-1 in the MAC) with one of those losses coming against – Miami – in a 76-73 squeaker Jan. 3 in Oxford.
“Though they’re being outshined in the MAC by a still undefeated Miami (Ohio), the preseason conference favorite Zips are still putting together a good season,” he writes. “They even own a longer home winning streak – 29 games… than the RedHawks. In his fourth year with the program, Tavari Johnson leads the team in points (20.5) and assists (5.2).”
The Zips will face Ball State, Buffalo, Kent, Central Michigan and Northern Illinois, five teams with a combined record of 60-70. Of course, Kent, having another big season with a 20-7 record is the two-ton gorilla on that list. However, the Zips have beat them and three others – Ball State, Buffalo and Central Michigan – before.
Sibling rivalry– John Groce and Travis Steele in the MAC Tournament
Provided there are no slip ups by either team in the MAC Tournament this could set up another drama-filled championship game. Last year’s became an instant classic in conference history when Nate Johnson hit a buzzer-beater shot with two seconds left to give the Zips a 76-74 win.
As it stands now the teams would be the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds, respectively, and if they make it through their brackets, another classic could be in the offing featuring brothers Steele and Groce.
The travesty would be that after one of the team’s winning the loser could find itself on the outside looking in with the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament because the MAC usually only receives one bid – the winner of the tournament. The last team to receive an at-large big from the conference – the RedHawks.
When is the MAC Tournament 2026?
The MAC men’s basketball tournament is scheduled for March 12-14 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland.
George M. Thomas covers a myriad of things including sports and pop culture, but mostly sports, he thinks, for the Beacon Journal.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: ESPN’s Jay Bilas ranks Akron basketball in his top 68 NCAA teams