MAC men's basketball 2026-27
Updated Mon Nov 9, 2:31 AM ET. Lines are Pinnacle's number when it is posted, otherwise the median across books. Spreads are from the home team's view.Teams
Central Michigan2-0 · picked 12
Ohio2-0 · picked 5
Miami (OH)2-0 · picked 1
Western Michigan2-1 · picked 8
Akron1-0 · picked 3
Bowling Green1-0 · picked 7
Kent State1-1 · picked 4
UMass1-1 · picked 6
Eastern Michigan1-1 · picked 9
Toledo1-2 · picked 2
Ball State0-2 · picked 11
Buffalo0-2 · picked 10
Recent results (7 days)
Standings
| Team | MAC | Overall | Margin | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Michigan | 0-0 | 2-0 | +24.0 | W2 |
| Ohio | 0-0 | 2-0 | +9.5 | W2 |
| Miami (OH) | 0-0 | 2-0 | +8.0 | W2 |
| Western Michigan | 0-0 | 2-1 | +17.0 | W2 |
| Akron | 0-0 | 1-0 | +14.0 | W1 |
| Bowling Green | 0-0 | 1-0 | +3.0 | W1 |
| Kent State | 0-0 | 1-1 | +21.0 | W1 |
| UMass | 0-0 | 1-1 | -2.5 | L1 |
| Eastern Michigan | 0-0 | 1-1 | -11.0 | L1 |
| Toledo | 0-0 | 1-2 | -8.7 | W1 |
| Ball State | 0-0 | 0-2 | -7.5 | L2 |
| Buffalo | 0-0 | 0-2 | -23.0 | L2 |
Line movement
Every book, best prices →Preseason picture
Team-by-team overview of all 12 MAC programs for 2026-27, organized by each team's preseason coaches-poll ranking rather than the authors' own projection. Notes that Northern Illinois has left, that four programs changed head coaches, that every team lost at least four players to the portal and added at least three, and that the league took in 64 transfers, 11 of them from Big Ten, Big East and Big 12 schools. Each section covers last season's record, returners, incoming transfers, notable losses and non-conference highlights. The piece states every team opens on the road against a Sun Belt opponent, though some listed openers (e.g., Toledo at Michigan State) do not match that.
EMU-centered preview of the 2026-27 season under new head coach Billy Donlon, who the article says was appointed in April 2026 after stints as head coach at Wright State and Kansas City and as a top assistant at Clemson. The Eagles are anchored by First-Team Preseason All-MAC forward Mohammad Habhab, who entered the transfer portal during the coaching change but returned after talks with Donlon. Non-conference schedule includes an exhibition at defending national champion Michigan, the MAC/Sun Belt Challenge opener at Coastal Carolina, the Cancun Tournament, and road games at Louisville and Xavier. League context places Miami, Ball State, Toledo and Akron as top-tier contenders in preseason polling with EMU in the middle pack, and notes the MAC Tournament is revising its seeding to reward regular-season performance.
Column arguing Miami (OH) can contend for a top-four MAC finish despite post-Cinderella turnover. Travis Steele stayed after outside interest and signed an eight-year extension; Peter Suder graduated and went to the NBA, Eian Elmer and Brant Byers transferred, and Antwone Woolfolk's status depends on an eligibility court case. Returning guards Luke Skaljac and Evan Ipsaro (back from a season-ending injury) lead, with transfers Stevie Elam (Milwaukee), Preston Copeland (Ball State) and Rich Rolf (Youngstown State) added. The author projects at least 27 wins if healthy and flags Dec. 12 at High Point and a Jan. 5-16 stretch (at Toledo, at Akron, vs. Western Michigan, at Kent State) as the likeliest losses.
News report on the MAC preseason coaches poll. Miami (OH) was picked first with 130 points and 9 of 12 first-place votes, Toledo second with 2 first-place votes, and Kent State received the remaining first-place vote; Miami also got 5 of 12 votes to win the MAC Tournament. Evan Ipsaro and Luke Skaljac were named Preseason All-MAC First Team. Miami returns 11 players from a 32-win team that went undefeated in the 2025-26 regular season and won a First Four game, its first NCAA Tournament win since 1999; Travis Steele enters his fifth season and captains are Ipsaro, Skaljac and Almar Atlason.
Akron-angle report on the preseason coaches poll: the Zips were picked third with 110 points, behind Miami (OH) and Toledo. Seniors Evan Mahaffey and Tahj Staveskie were named Preseason All-MAC Second Team. The piece is a school-release rewrite with no independent analysis.
Reference hub page for the 2026-27 MAC season listing the 12 members with arenas and schedule links. States each team plays a 22-game home-and-home league schedule, the top eight advance to the 2027 MAC Tournament March 10-13 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, the top two seeds get byes to the semifinals and seeds 3-4 get byes to the quarterfinals, and the champion earns the automatic NCAA bid. No team strength or player claims.
None
Northern Illinois departs; MAC plays as a 12-team league with a full 22-game double round-robin NIU left for the Horizon League effective July 1, 2026, the first MAC season without NIU since 1996-97. The 2026-27 schedule has every team playing every other team home and away (22 games, 11 home/11 away) over 12 weeks, starting Wednesday Dec. 2, 2026 and ending Friday March 5, 2027. Wikipedia's season page describes this as the first season with a balanced round-robin. source
Four new head coaches: Akron, Ball State, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan Akron: John Groce left for College of Charleston (Mar 30, 2026); associate HC Dustin Ford promoted. Ball State: fired Michael Lewis (Mar 7, 2026; 61-64 in four seasons) and hired SMU associate HC Chris Capko. Eastern Michigan: parted with Stan Heath (Mar 8, 2026; 57-99 in five seasons) and hired Clemson associate HC Billy Donlon (Mar 17, 2026). Western Michigan: fired Dwayne Stephens (Mar 10, 2026; 42-84 in four seasons) and hired UTRGV coach Kahil Fennell (Mar 23, 2026; 35-29 at UTRGV). source
Miami (OH) favored to repeat after 32-2, 18-0 season; loses MAC POY Peter Suder Miami took 9 of 12 first-place votes and 5 of 12 tournament-champion votes in the coaches poll and is picked to win its first MAC Tournament since 2007. Suder graduated (went to the NBA per The Miami Student), Brant Byers (Penn State) and Eian Elmer (Wisconsin) transferred; Evan Ipsaro and Luke Skaljac return as Preseason All-MAC First Teamers alongside transfers Preston Copeland, Rich Rolf and Stevie Elam. Travis Steele signed an eight-year extension. source
Heavy transfer-portal churn across the league sMACk Talk counted 64 incoming transfers league-wide, 11 from Big Ten/Big East/Big 12 programs, with every team losing at least four players and adding at least three. Notable outbound: Leroy Blyden Jr. (Toledo to Kansas), Sonny Wilson (Toledo to South Florida), Delrecco Gillespie (Kent State to Houston), Tavari Johnson (Akron), Javontae Campbell (BG to Cincinnati). Notable inbound: J.J. Starling (Syracuse to Buffalo), Jordan Clayton (Northwestern to UMass), Angel Montas Jr. (UMass Lowell to Toledo), Tahj Staveskie (Incarnate Word to Akron). Western Michigan and Buffalo return no starters. source
Revised 2027 MAC Tournament format: eight teams, double byes for top two seeds The MAC announced (Aug 12-13, 2026) a revised format for the 2027 men's and women's tournaments: the top eight teams qualify, the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds receive byes into the semifinals, and the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds receive byes into the quarterfinals. The men's tournament runs March 10-13, 2027 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, its 28th consecutive year there (contract through 2030). The tournament champion receives the automatic NCAA bid. source
MAC-Sun Belt Challenge continues; all 12 teams open the season against SBC opponents The 2026-27 MAC-SBC Challenge opened the season in early November with MAC teams on the road, and the return round on Saturday Feb. 6, 2027 has all MAC men's teams hosting Sun Belt opponents. Pairings were announced June 29 / July 1-2, 2026. source
TV: MAC 2026-27 broadcast schedule released mid-October on ESPN platforms and CBS Sports Network Per an Akron Athletics release republished Oct 14, 2026, the MAC announced its 2026-27 men's basketball broadcast schedule with national games on ESPN platforms and CBS Sports Network and a 21-day wildcard selection process for additional national slots; Akron has three confirmed national TV games including two vs. Miami (OH) and at Toledo on Friday Jan. 15. The league office had said in August the full TV schedule would come in October. A MAC Men's and Women's Basketball Tip-Off show aired Oct 20, 2026 on Field of 68, with each head coach and two student-athletes per school interviewed. The full league-wide national TV release on getsomemaction.com was not located. source
UMass enters its second MAC season touting a deeper roster Frank Martin (fifth season) returns Jayden Ndjigue and Danny Carbuccia and added Jordan Clayton (Northwestern), Barry Wang (San Francisco) and Abdullah Ahmed (BYU); the Minutemen were picked sixth and received 2 of 12 tournament-champion votes. Regional coverage (Athol Daily News, Aug 4, 2026) quoted Martin calling it his most complete team; UMass plays Boston College at TD Garden and Wake Forest in the Hall of Fame Classic. source
| # | Coaches poll | Pts | 1st |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami (OH) | 130 | 9 |
| 2 | Toledo | 117 | 2 |
| 3 | Akron | 110 | 0 |
| 4 | Kent State | 108 | 1 |
| 5 | Ohio | 82 | 0 |
| 6 | UMass | 79 | 0 |
| 7 | Bowling Green | 63 | 0 |
| 8 | Western Michigan | 58 | 0 |
| 9 | Eastern Michigan | 56 | 0 |
| 10 | Buffalo | 47 | 0 |
| 11 | Ball State | 40 | 0 |
| 12 | Central Michigan | 25 | 0 |
Preseason Player of the Year: None
Mohammad Habhab (Eastern Michigan, First Team); Evan Ipsaro (Miami (OH), First Team); Javan Simmons (Ohio, First Team); Luke Skaljac (Miami (OH), First Team); Chansey Willis Jr. (Kent State, First Team); Sean Jones (Toledo, Second Team); Evan Mahaffey (Akron, Second Team); Austin Parks (Toledo, Second Team); Jackson Paveletzke (Ohio, Second Team); Tahj Staveskie (Akron, Second Team)