After a year in which Akron was the best team in the conference and got snubbed on multiple levels by the NIT, Coach Dambrot will have to make another postseason run without his leading scorer or point guard. The Zips will not fall far and still have the experience to make a tournament run.

Even before Ronny Thompson resigned after one year at the BSU helm, this was a program in transition. After looking at several candidates, the Cardinals settled on Billy Taylor, who compiled a 81-69 record in five seasons at Lehigh.

Louis Orr finds himself in the difficult position of resurrecting the MAC’s worst 06-07 club. While the style of play may be more exciting at Bowling Green, that may not necessarily translate to more wins. The Falcons are still a couple of seasons away from competing in the MAC East.

Head Coach Reggie Witherspoon will be entering his 9th season at the helm coming off a dismal 12-19 season. Buffalo clearly has potential, but that potential will also mean that this season will require patience among the Bulls' fans while their teal develops.

Central Michigan has enough talent to win the MAC. In fact, no team in the conference can match the talent level at CMU. The only question that remains is whether the group of players can come together to form a cohesive unit. The Chippewas could be the most dangerous team in the MAC.

Under Charles Ramsey the Eagles are showing signs of a program on the rise with an eye towards contending for a MAC title. With a healthy Carlos Medlock back on the court and the expected continued progress of Jesse Bunkley and Justin Dobbins, things could be fun in Yipsilanti this season.

Under Coach Jim Christian, Kent St seems to always be in the hunt for a MAC title and this year will be no different. Six players return and that should help the Flashes avoid another slow start. Yet, there are some concerns thanks to the absence of the team’s best two long range shooters.

Thanks to Doug Penno’s almost last second shot, Miami reached the NCAA Tourney and played Oregon tough in the 1st round. Another run at the right time and Coach Charlie Coles can lead his team back to the dance, but they will not be consistent enough to win the MAC title.

New Coach Ricardo Patton has been hired to turn around a program that won but 7 games last season. He inherited a program in a similar situation at Colorado so it is a situation that he’s familiar with. His first order of business will be to get the Huskies to play on both ends of the court.

With a collection of nine newcomers on the roster, one would expect Bobcats coach Tim O’Shea to be highly worried about the upcoming season. But the Bobcats aren’t desperate, not with a first and a second team All-MAC players returning.

Toledo loses its top three scorers, and while Coach Stan Joplin’s club will be solid in the backcourt it will be extremely vulnerable inside. Don’t expect the Rockets to achieve last season success but expect them to be competitive night in and night out.

In his four years at Western Michigan Coach Steve Hawkins has never finished lower than second in the MAC’s West Division. Heading into this season the Broncos return all but one player from last year’s squad and their poised to be tourney bound.