# 2024–25 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season

The 2024–25 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season will be the season for Mid-American Conference men's basketball teams. It will begin with practices in October 2024, followed by the start of the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. Conference play will begin in January 2024 and conclude in March 2024. The 2025 MAC tournament will be held at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio for the 26th consecutive season. This will be the conference's last season with 12 members as it will see its first change in membership since 2005 with the addition of UMass.
Akron won the regular season championship with a 17–1 conference record. Nate Johnson of Akron was player of the year. Akron defeated Bowling Green and Toledo in the MAC tournament and then Miami in the final Nate Johnson of Akron was the MVP.

## Head coaches
### Coaching changes

There have been no coaching changes since the end of the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season.

### Coaches

| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years at school | Overall record | School record | MAC record | MAC titles | MAC Tournament titles | NCAA tournaments | NCAA Final Fours | NCAA Championships |
| Akron | John Groce | Illinois | 8 | 220–212 (.509) | 140–80 (.636) | 80–48 (.625) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Ball State | Michael Lewis | UCLA (Asst.) | 3 | 35–28 (.556) | 35–28 (.556) | 18–18 (.500) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bowling Green | Todd Simon | Southern Utah | 2 | 147–128 (.535) | 20–14 (.588) | 10–8 (.556) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Buffalo | George Halcovage | Villanova (Assoc. HC) | 2 | 4–27 (.129) | 4–27 (.129) | 2–16 (.111) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Central Michigan | Tony Barbee | Kentucky (Asst.) | 4 | 166–185 (.473) | 35–58 (.376) | 23–31 (.426) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eastern Michigan | Stan Heath | Lakeland Magic | 4 | 240–269 (.472) | 31–62 (.333) | 16–40 (.286) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kent State | Rob Senderoff | Kent State (Asst.) | 14 | 264–164 (.617) | 264–164 (.617) | 138–94 (.595) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Miami | Travis Steele | Xavier | 3 | 97–87 (.527) | 27–37 (.422) | 15–21 (.417) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Northern Illinois | Rashon Burno | Arizona State (Asst.) | 4 | 33–60 (.355) | 33–60 (.355) | 20–36 (.357) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ohio | Jeff Boals | Stony Brook | 6 | 152–102 (.598) | 98–60 (.620) | 54–35 (.607) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Toledo | Tod Kowalczyk | Green Bay | 15 | 414–293 (.586) | 278–181 (.606) | 156–93 (.627) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Western Michigan | Dwayne Stephens | Michigan State (Assoc. HC) | 3 | 20–43 (.317) | 20–43 (.317) | 13–23 (.361) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Notes:
* Appearances, titles, etc. are from time with current school only.
* Years at school includes 2024–25 season.
* MAC records are from time at current school only.
* All records are through the beginning of the season.
Source -

## Preseason

The MAC Men’s & Women’s Basketball Tip-Off will be held on Tuesday, October 22, 2024. Each team will have their head coach and a student athlete from both the men's and women's basketball team for interviews.
MAC Men's Basketball Preview Coaches & Student-Athletes
* Akron: Head Coach John Groce & Nate Johnson (R-Junior, Guard)
* Ball State: Head Coach Michael Lewis & Payton Sparks (Senior, Center)
* Bowling Green: Head Coach Todd Simon & Trey Thomas (Senior, Guard)
* Buffalo: Head Coach George Halcovage III & Noah Batchelor (Junior, Forward)
* Central Michigan: Head Coach Tony Barbee & Anthony Pritchard (Senior, Guard)
* Eastern Michigan: Head Coach Stan Heath & Jalin Billingsley (Senior, Forward)
* Kent State: Head Coach Rob Senderoff & VonCameron Davis (R-Senior, Forward)
* Miami: Head Coach Travis Steele & Eian Elmer (Sophomore, Wing)
* Northern Illinois: Head Coach Rashon Burno & Quentin Jones (Sophomore, Guard)
* Ohio: Head Coach Jeff Boals & AJ Clayton (Senior, Forward)
* Toledo: Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk & Javan Simmons (Sophomore, Forward)
* Western Michigan: Head Coach Dwayne Stephens & JaVaughn Hannah (Junior, Guard)

### Preseason men's basketball coaches poll

Men's Basketball Preseason Poll :
| Place | Team | Points | First place votes |
| 1. | Ohio | 121 | 11 |
| 2. | Akron | 106 | 1 |
| 3. | Kent State | 99 | -- |
| 4. | Toledo | 95 | -- |
| 5. | Bowling Green | 73 | -- |
| 6. | Miami | 72 | -- |
| 7. | Ball State | 67 | -- |
| 8. | Central Michigan | 55 | -- |
| 9. | Eastern Michigan | 36 | -- |
| 10. | Western Michigan | 33 | -- |
| 11. | Northern Illinois | 24 | -- |
| 12. | Buffalo | 11 | -- |
MAC Tournament Champions:Ohio (8), Kent State (3), Toledo (1)
Source

### MAC Preseason All-Conference

| Honor | Recipient |
| Preseason All-MAC First Team | Peyton Sparks, Center, Akron, Sr. |
| Preseason All-MAC First Team | Anthony Pritchard, Guard, Central Michigan, Sr. |
| Preseason All-MAC First Team | VonCameron Davis, Forward, Kent State, R-Sr. |
| Preseason All-MAC First Team | AJ Clayton, Forward, Ohio, Sr. |
| Preseason All-MAC First Team | Javon Simmons, Forward, Toledo, Jo. |
| Preseason All-MAC Second Team | Isaiah Gray, Guard, Akron, Sr. |
| Preseason All-MAC Second Team | Jalen Sullinger, Guard, Kent State, Sr. |
| Preseason All-MAC Second Team | Shereef Mitchell, Guard, Ohio, Grad. |
| Preseason All-MAC Second Team | AJ Brown, Guard, Ohio, R-So.. |
| Preseason All-MAC Second Team | Isaiah Adams, Guard, Toledo, 5th |
Source

### Conference matrix

| | Akron | Ball State | Bowling Green | Buffalo | Central Michigan | Eastern Michigan | Kent State | Miami (OH) | Northern Illinois | Ohio | Toledo | Western Michigan |
| vs. Akron | — | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| vs. Ball State | – | — | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| vs. Bowling Green | – | – | — | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| vs. Buffalo | – | – | – | — | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| vs. Central Michigan | – | – | – | – | — | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| vs. Eastern Michigan | – | – | – | – | – | — | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| vs. Kent State | – | – | – | – | – | – | — | – | – | – | – | – |
| vs. Miami (OH) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | — | – | – | – | – |
| vs. Northern Illinois | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | — | – | – | – |
| vs. Ohio | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | — | – | – |
| vs. Toledo | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | — | – |
| vs. Western Michigan | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | — |
| Total | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |

## Regular season
### Rankings

| | | Wk 18 | Wk 19 |
| Akron | AP | RV | RV |
| Akron | C | | |
| Ball State | AP | | |
| Ball State | C | | |
| Bowling Green | AP | | |
| Bowling Green | C | | |
| Buffalo | AP | | |
| Buffalo | C | | |
| Central Michigan | AP | | |
| Central Michigan | C | | |
| Eastern Michigan | AP | | |
| Eastern Michigan | C | | |
| Kent State | AP | | |
| Kent State | C | | |
| Miami | AP | | |
| Miami | C | | |
| Northern Illinois | AP | | |
| Northern Illinois | C | | |
| Ohio | AP | | |
| Ohio | C | | |
| Toledo | AP | | |
| Toledo | C | | |
| Western Michigan | AP | | |
| Western Michigan | C | | |
Legend :
| | Improvement in ranking |
| | Drop in ranking |
| | Not ranked previous week |
| | No change in ranking from previous week |
| RV | Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll |
| т | Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |

## All-MAC awards
### Mid-American men's basketball weekly awards

| Week | Player(s) of the Week | School |
| Nov 11 | Tyson Dunn | Buffalo |
| Nov 18 | Sonny Wilson | Toledo |
| Nov 25 | AJ Clayton Nate Johnson | Ohio Akron |
| Dec 2 | Jermahri Hill Da’Sean Nelson | Ball State Eastern Michigan |
| Dec 9 | Derrick Butler Peter Suder | Bowling Green Miami |
| Dec 16 | Juanse Gorosito | Ball State |
| Dec 23 | Da’Sean Nelson (2) | Eastern Michigan |
| Dec 30 | Javontae Campbell | Bowling Green |
| Jan 6 | Da’Sean Nelson (3) | Eastern Michigan |
| Jan 13 | AJ Clayton (2) | Ohio |
| Jan 20 | Amani Lyles | Akron |
| Jan 27 | Tavari Johnson | Akron |
| Feb 3 | Payton Sparks | Ball State |
| Feb 10 | Sam Lewis | Toledo |
| Feb 17 | Jalen Terry | Eastern Michigan |
| Feb 24 | Jalen Terry (2) | Eastern Michigan |
| Mar 3 | Javontae Campbell (2) Chansey Willis Jr. | Bowling Green Western Michigan |
| Mar 10 | Jalen Sullinger Javan Simmons | Kent State Toledo |

### Postseason awards

2025 Mid-American Men's Basketball Individual Awards :
| Award | Recipient(s) |
| Player of the Year | Nate Johnson, Akron |
| Coach of the Year | John Groce |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Nate Johnson., Akron |
| Freshman of the Year | Brant Byers, Miami |
| Sixth Man Award | Shammah Scott., Akron |

### All-MAC Honors

2025 Mid-American Men's Basketball All-Conference Teams :
| First Team | Second Team | Third Team | Honorable Mention | All-Defensive | Freshman Team |
| Nate Johnson, Akron Tavari Johnson, Akron Ugnius Jarusevicius, Central Michigan VonCameron Davis, Kent State Peter Suder, Miami | Da’Sean Nelson, Eastern Michigan Jalen Terry, Eastern Michigan Jalen Sullinger, Kent State Sam Lewis, Toledo Chansey Willis Jr., Western Michigan | Javontae Campbell, Bowling Green Anthony Pritchard, Central Michigan Kam Craft, Miami AJ Clayton, Ohio Jackson Paveletzke, Ohio Sonny Wilson, Toledo | Isaiah Gray, Akron Jermahri Hill, Ball State Payton Sparks, Ball State Shereef Mitchell, Ohio Javan Simmons, Toledo | Nate Johnson, Akron Javontae Campbell, Bowling Green Anthony Pritchard, Central Michigan Cli’ron Hornbeak, Kent State Shereef Mitchell, Ohio | Sharron Young, Akron Jamai Felt, Bowling Green Ben Michaels, Buffalo Brant Byers, Miami Elijah Elliot, Ohio |