Mid-American Conference

Enrique Freeman | 6-7 | C | Akron Zips

An all-MAC first-teamer last season, Freeman (16.8 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 1.2 BPG) anchors an Akron squad that could conquer the league and win the regular-season crown for the first time since 2020.

Top competition: Jaylin Hunter, Ohio Bobcats (13.2 PPG, 41% from 3)

Accurate. The Athletic also has Akron ranked inside its Top 10 (8th) Mid-Majors this season. However, that list also includes New Mexico, Boise, Dayton, and FAU (even acknowledging its leap to AAC). Not sure I agree that the Mountain West, AAC, and A10 are true mid-major conferences at this point.

Is Freeman 48 years old? I swear that guy has been at Akron since Romeo Travis.

Agree. Those are definitely not mid major leagues.

What are they? They are not P6 conferences?

Mid-Power Conferences. Duh.

I think they’re closer to P6 than Mid-Major in basketball at this point. The selection committee doesn’t shy away from multiple at-large bids for either of them. Four Mountain West schools have made the tournament in each of the last two seasons.

Actually ... they are.

Once you get past the 'traditional' powers in those leagues, the remaining 8-10 teams would be solid MAC teams, nothing more.

Before the Mountain West it was the A10 getting 3-4 teams, and before that the Mo-Valley. Yet all those leagues have trended back to (upper) MAC level, not go on to bigger and better. Take Gonzaga from the WCC and the story is much the same.

Again, these leagues (at their best) are top heavy. After that, they're the MAC.

I still say what makes a difference to the selection committee is all these other leagues are "basketball conferences." The MAC is not perceived that way. The MAC has been top-heavy as well in recent years (Ohio, Toledo, Kent, Akron, Buffalo) but even when UB or OU make a dent in the NCAA, that does not seem to wash over the rest of the league.

But when Dayton or VCU or St. Mary's or one of the 'basketball league' teams make a splash, somehow - nationally speaking- the entire league is elevated. St. Bonaventure, for example, is a mid-pack A10 team, but somehow considered 'elite' in most mid-major circles. Yet they would struggle to consistently win the MAC, IMO.

Those conferences “elevated” because of consistent post-season appearances and advances. That’s where the MAC has fallen short. There’s no real identity tied to it as a basketball conference because of that. Buffalo was trending that way until it opted for Whitesell to take the reigns.

When you only have two schools from your conference advance in March Madness (while the rest get blasted more times than not) during this century, it’s tough to be viewed as anything more than a flash in the pan from the outside.