2026 MAC Men’s Tournament: Schedule, Bracket, Recent History, TV/Streaming Info
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2026 Mid-American Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics
FormatTraditional bracket
Visit rocore.sbs for more information.
SiteThe Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in downtown Cleveland will host the MAC’s top eight yet again, an arrangement that started in 2020 and is set to continue for the foreseeable future.
ParticipantsSince 2021, the MAC has limited its tournament field to the top eight teams. This year, that meant Ball State (12-19, 7-11, t-8th), Central Michigan (10-21, 6-12, 10th), Eastern Michigan (10-21, 4-14, t-11th), Western Michigan (10-21, 4-14, t-11th), and Northern Illinois (9-21, 4-14, t-11th) did not qualify. Note that the Huskies are heading to the Horizon League after this season, thanks to their football team’s move to the Mountain West.
Schedule
Downloadable PDF BracketQuarterfinals (Thurs. 3/12)ESPN+ ($) will stream all four games.
Gm. 1: (8) UMass 87, (1) Miami (Ohio) (31-1, 18-0) 83
Gm. 2: (5) Bowling Green (18-14, 9-9) 76, (4) Toledo 77
Gm. 3: (7) Buffalo (17-14, 7-11) vs. (2) Akron (26-5, 11-1), 4*
The Zips swept: 82-63 (away) on 1/20 and 99-85 (home) on 2/24.
Gm. 4: (6) Ohio (15-16, 9-9) vs. (3) Kent State (23-8, 14-4), 6:30*
The Golden Flashes won 72-57 in Kent on 2/27.
CBSSN will air both games.
Gm. 5: (8) UMass (17-15, 7-11) vs. (4) Toledo (18-14, 11-7), 5
The Minutemen won 84-82 in Amherst on 1/20.
Gm. 6: Gm. 3 winner vs. Gm. 4 winner, 7:30*
Gm. 7: Semifinal winners, 8 (ESPN2)
Mayhem Potential
Data originally posted by Bob Vetrone Jr. on Twitterin 2020 with my own additions for the seasons beyond.
Since 2011, one of the MAC’s top two seeds has won the automatic bid eight times, with top-seeded Akron breaking the No. 2 seed’s two-year run. After Buffalo won the tournament as the No. 1 seed in 2018 and 2019, Ohio claimed the title as a 5 when the event resumed in 2021 and Akron won as a 4 in 2022. Note that the 2010 event was the last won by a team that wouldn’t qualify for today’s eight-team field—and that was a ninth-seeded Bobcat team that ended up stunning Georgetown in a 14-over-3 upset.
- 1 seed (5): 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2025
- 2 seed (3): 2015, 2023, 2024
- 3 seed (2): 2012, 2016
- 6 seed (2): 2011, 2017
- 4 seed (1): 2022
- 5 seed (1): 2021
NCAA Seeding Record In The 68-Team Era
Years with an NCAA win are in bold.
- 12 seed (2): 2013, 2015
- 13 seed (5); 2012, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023
- 14 seed (4): 2014, 2016, 2017, 2024
- 6 seed (1): 2019
- 15 seed (1): 2011
Ohio’s 13-over-4 upset of Virginia in 2021’s Indiana-based tournament was the MAC’s last win—the final First Round victory of a three-tournament steak the Nate Oats-coached Buffalo Bulls started in 2018. Both Miami and Akron are capable of winning a game if they get in. Given what’s happened around them, I cannot see the RedHawks getting left out now—maybe with a loss to UMass in the quarters, but still. The biggest question will be how to seed them. Metrically, Miami rates out as a 12 seed, but I don’t think the Committee will put a 34-0 double-champ that low (31-1 or 32-1 is a different story).
Akron is one spot ahead of the 54th-ranked RedHawks in the NET, so the Zips would be in line to be a 12 seed with a win on Saturday.
Last NCAA Tournament Appearances
Akron: 2025 (13 seed, 1st Round)
Kent State: 2023 (13 seed, 1st Round)
Ohio: 2021 (13 seed, 2nd Round)
Buffalo: 2019 (6 seed, 2nd Round)
Miami: 2007 (14 seed, 1st Round)
UMass: 2014 (6 seed, First Round, Atlantic 10 member)
Toledo: 1980 (9 seed, 1st Round)
Bowling Green: 1968 (unseeded, 1st Round)
While every MAC member has participated in March Madness at least once, Northern Illinois (1996, 14 seed, 1st Round, MCC (Horizon) member) leaves having never done so as a conference member. Ball State (2000, 11 seed, 1st Round), Central Michigan (2003, 11 seed, 2nd Round), Eastern Michigan (1998, 13 seed, 1st Round), and Western Michigan (2014, 14 seed, Round of 64) will all try again next season while staying in the conference.