Wikipedia

2001–02 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season

The 2001–02 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season began with practices in October 2001, followed by the start of the 2001–02 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. Conference play began in January 2002 and concluded in March 2002. Ball State was the runner-up in the 2001 Maui Invitational Tournament. They opened their season by beating #4 Kansas and #3 UCLA before losing to #1 Duke in the final.[1]

2001–02 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season
LeagueNCAA Division I
SportBasketball
Number of teams13
Regular season
League championsKent State
Season MVPKeith McLeod
Tournament
ChampionsKent State
  Runners-upBowling Green
Finals MVPTrevor Huffman
Mid-American men's basketball seasons
2001–02 Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
East
Kent State† 17 – 1   .944 30 – 6   .833
Bowling Green 12 – 6   .667 24 – 9   .727
Ohio 11 – 7   .611 17 – 11   .607
Miami (OH) 9 – 9   .500 13 – 18   .419
Marshall 8 – 10   .444 15 – 15   .500
Buffalo 7 – 11   .389 12 – 18   .400
Akron 5 – 13   .278 10 – 21   .323
West
Ball State 12 – 6   .667 23 – 12   .657
Toledo 11 – 7   .611 16 – 14   .533
Western Michigan 10 – 8   .556 17 – 13   .567
Northern Illinois 8 – 10   .444 12 – 16   .429
Central Michigan 5 – 13   .278 9 – 19   .321
Eastern Michigan 2 – 16   .111 6 – 24   .200
† 2002 MAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

Kent State won the regular season title with a conference record of 17–1 by five games over second-place Ball State and Bowling Green. Kent State defeated Bowling Green in the MAC tournament final and represented the MAC in the NCAA tournament.[2] There they defeated Oklahoma State, Alabama, and Pittsburgh before losing to then eventual national runner-up Indiana Hoosiers in the Elite Eight.[3][4][5][6]

Preseason awards edit

The preseason poll was announced by the league office on October 25, 2001.[7]

Preseason men's basketball poll edit

(First place votes in parentheses)

East Division edit

  1. Kent State (31) 313
  2. Marshall (7) 261
  3. Ohio (5) 231
  4. Bowling Green (6) 218
  5. Miami
  6. Akron 107
  7. Buffalo 52

West Division edit

  1. Central Michigan (30) 270
  2. Ball State (17) 248
  3. Toledo (2) 210
  4. Western Michigan 126
  5. Northern Illinois 103
  6. Eastern Michigan 74

Honors edit

[8]

Honor Recipient
Preseason All-MAC Theron Smith, Ball State
David Webber, Central Michigan
Trevor Huffman, Kent State
Tamar Slay, Marshall
J.R. VanHoose, Marshall
Brandon Hunter, Ohio

Postseason edit

Mid–American Tournament edit

Main article: 2002 MAC men's basketball tournament

NCAA tournament edit

Main article: 2002 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

Postseason awards edit

[9] [10]

  1. Coach of the Year: Stan Heath, Kent State
  2. Player of the Year: Keith McLeod, Bowling Green
  3. Freshman of the Year: Ben Reed, Western Michigan
  4. Defensive Player of the Year: Demetric Shaw, Kent State

Honors edit

[9][11]

Honor Recipient
Postseason All-MAC First Team Andrew Mitchell, Kent State
Trevor Huffman, Kent State
Keith McLeod, Bowling Green
Theron Smith, Ball State
Brandon Hunter, Ohio
Postseason All-MAC Second Team Patrick Jackson, Ball State
Len Matela, Bowling Green
Antonio Gates, Kent State
Leon Rodgers, Northern Illinois
Steve Reynolds, Western Michigan
All-MAC Freshman Team Ben Reed, Western Michigan
Darryl Peterson, Akron
Turner Battle, Buffalo
Nate Gerwig, Kent State
Danny Horace, Miami

References edit

  1. ^ "2001-02 Ball State Cardinals Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  2. ^ "Golden Flashes win MAC for third time in four years". ESPN. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  3. ^ "Kent State rides big lead to first-round upset". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  4. ^ "Kent State stifles Tide to reach Sweet 16". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  5. ^ "Kent State reaches fourth round for first time". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  6. ^ "Hoosiers make long-awaited return to Final Four". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  7. ^ "MAC BASKETBALL PRESEASON TIPOFF HELD".
  8. ^ "PRESEASON MEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-MAC TEAM ANNOUNCED".
  9. ^ a b "MAC ANNOUNCES POST SEASON AWARDS".
  10. ^ "MAC ANNOUNCES TOP TWO INDIVIDUAL AWARDS".
  11. ^ "MAC ANNOUNCES 2002 ALL-MAC MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM".
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