2001–02 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season
| 2001–02 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season | |
|---|---|
| League | NCAA Division I |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Number of teams | 13 |
| Regular season | |
| League champions | Kent State |
| Season MVP | Keith McLeod |
| Tournament | |
| Champions | Kent State |
| Runners-up | Bowling Green |
| Finals MVP | Trevor Huffman |
| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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]
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]- Kent State (31) 313
- Marshall (7) 261
- Ohio (5) 231
- Bowling Green (6) 218
- Miami
- Akron 107
- Buffalo 52
West Division
[edit]- Central Michigan (30) 270
- Ball State (17) 248
- Toledo (2) 210
- Western Michigan 126
- Northern Illinois 103
- Eastern Michigan 74
Honors
[edit]| 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]NCAA tournament
[edit]Postseason awards
[edit]- Coach of the Year: Stan Heath, Kent State
- Player of the Year: Keith McLeod, Bowling Green
- Freshman of the Year: Ben Reed, Western Michigan
- Defensive Player of the Year: Demetric Shaw, Kent State
Honors
[edit]| 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]- ^ "2001-02 Ball State Cardinals Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- ^ "Golden Flashes win MAC for third time in four years". ESPN. Retrieved May 25, 2022.[dead link]
- ^ "Kent State rides big lead to first-round upset". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
- ^ "Kent State stifles Tide to reach Sweet 16". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 25, 2022.[dead link]
- ^ "Kent State reaches fourth round for first time". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 25, 2022.[dead link]
- ^ "Hoosiers make long-awaited return to Final Four". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
- ^ "MAC BASKETBALL PRESEASON TIPOFF HELD".
- ^ "PRESEASON MEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-MAC TEAM ANNOUNCED".
- ^ a b "MAC ANNOUNCES POST SEASON AWARDS".
- ^ "MAC ANNOUNCES TOP TWO INDIVIDUAL AWARDS".
- ^ "MAC ANNOUNCES 2002 ALL-MAC MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM".