(2) Ball State 64, (7) Central Michigan 61 OT
No. 2 Ball State had to work overtime to get past No. 7 Central Michigan 64-61. Senior guard Laron Frazier and freshman forward Jarrod Jones provided most of the offense for the Cardinals, combining for 42 points on 14-of-23 shooting. Ball State and Central Michigan each finished 7-9 in the MAC’s much weaker West division. Five of the six teams in the East division had better records than any West division team.
(3) Buffalo 65, (6) Kent State 62
Poor free throw shooting nearly doomed No. 3 Buffalo in a 65-62 win against No. 6 Kent State. The Bulls missed 12 free throws, allowing the Golden Flashes to hang with Buffalo despite shooting only 38 percent. Junior forward Max Boudreau led the Bulls with 13 points. Buffalo will play Ball State, which won by two in the teams’ only meeting this season.
(1) Bowling Green 74, (9) Ohio 61
No. 1 Bowling Green beat No. 9 Ohio 74-61 to complete a three-game season sweep of the Bobcats. The Falcons needed to shoot better than 60 percent to make up for 15 turnovers to Ohio’s seven. Senior forward Nate Miller led Bowling Green with 22 points and 10 rebounds, making 9-of-11 shots from the field.
(5) Akron 73, (4) Miami, Ohio 63
No. 5 Akron hit 12 three-pointers to pace the Zips to a 73-63 win against No. 4 Miami, Ohio. Sophomore guard Steve McNees had five of those three-pointers, nearly tripling his season average for 17 points in the game. Akron will play Bowling Green in the semifinals. Akron won at Bowling Green, and the Falcons returned the favor at the Zips in early March.
