OU men’s basketball picked 3rd in MAC preseason poll
The Ohio University men's basketball team was selected to finish third in 2023-24 Mid-American Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, the league announced Wednesday (Nov. 1). Senior guard Jaylin Hunter was selected to the Preseason All-MAC First Team, while AJ Brown earned a spot on the Second Team.
Ohio earned 102 points and one first-place vote and was slated to finish behind Akron with 121 points and 11 first-place votes and Kent State with 104 points. Directly behind the Bobcats was Toledo in fourth with 93 points.
Meanwhile, Northern Illinois (82), Bowling Green (64), Miami (64), Ball State (55), Buffalo (38), Western Michigan (33), Eastern Michigan (22) and Central Michigan (14) round out the rest of the league.
Akron (9) was selected to win the 2024 MAC Tournament, followed by Kent State (1), Ohio (1) and Toledo (1).
Last season, Hunter played in 33 games while making 32 starts and averaged 13.2 points a game, while shooting .441 from the field, .408 from three and .753 from the line. He dished out an average of 4.2 assists per game and 3.6 rebounds and recorded 58 steals. He scored a career-high 27 points against Toledo on March 10 in the MAC Semifinals and was name Honorable Mention All-MAC.
Meanwhile, Brown finished last season having played in 26 games while making eight starts. He averaged 10.3 points and shot .375 from three and .426 from the field. Brown broke out in the MAC Tournament, scoring a career-high 28 points in the MAC Quarterfinals against Ball State. He also went 10-of-16 from the field and 5-of-10 from three in the victory, while grabbing a career-high seven rebounds. Brown also earned a spot on the MAC All-Freshman Team last season.
The regular season begins Wednesday, Nov. 8 against Troy in the first game of the MAC/Sun Belt Challenge. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside the Convo.
2023-24 MAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
(First Place Votes)
1. Akron (11) – 121
2. Kent State – 104
3. Ohio (1) – 102
4. Toledo – 93
5. Northern Illinois – 82
T6. Bowling Green – 64
T6. Miami – 64
8. Ball State – 55
9. Buffalo – 38
10. Western Michigan – 33
11. Eastern Michigan – 22
12. Central Michigan – 14
Tournament Champion: Akron (9), Kent State (1), Ohio (1), Toledo (1)
2023-24 MAC Men's Basketball Preseason All-MAC Teams
First Team
Ali Ali, Guard, Akron, Sr.
Enrique Freeman, Forward, Akron, Sr.
Chris Payton, Forward, Kent State, Grad.
Jaylin Hunter, Guard, Ohio, Sr.
Dante Maddox Jr., Guard, Toledo, Jr.
Second Team
Tyson Acuff, Guard, Eastern Michigan, Jr.
Jalen Sullinger, Guard, Kent State, Jr.
Anderson Mirambeaux, Center, Miami, Sr.
David Coit, Guard, Northern Illinois, Jr.
AJ Brown, Guard, Ohio, So.