Hustle Belt: for Mid-American Conference fans SB Nation

Happy Friday folks! We’ve made it through another week, and we’re excited to help you ring in another weekend. Another week down, another week closer to football!
Despite football season being right around the corner, the boys open up the show this week with some huge news out of the basketball world. Emoni Bates, the former number three overall recruit in the class of 2022, announced his commitment to Eastern Michigan on Wednesday. Bates spent his freshman season at Memphis, and averaged 9.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game for the Tigers. It was an up and down season, both for Bates and for the Tigers squad in general. Bates missed significant time due to injury and only played 18 games over the course of the season. A native of Ypsilanti, Bates ultimately chose EMU over blue blood programs such as Louisville and Illinois. Without a doubt, this is a huge signing for Stan Heath as he enters his second year as head coach in Ypsilanti. With Noah Farrakhan and most other contributors returning from last year, the Eagles will be in great position to compete at the top of the conference next year.
Elsewhere in hoops, the MAC celebrated an NBA draft selection for the second straight year. This year, it was courtesy of Toledo product Ryan Rollins, who was drafted by Golden State with the 44th overall pick. It seems to be a great landing spot for Rollins, as Golden State is coming off of their fourth NBA title in seven years. Also in the NBA, for Bowling Green Falcon Daeqwon Plowden signed a Summer League contract with New Orleans and will look to earn a roster spot in the Las Vegas Summer League next month.
To close out the show this week, it’s a bittersweet send off for Zach. Zach has been around since the beginning of the podcast two years ago, and is sad to be stepping away. You’re all in great hands though, as Steve will be back next week to help kick off our pre-season football coverage. Steve and Vannzee will have all of the coverage you need come football season. There’s a lot of exciting stuff to look forward to.
As always, thanks for stopping by this week folks. Have a great weekend and a great week ahead, and we’ll talk to you again next Friday!
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Howdy folks! We hope you’ve all had a good week to this point. We have officially reached the dog days of summer, where baseball has wrapped up and football is still about two months away. But that’s ok - we’ve got plenty to talk about to get you through!
Zack and Zach open up the show this week by discussing former Toledo forward Ryan Rollins and his prospects in tonight’s NBA Draft. Rollins, who was MAC Freshman of the Year in 2020 and first team All-MAC last year, is widely considered to be a second round pick. Despite concerns about his defense and outside shooting ability, many NBA teams remain intrigued by his athleticism and potential.
Next up, the boys discuss the recently released MAC championship odds for the upcoming football season. According to the bookmakers, Toledo is the pre-season favorite (tell us if you’ve heard that before) with Kent State, NIU, Miami, and Central Michigan right behind them. The odds certainly reflect the parity of the conference, where a new team seems to sneak into the title conversation every year.
To close out the show this week, the boys are joined by Christian Booher. Christian is the Sports Editor at CM Life, the Central Michigan student newspaper. Christian stopped by to talk Chippewas football and give his thoughts on the upcoming season. CMU returns a ton of talent, but also have to replace key contributors such as Kalil Pimpleton, Luke Goedeke, and Bernhard Raimann. In year four under Jim McElwain, the Chips seem to be positioned to compete for a conference title.
As always, thanks for stopping by this week folks. Stay cool out there, have a great week ahead, and we’ll see you back here next Friday!
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Happy Friday folks! We’ve made it through another week, and we hope you’ve been keeping cool and hydrated as summer has descended upon us. It’s a big week for the show this week, as this is episode 100. On a typical week, we try to have a structure to the show, but given the occasion this week, we wanted to keep it a bit looser.
The boys spend the bulk of the time this week reflecting on 100 episodes and reading some Twitter responses from the fans. First up, we asked you all to tell us your favorite memories as a fan of your MAC school or of the conference in general. We got some GREAT responses - from last second touchdowns, to improbable upsets, to field storming occasions, there were some great answers.
We close out the show this week by taking a look at a more specific topic: questions and concerns heading into football season. While there were no coaching changes in the MAC this off-season, there was plenty of roster movement via the transfer portal. Which schools will benefit from that? Will the MAC pick up a Power 5 upset this year? Who will emerge from the loaded MAC West? These are questions we’re all contemplating as the season approaches, and the boys give their thoughts on each topic.
We say this every week, but we want to place some extra emphasis this time around: we can’t thank you all enough for stopping by and lending us your ears. Not just this week, but every week. It’s been a great journey to get to 100 episodes, and we’re excited to continue to build this. We couldn’t do it without all of you! We hope you all have a great weekend and a great week ahead, and we’ll see you back here next Friday.
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Happy Friday folks, we’ve missed you! We’re excited to be back after a week off, and there’s a lot to catch up on in the MAC universe!
To lead off the show this week, the boys discuss RB Kobe Lewis’ decision to transfer from Central Michigan. Lewis missed last season after sustaining a knee injury in camp, but rushed for 1,074 yards and 12 TD’s in 2019. The Chippewas still have Lew Nichols and will be just fine at running back, but Nichols and Lewis together could have formed quite the backfield duo next season. Regardless, best of luck to Kobe at his next stop!
Next up, Zach and Zack look back at the baseball postseason. Central Michigan beat Ball State on back to back days to capture the MAC title and earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Assigned to the Gainesville regional, CMU knocked off Liberty in 12 innings on Saturday before ultimately seeing their season come to an end on Sunday afternoon against Florida. The Chippewas gave the Gators all they could handle. battling back from a 5-0 deficit before falling to the hosts 6-5.
To close out the show, the boys look back at the responses to a few Twitter questions from the past two weeks. First up, the fans give their opinions on the football season win totals that were released this past week by DraftKings. There was some great debate about which teams were being overestimated and underestimated heading into the year. Next up, the boys debate the best and worst uniforms and color schemes in the MAC. Who has the best color scheme in the conference, in your opinion?
As always, thanks for stopping by this week folks. Enjoy the weekend, and we’ll see you back here next Friday.
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Happy Friday folks! It’s been another long week, but we’re happy to be here to help you ring in the weekend.
To open up the show this week, the boys take a look back at the NCAA softball postseason. As you’ll recall from last week, Miami won the MAC this year and earned the conferences automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Assigned to the Blacksburg regional, the RedHawks lost their opening game to Kentucky before taking down St. Francis (PA) in game two. Facing the host Virginia Tech in game three, the RedHawks raced out to a 4-1 lead before the Hokies stormed back to win 5-4. Despite not advancing, it was a great season for Miami, who reached the 40 win plateau.
Elsewhere in softball, Bowling Green traveled out west to Colorado to take part in the National Invitation Softball Championship. The Falcons went 2-2 in the tournament, defeating Stephen F. Austin and George Washington and losing to Virginia and Kansas. Similar to Miami, the Falcons have a lot to be proud of despite not collecting any post season hardware. With a number of key contributors returning next year, Bowling Green’s future looks bright.
In football news, Vannzee laments the loss of a three star QB recruit for Eastern Michigan, and the boys discuss the transfer of WR Jalen McGaughey from Ball State to Central Michigan. As if you weren’t already excited enough for football season, the MAC released kickoff times and broadcast partners for the first few weeks of the season. The conference has a number of notable national television performances, including Central Michigan traveling to Oklahoma State (remember what happened the last time these two met?) and Toledo traveling to Ohio State. There’s a lot to look forward to on the gridiron this fall!
To close out the show, the boys discuss the ongoing MAC baseball tournament. The weather has played a factor, with the Ball State/Ohio game being postponed multiple times due to rain. Regardless, the first round of the tournament proved to be quite eventful, with both contests ending in walk off fashion. In the second round, Ball State will face Central Michigan with a trip to the title game on the line, and Toledo will face Ohio in an elimination game.
As always, thanks for stopping by this week folks. Don’t forget to subscribe to the pod on your favorite platform! We appreciate all of you, and hope you all have a great weekend and a great week ahead. See you next week!
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Happy Friday folks! We hope you’ve had a good week to this point, and as always we thank you for joining us. We have a variety of things to cover this week, and we think there’s a little something for everybody!
To open up this week’s show, the boys take a look back at last weekend’s MAC softball tournament. Bowling Green, Central Michigan, and Ohio performed admirably, but this was ultimately Miami’s championship to win. The RedHawks survived a scare in the semi-finals, knocking off Central Michigan 2-1 with an eighth inning walk off, and used that momentum to blow past Bowling Green 11-0 in the title game. The Chippewas will now represent the MAC in the NCAA Tournament, where they’ve been installed as the three seed in the Blacksburg region. CMU will open up the tournament against Kentucky on Friday afternoon.
Speaking of Central Michigan, the Chippewas women’s lacrosse team made their first NCAA Tournament appearance this past Friday after winning their first MAC championship. CMU faced perennial power Northwestern, and the Wildcats proved to be too much for the Chippewas in their 22-7 victory. Regardless of the early exit, this is clearly a program on a positive trajectory, and Sarah Tisdale has done a great job in her seven seasons at the helm of the program.
Switching to hoops, Zack and Zach discuss the rising NBA Draft stock of Ryan Rollins. The Toledo product declared for the draft back in March, and since his declaration has seen his stock rise rather quickly. Some mock drafts now have him as a late first round selection, and he has the chance to be the first MAC player selected in the first round since CMU’s Chris Kaman in 2003.
To close out the show, the boys take a look at this weekend’s baseball slate. This is the last week of the regular season, and there is still a lot to be determined. Central Michigan currently holds a half game lead on first place over Ball State. If you recall, the regular season champion hosts the conference tournament, so this is a big deal. Central Michigan hosts Toledo this weekend, and Ball State travels to Miami, and both teams will have home field advantage on the mind. The other intrigue surrounds the three and four seeds, as there are still three teams that have a chance to qualify for the conference tournament. As of now, Toledo and Ohio sit in third and fourth, respectively. Miami sits in fifth, and can move into fourth with a good performance against Ball State this weekend.
As always, thanks for stopping by this week folks! Please don’t forget to like and subscribe to the pod on your favorite podcast platform so you don’t miss any content. Have a great weekend and a great week ahead, and we’ll talk to you again this week!
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