Kent State and Western Michigan will do battle on Tuesday night to open MAC play, and each team appears to be in entirely different spots.
The Broncos (6-7) are one of two MAC programs with losing records entering conference play. The other is Miami which, ironically, also has a 6-7 record with a win over Northeastern. WMU has struggled maintaining a high level of play all season in the absence of star forward Connar Tava. Tava is redshirting his senior season due to an injury suffered pre season. His absence showed in a big way in very winnable games that ended up in the "L" column for the Broncos, such as the triple overtime defeat at home to IPFW and the loss at James Madison.