Men's Basketball | October 28, 2016

CLEVELAND, Ohio- Western Michigan junior point guard Thomas Wilder was listed as one of the top players in the Mid-American Conference and the Broncos were tabbed to finish fifth in the West Division in this season's preseason voting. The poll was determined by the league's 12 head coaches & a 24-member MAC News Media Panel.

Last year as a sophomore, Wilder was a Second Team All-MAC selection. He averaged 20.4 ppg in MAC games and led conference scoring start to finish. Wilder scored in double digits in 28 of 32 games, reaching 20 or more points 14 times. He scored a career-high 35 points, adding 10 rebounding for his first career double-double in 94-86 victory over Eastern Michigan on Jan. 30.

In his first season, Wilder was named to the MAC All-Freshman Team. This is Wilder's second preseason nod this season, as he was also named First Team Preseason All-MAC by College Sports Madness. In addition to Wilder, Western Michigan returns five letterwinners from last year's team. The Broncos also have two returning redshirt freshmen and seven true freshmen on the roster.

As a program, Western Michigan has won seven MAC West titles since 2004, more than any other school in that stretch. The Broncos also won MAC regular-season titles and MAC Tournament titles in both 2004 and 2014. WMU is under the leadership of Steve Hawkins, who is entering his 14th season at the Bronco helm.

This year's schedule begins for the Broncos as Western Michigan hosts neighboring Kalamazoo College in an exhibition, Saturday, Nov. 5 at 3 p.m. The season officially begins with a home game against Marygrove on Friday, Nov. 11. The Broncos travel to Oakland for their first away game, Nov. 14, renewing a series with their in-state Horizon League counterparts. Other highlights of the non-conference schedule includes three games at the ESPN Gildan Charleston Classic, where the Broncos will take on defending national champion Villanova; as well as a west coast trip that features Washington and UCLA.

The conference season is set to tip-off on Tuesday, Jan. 3, with a full slate of games and the Broncos kicking off the year at Ohio. WMU plays five of its nine games in January on the road and splits four of its eight games in February between the road and Kalamazoo. The Broncos conclude the regular season with rival Central Michigan at home on Friday, March 3.


2016-17 MAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll

East Division Predicted Order of Finish
1. Akron (15 first place votes) – 194 points
2. Ohio (16) – 190 points
3. Buffalo (5) – 144 points
4. Kent State – 116 points
5. Bowling Green – 63 points
6. Miami – 49 points

West Division Predicted Order of Finish
1. Eastern Michigan (16 first place votes) – 178 points
2. Ball State (12) – 158 points
3. NIU (5) – 148 points
4. Toledo (1) – 100 points
5. Western Michigan – 95 points
6. Central Michigan (2) – 77 points

2017 MAC Tournament Predicted Champion: Akron (15), Ohio (11), Eastern Michigan (3), Buffalo (2), NIU (2), Central Michigan (1), Kent State (1), Miami (1).

Preseason All-MAC East Division Team
Isaiah Johnson, Sr., C, Akron
Blake Hamilton, Sr., W, Buffalo
Jimmy Hall, Sr., F, Kent State
Antonio Campbell, Sr., F, Ohio
Jaaron Simmons, Jr., G, Ohio

Preseason All-MAC West Division Team
Franko House, Sr., F, Ball State
James Thompson IV, So., F/C, Eastern Michigan
Marin Maric, Sr., C, Northern Illinois
Jonathan Williams, Sr., G, Toledo
Thomas Wilder, Jr., G, Western Michigan