CLEVELAND, Ohio - Peyton Stovall's Halloween costume has been made for quite some time.
In fact, Stovall and his teammates on the Ball State University men's basketball squad have been wearing their costumes for about a month now. Because Stovall will be spending his Halloween on the basketball court, he decided to dress like a basketball player.
"My Halloween costume is called: practice jersey," Stovall said. "I'll be practicing and working out on Halloween and then I'll probably go home to sleep."
Stovall and his teammates are not getting many days off as Ball State is nearing the start of its 2005-06 season. The team is preparing for a shot at the Mid-American Conference Championship and coach Tim Buckley and Stovall got a first-hand look at the competition on Thursday.
The MAC Media Days brought together all 12 conference coaches and preseason All-MAC selections to the MAC headquarters in Cleveland. The MAC also announced the preseason predictions selected by the MAC News Media Association at the event.
Ball State was picked to finish second in the West Division behind the University of Toledo. The Rockets edged the Cardinals by eight votes. The MAC, however, has a history for being one of the most unpredictable leagues in the NCAA.
"When I see the final preseason poll, the teams I look at that can be surprises are the teams that were slighted by the poll," Buckley said. "Those teams are the ones you can forget about in a game and they take advantage of it."
Neither team that were picked to win the East and West divisions in the 2004-05 season went on to win their divisions. Buffalo and Toledo each finished second last year. Stovall attributes the unpredictable nature of the MAC to the players.
"There are some good guys on each team but there isn't just one guy that stands out in the league," Stovall said. "I think that's what makes it very competitive and such a special league to play in."
Six teams finished with an 11-7 record in 2004-05, and nine of the 13 teams finished with winning records. Western Michigan sophomore Joe Reitz, a preseason All-MAC selection, said he expects another close fight at the top of the standings this year.
"All the teams are relatively equal again this season and that will result in a lot of close games and close records," said Reitz, who played football and basketball at Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers, Ind. "Ohio and Akron will be tough teams but I think anyone in the league can compete with them."
Ohio and Akron were the top two finishers predicted to win the MAC tournament, with Ball State finishing in third.
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