GAME NOTES: The second round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament will conclude Wednesday night as the seventh-seeded Akron Zips and sixth-seeded Western Michigan Broncos clash at Quicken Loans Arena.

The winner of this contest will advance to the next round of the tournament, where the third-seeded Kent State Golden Flashes will be waiting on Thursday.

Akron took on Northern Illinois in the opening round of the conference tournament Monday, and easily disposed of the 10th-seeded Huskies, 76-52. The victory was the first for the Zips in their last three games, as Akron went into the postseason having lost six of their previous seven.

Western Michigan battled with 11th-seeded Ohio on Monday, and ended up coming away with an 82-74 victory over the Bobcats to advance. The defending MAC champion Broncos have won two games in a row entering this second-round clash, and four of their last five altogether.

Akron and Western Michigan met twice during the regular season, with the Zips coming away victorious in both clashes. Akron took a 72-52 decision at home back on Jan. 6, and then beat the Broncos in Kalamazoo later that same month, 71-69.

The Zips cruised past Northern Illinois on Monday, owning a 48-20 lead at halftime over the Huskies, which allowed Akron to coast through the second period en route to the victory. Deji Ibitayo came off the bench to score 18 points to lead the Zips, while Reggie McAdams netted 15 points in the win. Kwan Cheatham Jr. chipped in with 12 points, and Antino Jackson scored 10 to aid the cause. The Zips held NIU to 39.2 percent shooting from the floor, while they connected on 51 percent of their tries in the contest.

Akron has won three MAC titles in its stay in the conference. The Zips last won the league championship back in 2013, and nearly made it back to the title match a season ago. They own a 21-14 all-time record in the conference tournament, and have won two of the last four league tournaments and NCAA Tournament automatic bids. In Akron's last win over Western Michigan back in January, Isaiah Johnson netted 16 points to pace the team. Star freshman Noah Robotham has been out since late February with a torn ACL in his right knee.

Ohio gave the WMU a bit of a scare in the first round on Monday. The Bobcats led the Broncos at halftime, 33-31, and at one points in the opening frame owned a lead that reached as many as 14 points. But WMU came storming back to retake the advantage, thanks largely to David Brown's 34 points and seven rebounds. Thomas Wilder came of the bench to contribute 18 points with five assists, and Austin Richie chipped in nine points in the victory that kept the team's season alive.

Last year's conference championship was the second for Western Michigan all- time in the MAC. The Broncos head into this contest owning a 22-29 all-time league tournament record, and last season's championship appearance was the team's first in a title bout since the Broncos won it all in 2004. Western Michigan got blown out in the first meeting between the sides in Akron, but kept it close in the second clash thanks to a 42.9 shooting percentage against the Zips, and a 17-point effort from Taylor Perry off the bench. Tucker Haymond added 14 points, and Brown scored 13 in the loss.

The Broncos have some revenge in mind with the Zips as they seek revenge for the regular-season sweep. However, playing at Quicken Loans Arena means Akron has a very Ohio-friendly crowd. If the Zips can play like they did Monday, the defending conference champs could go down.