Mid-American Hustle

Round 1 of the 2014 NFL Draft is in the books and two MAC players were selected: Khalil Mack, No. 5 overall to Oakland; Jimmie Ward, No. 30 overall to San Francisco. Bryan, Alex and Chris hopped on the mis immediately following the conclusion of Round 1 to give their reactions to the picks, talk about how they see each player fitting into their respective defenses and who we think the next MAC prospect off the board will be.

We're within spiting distance of the 2014 NFL Draft, so the guys from Hustle Belt got together to look at this year's MAC Draft class, and where we think the top players will land. Up for discussion this time around: Will Khalil Mack go No. 1 overall? Are MAC prospects getting better, or is the league paying more attention to the MAC? How many MAC players will get drafted, and who is the sleeper pick from the conference we should watch out for?

On this episode of Mid-American Hustle, Alex is missing (abducted by aliens?) so Bryan goes it alone, sort of. In place of Alex is NFL Draft expert Dan Kadar from MockingTheDraft.com. Dan helps us look at the field of MAC players in the NFL Draft class including:Just how good Khalil Mack is, and if the talk of him possibly going No. 1 overall is real.How Jimmie Ward has managed to sneak up the Draft boards into a possible first-round pick.Dri Archer may go way higher than expectedJordan Lynch's NFL prospectsAnd Akron helmets!

Former Western Michigan Bronco and All-MAC big man Shayne Whittington is preparing for a career in professional basketball. We chatted with Whittington on his way home before he leaves to participate in the 2014 Portsmouth Invitational.

Mid-American Hustle is back to recap the MACtion packed 2014 MAC Basketball Tournament, look ahead at WMU's upcoming dance with Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament and talk about the biggest snub in the history of snubs: Hustle Belt not making it in the Tournament of Campbell.

Since the MAC Shooty Hoops Tournament is starting on Monday, March 10, Alex, Bryan and Hickey preview what to expect this week and recap the regular season.Editor's note: It might seem like a good idea at the time, but don't record a podcast with a hangover. It's not as fun as you think. 

With this weekend marking the annual NBA All-Star weekend and festivities we got to wondering, what would it be like if our beloved Mid-American Conference had an All-Star weekend of its own? So Bryan and Alex, hosts of Mid-American Hustle, along with our basketball editor Brandon Hickey each laid out their hypothetical MAC All-Star weekends.We've got everything you could ever dream of in a MAC All-Star weekend, from Glenn "Sanity" Bryant throwing down monster dunks to Da'Shonte Riley in a 3-point shootout and Jeremy Guy running point guard for the East in a MAC Celebrity All-Star game featuring everyone from George Gervin to Nick Lachey.

The gang from Hustle Belt is back once again for another episode of Mid-American Hustle, the Cradle of Podcasts. On this episode, recorded shortly after news broke about Justin Drummond's DUI and subsequent suspension, Bryan, Alex and Hustle Belt basketball editor Brandon Hickey rant about the punishment, or lack there of. The three also break down Sunday night's crazy games, talk a little bit about Javon McCrea's ability to dominate and predict some MAC Tournament seeding.

National Signing Day was huge for the MAC. PJ Fleck brings in probably the greatest class in conference history and NIU has 31 guys that they get to be excited about. Alex and Bryan break down each school's signing day class with a few highlights from the day.Hakuna Matata.

Alex and Bryan are back after a brief hiatus with another episode of the Cradle of Podcasts: Mid-American Hustle, This time out the two are joined by BroncoBlitz.com Staff Writer Brian Persky to talk a little football recruiting, specifically about how P.J. Fleck is kicking the entire Mid-American Conference's ass. Persky offers some inside analysis, as well as a few names for WMU fans to keep an eye on in the final hours leading up to the big day. Bryan and Alex also offer some general thoughts on MAC recruiting as a whole, and of course plenty of awful jokes and "uhms".

Alex and Bryan recap the wonder week of MAC Hoops, including a Sportscenter Top 10 dunk by Glenn Bryant and a buzzer-beating shot by Juice Brown. It's still early, but five MAC schools are 3-1 in conference play and there is no clear #1 team. Eastern Michigan is one of those teams and their defense is what makes them so successful. Brandon Fitzsimons (aka Brown and Gold) recaps all of the MAC hockey that's been going on. Miami University was once #1 in the nation, but has only one three games since November 15. Why is that?

We're back with a new episode of Mid-American Hustle, HustleBelt.com's podcast. On this episode hosts Bryan M. Vance and Alex Alvarado are joined by Jimmy Kelley and Nicolas "Geeves" Lewis to talk about the football coaching changes in the MAC this offseason.

Looking back on the MAC football season, we recap the year talking about the high and low points. Did the MAC take a huge step back after the 0-5 bowl season? Football expert Matt Daley joins Bryan and Alex on the topic.

It's our very first podcast! With our last bowl game being played last night, Alex and Bryan quickly recap the disappointing bowl season from the five MAC schools. With in-conference play coming up on Wednesday (1/8/14), our basketball experts, Brandon Hickey and Jimmy Kelley, take over and analyze these teams on what they've done and what to expect the rest of the way.