Men’s basketball secures No. 1 seed

Kevin MacMillan

The CMU men’s basketball team was picked to finish sixth out of seven teams in its division during the MAC preseason poll.

After defeating Northern Illinois 73-57 Wednesday in Rose Arena, however, the Chippewas left no dispute as to who is the conference’s best team.

“It’s a beautiful feeling,” said senior guard Whitney Robinson during CMU’s net-cutting ceremony. “This being my last year and all, I saved my best for last. This was our goal to come out and be MAC champions.”

With the victory, the Chipppewas clinched the No. 1 seed in next weekend’s MAC Tournament at Cleveland’s Gund Arena. The team is 20-6 overall, including a 13-4 MAC record.

“We proved to some people about the character of this team,” said Head Coach Jay Smith. “It was awesome. I am really happy for this university, the program and the city of Mount Pleasant.”

After suffering through a disappointing 9-19 during the 2001-02 season, Central has won its second MAC title in the past three seasons.

“This team has good chemistry like that one,” Smith said. “We live and die with each other. We hang out off the court. We really are a together group.”

The team benefited from Ohio, whose win over Miami allowed CMU to clinch the title.

“Ohio did the job for us and got the win,” said junior center Chris Kaman, who had 19 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks.

Senior guard J.R. Wallace added 19 points in a balanced CMU attack, while senior forward Mike Manciel had 16 points, including hitting 12-of-12 shots from the free-throw line.

“Everybody’s been focusing on Chris, but the complementary players that go with it are so important. Players have stepped up and hit big shots
for us,” Smith said.

After the Huskies took a 21-19 lead with on a Marcus Smallwood basket mid-way through the first half, the Chippewas controlled the rest of the game. A 15-3 run to close the first half gave the team a 34-24 halftime lead.

“We got stops and got rebounds,” Smith said. “It started for us on the defensive end.”

CMU continued to wear down the Huskies in the second half, taking advantage at opportunities from the free-throw line. The team connected on 90 percent of its free throws and kept a 30-28 rebounding advantage.

“They move the ball, pass the ball and have good shooters,” said NIU Head Coach Rob Judson.

The Huskies (15-12, 11-6) had 15 points from freshman Todd Peterson. Smallwood and Jay Bates added 12 points apiece.

CMU will travel Saturday to Ball State for a tuneup for the MAC Tournament. While the championship excites members of team, they still believe there is business left to be finished.

“It feels good,” Wallace said with the net hanging around his neck. “But this is just a stepping stone on our mission. We want to win the conference tournament, and then we’re trying to get a bid into the NCAA tournament.”