CMU men’s basketball looks to avenge last year’s overtime tournament loss

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Two teams that battled for and ended up sharing a division title last season meet tonight at Rose Arena.

The CMU men’s basketball team hosts Ball State at 7 p.m. in its Mid-American Conference home opener. The Cardinals eliminated CMU in overtime of the second round of the MAC Tournament last season.

“Within a division, we already have our in-state rivals in Western (Michigan) and Eastern (Michigan), but we’ve had some hardly-fought contests with Ball State,” said CMU coach Ernie Zeigler.

The Chippewas shared the Mid-American Conference West Division title last season with Ball State, which had an identical 7-9 conference record. The Cardinals will try to rebound from a conference-opening, 62-48 home loss against Northern Illinois, while the Chippewas (6-7, 1-0) look to stay on top of the standings after opening MAC play by beating Toledo 59-48 Saturday on the road.

“This game is a big game for us because, first, we have to defend our home, and we’re also playing to stay in first place — stay on top,” said junior guard Antonio Weary.

Ball State (6-7, 0-1 MAC) features 6-foot-9-inch forward Jarrod Jones, last season’s MAC Freshman of the Year. He averaged 14.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in three games against the Chippewas last season. Jones averages 13.6 points per game this season, which ranks eighth in the MAC, while he averages 7.2 rebounds to rank seventh.

Zeigler said Jones is not Ball State’s only threat in the post position, however.

“Jarrod Jones, he’s an extreme focus for us,” Zeigler said. “But he, along with (6-foot-4-inch junior forward) Malik Perry and (6-foot-5-inch senior forward) Terrence Watson, all are very good scorers around the basket. They all do a really good job of getting the ball inside and playing inside-out.”

Watson, who averages 6.8 points per game, sat out last season after transferring from the University of Mississippi. Perry’s 9.8 points per game is second on the team after Jones.

The Cardinals do not shoot much from the outside — they rank last in the MAC in 3-point attempts (38-of-113; less than nine attempts per game) and scoring, averaging 57.8 points per game.

“I think we have to really be alert with our help-side rotations and we have to really work to deny the ball from going in the post,” Zeigler said. “Hopefully put their perimeter players in a position where they’re looking to take jump shots when that’s not the focus of their offense.”

Weary comes back strong

It was a familiar sight for Zeigler when Weary was injured Nov. 1 in CMU’s first appearance of the season, an exhibition game against Marygrove.

Zeigler had to piece together a lineup last season because of season-injuries to forwards Marko Spica and Chris Kellermann and a host of other off-the-court distractions.

A different atmosphere

Because Rose Arena is undergoing a major renovation, the entire section of bleachers on the north side of the building has been removed.

“We’re looking at it as maybe we can pack more people and make it even tighter in here,” Zeigler said. “I think it’s an advantage for us just because what the end result will be when this is completed — this is just part of the process.”

Zeigler said he expects the north wall to be removed completely and replaced by a temporary wall by the end of January, making Rose Arena a cold environment for visiting teams.

But Weary’s broken left hand healed quickly and he returned to the lineup Dec. 19 at South Florida, where the Chippewas won their first road game of the season, 59-56.

Weary has averaged 4.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.8 steals in five games, but Zeigler said his presence has helped the team rebound from a slow start, going 3-2 since his return.

“He’s a guy that we’ve just got to have in the lineup,” Zeigler said. “Antonio’s toughness and leadership is what he brings to the table. Once we get him to start finishing his transition dunks and getting back and dunking in transition, we’ll see his scoring average go up as well.