Chippewas prepare for NIT opener against ‘dunking dogs’ of Louisiana Tech
Freshman forwards Luke Meyer and DaRohn Scott cheer for their teammates during the Central Michigan University men's basketball team's loss to Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference Championship Game March 14 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. (Photo by Monica Bradburn | Staff Photographer)
A week ago, an ESPN analyst mentioned Louisiana Tech (25-8) as one of the most potentially dangerous NCAA Tournament teams. Meanwhile, Central Michigan University (23-8) was projected as a 13 seed in the tournament.
But the Bulldogs fell to UAB in the Conference USA semifinals and the Chippewas lost the Mid-American Conference Championship to Buffalo, and both were rerouted to the National Invitation Tournament.
No. 3 LA Tech hosts No. 6 CMU at 7:30 p.m. tonight in the first round of the NIT. The winner will either travel to No. 2 Texas A&M or host No. 7 Montana in the second round.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt there’s quite a few teams in this NIT field that could have been not just dancing, but stayed in the NCAA (Tournament) for awhile,” said CMU Head Coach Keno Davis. “We know we’re going to need our best game to have a chance to win on the road in such a tough field."
LA Tech enters Tuesday’s game with a 29-game home winning streak, the fourth-longest streak in the country. Their only loss at the 8,000-seat Thomas Assembly Center since Jan. 28, 2012 came against Louisiana-Lafayette on Dec. 4, 2013.
The Chippewas are 7-0 in games following a loss with an average winning margin of 14.14 points in those games.
Junior forward John Simons said the team was “disappointed and upset” after Saturday’s loss, but the team is ready to make postseason run.
“It’s a tough turnaround,” Simons said. “But it’s kind of nice that it’s a quick turnaround. We don’t really have to sit and think about Saturday as much as we could. We’re ready to go, we’re excited.”
Davis said the Bulldogs pose a challenge to the Chippewas because of their athleticism.
“They call them the ‘dunking dogs,’ they had 140 dunks this year,” Davis said. “They press, they run, they’re an exciting team to watch. They’re as athletic as any team we’ve seen this year. They’re a tough matchup on short preparation. It’s not ideal."
Davis said the NIT is something CMU fans should be excited to see the Chippewas play in.
“In some respects, you could make a good case that it’s easier to win in the NCAA (Tournament) than playing on the road (in the) NIT,” he said.
CMU is 0-1 all time in the NIT, losing to Purdue in 1979. LA Tech is 10-8 in the NIT, including a trip to the quarterfinals last season before a three-point loss to Florida State and a second round appearance in 2013.
The Chippewas and Bulldogs have met once, with LA Tech winning the Jan. 4, 1992 matchup 104-85.
