Men's basketball looks to end six-game skid in season finale against Western Michigan
After losing six consecutive games, the Central Michigan men’s basketball team will take on rival Western Michigan in the regular season finale at 7 p.m. Friday in Kalamazoo.
The Chippewas most recent loss came on Tuesday against Eastern Michigan on senior night.
Head coach Keno Davis said the WMU game is always a big one, but this time the game would have a little bit of a different twist to it.
“We need to have energy like we had for the vast majority of this season, and it has been our focus to rest these guys so they are fresh,” Davis said. “Whenever you play Western it’s a big game, and we know that from last year. It was senior night and we had a lot to play for and they seemingly didn’t, and they came back and beat us. When you play your rival, not a whole lot matters from what happened before.”
The Chippewas (16-14, 6-11 Mid-American Conference) now finds themselves in last place in the MAC West Division after being tied for first place seven games ago. The Broncos (14-15, 10-7) on the other hand, could get at least a share of the MAC West title with a win.
“You know there is going to be a great effort from both teams, and that is what we need right now before the (MAC) tournament,” Davis said. “We need to be re-energized on the court, but we also could use a shot of confidence from the close games we lost and the (games) that have gotten away from us recently.”
Here is what to look for in the regular season finale between the two rivals.
Rivals Reunite
- The Chippewas won the first meeting in Mount Pleasant 86-82, after rallying back from a 18-point deficit in the second half.
- Junior guard Marcus Keene had a game-high 35 points and hit a fade-away 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds remaining to give CMU the victory. Junior guard Thomas Wilder led the Broncos in scoring with 21 points.
- CMU possesses a 53-96 record in the all-time series with the Broncos, including a 2-7 mark under head coach Keno Davis, but have lost seven consecutive games in Kalamazoo.
WMU overview
- WMU has won seven games in a row. The Broncos' most recent win came on the road against Northern Illinois by a final score of 70-56 on Tuesday.
- The Broncos who are currently tied for first place in the MAC West with Ball State, are listed as the fourth seed in the MAC tournament, which would result in a first round bye.
- Wilder leads the Broncos in scoring and is fourth in the MAC with 19 points per game. The 6-foot-3 guard also leads WMU in the following three categories: 3-pointers (54), assists (109) and steals (41). Tucker Hammond is next on the list as he ranks second on the team in scoring (14.7 ppg) and assists (76) and is third in rebounding (5.1 rpg).
- The Broncos allow and score on average 75.9 points per game. They shoot 45.1 percent from the field as a team, while shooting 36.9 percent from 3-point distance which is good for fourth in the conference.
CMU overview
- Despite the struggles, Keene continues to be the positive light on this team. The San Antonio, Texas native, set became the MAC's all-time single-season scoring leader with 881 points on the year, after scoring 21 points against EMU on Tuesday.
- CMU is ranked in the top three nationally in five stat categories. The Chippewas are ranked No. 2 in 3-point field goals per game (12.3), No. 3 in scoring offense (88.0), total 3-point shots made (368), 3-point field goal attempts (1,042) and free throw percentage (.787), and No. 5 in free throws made (574).
- CMU’s offense has been run by Keene and senior guard Braylon Rayson all season long. Keene leads all NCAA Division-I players in scoring with 29.7 points per game, while Rayson averages 20.7 per contest. CMU is just one of two NCAA Division I schools to have two 20-plus point scorers (the others being Davidson's Jack Gibbs (21.7) and Peyton Aldridge (20.6).
- Statistically, CMU is on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to defense. CMU leads the MAC with 88 points per game but is dead last with points allowed at 86.8 per contest.
