Eye-popping numbers for men's basketball through 18 games


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The Central Michigan basketball team raises the trophy after winning the Great Alaska Shootout on Nov. 25, 2017.

In the past 18 games, Central Michigan men's basketball has seen many high and lows. 

Most recently, after Mid-American Conference play has started, most of the experiences have been lows. 

The Chippewas (12-6, 1-4 in Mid-American Conference) started the season with only two losses, but have lost their previous four games in MAC play.

Here's a look at CMU's standout statistics in the 2017-18 season.

11 - CMU's program record for the most nonconference wins all-time. The Chippewas only losses came to No. 23 Michigan and Southern Utah by a combined 13 points. At one point, the Chippewas were on a seven game win streak.

68.8 - The Chippewas went from being one of the worst teams in the country in the 2016-17 season, allowing 87.7 points per game which ranked 345th amongst all Division I schools, to currently leading the MAC in scoring defense. CMU allows just 68.8 points per game, but CMU has allowed more than 80 points in three of the four contests. They are also first in the MAC when defending shooters. They allow opponents to shoot only 41.3 percent from the field and 33.2 percent from deep.

4 - How many conference games CMU has lost over the past two weeks. CMU’s lone conference win came against Ohio in a 75-50 blowout at McGuirk Arena on Jan. 2. The Chippewas have lost to Kent State, Eastern Michigan, Toledo and Ball State by a combined 38 points. 

684 - Total rebounds. The Chippewas are the top team in the MAC with a plus-4.2 rebounding margin. On the offensive boards, they have collected 215 rebounds. The Chippewas are also the fourth best shot-blocking teams in the conference.

3 - Double digit scorers. A season ago, a majority of CMU’s scoring came from two guards (Marcus Keene and Braylon Rayson). Now, the Chippewas have three players with a majority of the points. Senior forward Cecil Williams leads the team at 14.8 points per contest. He is also second in the team with rebounds (121) and assists (50). Transfer guard Shawn Roundtree is averaging 14.6 points per game and leads the team with 68 assists. The final double digit scorer is sophomore forward David DiLeo who is averaging 13.3 per game. The Iowa City, Iowa native leads the team in 3-pointers made (51) and attempted (144).

5 - Away losses. While the Chippewas have been nearly perfect at McGuirk Arena, it has been the complete opposite on the road. CMU has a 1-5 away record. Its lone road victory came against the University of Missouri - Kansas City on Dec. 19 in overtime.

3,600 - Miles to the Great Alaskan Shootout. It took over 3,600 miles to arrive at the Great Alaskan Shootout, and the Chippewas won the final tournament in history. CMU won three games in four days; topping Sam Houston State, Cal Poly and CSU Bakersfield. Roundtree was named the tournament's Most Valuable player, averaging 15 points per game and hitting the game-winning 3-pointer against Cal Poly.

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