Men's basketball searches for first conference road win at Kent State
Senior guard Josh Kozinski prepares to pass the ball during the basketball game against Tennessee Tech on Dec. 9 at McGuirk Arena.
To open Mid-American Conference play, the Central Michigan men’s basketball team came out with a convincing 75-50 win in McGuirk Arena over Ohio on Tuesday night.
The Chippewas will aim to make another statement by taking down the defending MAC Tournament Champions on the road.
CMU (12-2, 1-0 MAC) will travel to the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center to take Kent State (6-8, 0-1) on Jan. 6 at 7 p.m.
A season ago, the Golden Flashes ended the Chippewas' season in the first round of the MAC Tournament by defeating CMU 116-106 in overtime.
The win sprung the No. 6 seeded KSU to four MAC tournament wins, a victory over No. 1 seeded Akron and an NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time since 2008.
“I think (beating Ohio) was a good way to start MAC play because we held them to 50 points and showed how we can execute,” said senior forward Cecil Williams. “It shows where we are heading in the future but there is more work to be done and that starts with Kent State.”
After finishing the 2016-17 campaign on a eight game losing skid, CMU knew they had to make changes heading into this season, mainly on the defensive end.
Against Ohio, the Chippewas held the Bobcats to 35.7 percent shooting from the field and just 15 percent (3-of-20) from 3-point distance, resulting in 50 total points for the Bobcats.
Last year, CMU’s lowest opponent point total in MAC play was 76 points against Bowling Green.
The Chippewas are currently ranked first in the MAC in scoring defense and margin, allowing 64.3 points per game and +14.6 plus/minus rating. They rank 31st in all of Division I basketball in scoring defense.
In field goal percentage defense (39 percent) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (31.1 percent), CMU is also atop both of those categories in the MAC.
CMU head coach Keno Davis said the defensive effort has changed monumentally.
“You see guys flying after loose balls, working harder for rebounds and just getting all over the floor,” Davis said. “I think in our half court defense you are really seeing strides and to hold a team like Ohio to 50 points shows how far we have come and where we need to keep working.”
The Chippewas were led by sophomore forward David DiLeo on offense with 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc. The Iowa City, Iowa native has now scored more than 20 points in three of his last four outings.
“This year it has been all about having more confidence in my shot,” DiLeo said. “I know when I’m open I have the green light to shoot it and when I’m open I’m going to let it fly. It’s been feeling good lately and hopefully that continues.”
With the win over the Bobcats, CMU is currently on a four-game win streak and improved its record to a perfect 8-0 at home this season.
For Davis, the 12-2 start to the season is something they knew they were capable of based off of summer workouts and they just have to keep winning to prove it.
“It is an effort and commitment not only to work hard, but to understand that last year up until the last couple weeks of the season we were beating teams by outscoring them,” Davis said. “When conference play starts the pressure starts to mount and you start fresh with a new record, so now we need to take on that challenge.”
Scouting KSU
The Golden Flashes sport a losing record after finishing last season on a high note. They are just 1-4 on the road this season and are currently on a two-game losing streak.
KSU is coached by Rob Senderoff who is in his seventh season as the program’s head coach, but before taking the job in 2011, he spent seven years as an assistant. He currently holds a 128-89 record as the Golden Flashes head coach.
Losing former forward and guard Jimmy Hall and Deon Edwin has put a dent in the team's offense as they both combined for 32.1 points per game a season ago. KSU is currently tied for last in the MAC in scoring offense with only 73.3 points per game.
Junior guard Jaylin Walker was a scoring leader for the Golden Flashes a season ago and has picked up where he left off. He leads the team with 17.6 points per game and 15 steals.
