Men’s basketball starts CIT on road against Fort Wayne
Junior guard Shawn Roundtree falls during the basketball game against University of Buffalo on March 8 at Quicken Loans Arena.
After a quarterfinal loss to Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, the Central Michigan men’s basketball team is headed to the playoffs in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
The Chippewas (19-14, 7-11 Mid-American Conference) will take on Fort Wayne (18-14, 7-7 Summit League) at noon on March 12 at the Hilliard Gates Sports Center. The game will be broadcasted live on the CBS Sports Network.
Tickets are available for $1.
"We're appreciative of having the opportunity to continue our season," said CMU head coach Keno Davis. "We understand that there a lot of teams that would like to have the same opportunity that we do.
"It's exciting for our seniors to be able to continue to play and it will be good experience for those players who will return to the program next year, and it will be an opportunity for them to continue to improve individually and as a team."
The Chippewa seniors include Luke Meyer, Josh Kozinski, Cecil Williams and John McCarty.
The 2018 CIT begins on March 12. The first round is from March 12-15, the second round goes from March 16-21, the quarterfinals are from March 22-25, the semifinals run on March 28 and the title game is played on March 30.
If Davis earns 20 wins this season, he will receive a payment of $5,000. The Chippewas are currently 19-14, meaning Davis is one victory away from a bonus. According to the athletic department, Davis said he will donate the money back to the university.
Scouting Report
Of eight teams in the Summit League, the Mastodons entered the conference tournament with the No. 4 seed. Fort Wayne, coached by Jon Coffman, fell in the quarterfinals to North Dakota State, 86-82.
Fort Wayne is led by senior guard Bryson Scott, who averages 22.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and two steals per game. He also shoots 82.2 percent from the free throw line.
Junior guard John Konchar is second to Scott, logging 15 points on average. He leads the team with 8.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists. Junior guard Kason Harrell tosses in 13.8 points per game.
The Mastodons have won 22 straight home games in nonconference play. The last time Fort Wayne lost a nonconference game at home in 2014.
On Dec. 18, Fort Wayne defeated Big Ten Conference opponent Indiana by 20 points. The Mastodons made 17 3-pointers in the win.
In the NCAA Division I RPI, Fort Wayne is ranked No. 209 of 351 programs. CMU sits at No. 169.
Last CIT Appearance
CMU last went to the CIT in the 2015-16 season. The Chippewas were knocked out by University of Tennessee-Martin, 76-73, in the First Round.
Davis has never made the NCAA Tournament at CMU.
