Men's basketball travels to Buffalo for MAC showdown
Senior guard Larry Austin Jr. draws contact on Eastern Michigan University defenders Jan. 29 at McGuirk Arena.
Larry Austin Jr. executed a dominant second half against arch rival Western Michigan notching a double-double.
The senior guard tallied 22 points and 11 rebounds and the intensity that he brought to the floor was fiery, and it was the difference in Central Michigan's 85-64 win over the Broncos Feb. 2. The win moved the Chippewas to 16-6, 5-4 Mid-American Conference.
"We have to be a team playing with a high intensity to win games," Austin said. "It's just how I play and we play."
That intensity is what CMU will be looking for from Austin and the rest of its lineup as they get set to take on MAC foe Buffalo Feb. 9 in Alumni Arena.
Currently, the Bulls are ranked No. 25 in the Associated Press poll at 19-3, 7-2. They are coming off a tough road loss to Bowling Green Feb. 1 where they fell 92-88 in a back and forth game to determine the MAC Eastern Division leader. The Bulls are a perfect 9-0 at home this season, the Chippewas are 4-3 on the road.
UB is led by their senior guard C.J. Massinburg. The Dallas native makes 45 percent of his shots from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc. He averages a team-high 16.9 points and pulls down 6.6 rebounds per game.
Fellow senior guard Jeremy Harris is a second threat for the Bulls, he shoots 43 percent from the field and pours in 15.6 points per game.
Stopping these two guards with CMU's senior guards, Austin and Shawn Roundtree Jr. is the key matchup of this MAC showdown. How the duo of Austin and Roundtree can defend and wear down the Bulls will prove pivotal.
"We have a tendency to wear other teams down," said head coach Keno Davis. "Some of the things you do against us in the first half you might struggle to do in the second half."
This game has major implications in terms of seeding for the MAC tournament next month. As it stands, both CMU and Buffalo are second in the Western and Eastern Divisions, respectively.
CMU and Buffalo tip-off at 3:30 p.m. Feb. 9 in Alumni Arena with the winner more than likely to be on a fast-track to a high seed in the MAC Tournament.
