COLUMN: If men's basketball goes to postseason, opponents should fear Chippewas
Nearly every shot that went up in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, the members of Central Michigan's bench rose from their seats and fell back onto them simultaneous to the ball.
With a make, the group immediately swung towels and threw fist pumps.
The bench shows how much passion the Chippewas play with, especially when the stakes are win or go home.
While CMU was eliminated from the MAC Tournament at the hands of No. 1 Buffalo in the semifinals, the Chippewas should be commended for the season that it had.
Most importantly, CMU should be respected in any tournament that it plays in the postseason, should it accept an invitation.
A person close to the situation told Central Michigan Life the postseason is in limbo, as the athletic department is searching for a financially prudent option.
The Chippewas finished their season 23-11 overall and 10-8 in MAC play. Keno Davis' team was fifth overall in the conference and second in the MAC West Division.
Not bad for a squad that was selected to finish in last place before the 2018-19 campaign began.
Analysts and critics said that the Chippewas were "rebuilding" because they had a mixture of new faces.
Transfers like senior guard Larry Austin Jr. and junior forward Rob Montgomery were the biggest question marks as to how this team was going to blend with senior guard Shawn Roundtree Jr., junior forward David DiLeo and junior guard Kevin McKay.
They gelled together pretty well – no rebuilding necessary.
Roundtree and Austin constantly fed off each other in terms of energy and their internal fire to succeed. It translated to success for the Chippewas.
The pair led the team in points per game. Austin with 17.4, Roundtree with 16.6 points per game. The connection that the two seniors had was instant. Unfortunately for coach Davis and Chippewa fans, they were only able to play together for one year.
After the MAC Tournament quarterfinals against Kent State, Davis expressed his praise for the leadership of the senior guards.
"They lead vocally and they lead by example, so I can't say enough about them," Davis said. "I think obviously we wouldn't have the 23 wins without them, but I think, more importantly, I think they're going to leave the program in better shape having been here at CMU."
That leadership from Roundtree and Austin helped guide CMU through its run in the MAC Tournament, and it seemed to rub off on their teammates.
Guys like McKay, DiLeo and even junior guard Dallas Morgan, and the rest of the Chippewas, stepped up into roles that propelled them to a near-upset of the top-seeded, and No. 18 ranked, Bulls.
It remains unclear if the Chippewas will accept a bid into any postseason tournament, but if they do, and they should, every other team in the bracket better hope they don't draw the team from Mount Pleasant.
