The Chippewas face Tennessee State at 6:30 p.m. at Rose Arena as part of ESPN’s BracketBuster event.

“We’ll just take it as another game on our schedule,” said senior guard Jordan Bitzer. “We’re going to prepare the same way we have been for all the games we’ve played this season.”

CMU coach Ernie Zeigler said he is looking for consistency since the team lost four of its last five games.

“We need to see if we can get back to sustaining a defensive mindset,” Zeigler said. “We’ve kind of been a Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde here during the past five games, and its definitely contributed to our win/loss situation.”

The BracketBuster setup pits non-major conference teams against each other to help their chance for a potential NCAA Tournament bid.

CMU is 1-2 under Zeigler in BracketBuster games. The team defeated Fairleigh Dickinson 68-62 last season at Rose Arena as part of the series.

Tennessee State (8-20) comes off a 76-57 victory against Jacksonville State on Wednesday at Gentry Arena.

It was the Tigers’ fourth consecutive win. However, the team is 2-13 on the road this season.

The Tigers have three players averaging double-figure points per game and four in conference play.

Freshman guard Jacquan Nobles (6-foot-4) averages 11.1 points per game and freshman forward Robert Covington (6-foot) averages 10.9. Junior forward Josh Sain (6-foot-5) leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.7 points per game, but will be out of the lineup.

Sitting Second

CMU (12-13, 7-6 MAC) lost its share of the MAC West lead in a 69-63 loss to Ball State (14-11, 8-5 MAC) Wednesday in Muncie, Ind.

The teams were each 7-5 in the division coming into play.

“We don’t control our own destiny now, and we have to regroup and try to finish strong in these last three (conference) games,” Zeigler said, “and put ourselves into position to have the best record we possibly can and see where that puts us in terms of seeding.”

Ball State pushed a 10-point halftime lead to 15 in the second before CMU went on an 18-0 run, its biggest of the season. The run helped the Chippewas take the lead by as many as four.

“I was really proud of the fact that we responded after getting challenged about getting out-toughed,” Zeigler said.

The Cardinals responded, however, with an 11-2 run with about five minutes remaining to clinch the victory.

“Our inability to defend in the first half and in the key stretches of the second half with the lead put us in the position not to be able to sustain a comeback,” Zeigler said.

Bitzer led CMU with 18 points while three others scored seven. Randy Davis led the Cardinals with 24 points and Jauwan Scaife had 18.

Ball State shot 48.8 percent for the game, double the 24.4 percent it shot in CMU’s 58-38 win in the team’s previous matchup Jan. 13 at Rose Arena.

CMU returns to conference play Wednesday at Northern Illinois.

The Chippewas lost 69-63 to the Cardinals and are now a game behind BSU in the Mid-American Conference West Division standings.

The teams came into the game each 7-5 in conference, tied for the West Division lead and the final bye spot in the MAC tournament.

The Cardinal defense shut down the Chippewas early, holding them scoreless until 13:48 in the first half.

Ball State led 36-25 at half, outshooting CMU 52.2 percent to 33.3

“Our effort in the first half defensively definitely affected the end result here,” said CMU coach Ernie Zeigler.

The Cardinals pushed their lead to 15 before the Chippewas came back.

“Ball State came out the second half and knocked us on our heels again right away,” Zeigler said. “We called timeout and I just challenged our toughness.”

Central went on a 18-0 run and took the lead with 11:16 remaining and led by as many as four.

But Ball State responded with a 11-2 run. CMU never retook the lead and is now second in the MAC West.

“We just had breakdowns,” Zeigler said.

CMU was outshot 48.8 percent to 35.9 percent and Ball State scored 24 points from the free-throw line while CMU had nine.

The Chippewas held Ball State to 24.4 percent shooting in the team’s 58-38 victory on Jan. 13 in Rose Arena.

Senior guard Jordan Bitzer led them Wednesday with 18 points, while three others had seven points.

Cardinal guard Randy Davis scored a game-high 24 points and guard Juawan Scaife had 18.

Zeigler said the team was unable to contain Davis as well as it would have liked.

“He’s playing with a boatload of confidence and obviously they are giving him the green light to make plays,” he said.

CMU (12-13, 7-6 MAC) plays Tennessee State at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Rose Arena, its last non-conference game of the season.

Check Friday’s edition for expanded coverage.

The Chippewas and Cardinals will battle for the Mid-American Conference West Division lead, much like the scenario from last year, where CMU came into the matchup 5-7 in the MAC and Ball State 6-6.

“It’s going to be a huge game,” said coach Ernie Zeigler. “I think each one of these divisional games are going to be huge for all of us … everyone that’s fighting to try to put themselves in a position to win the division.”

Ball State won the game 53-44 last year, and the two teams tied at the end of the season with Western Michigan for a share of the MAC West title.

“Hopefully, for us, we can have a different outcome for ourselves (this year),” Zeigler said.
The teams — each with a 7-5 conference record — are tied for the final bye spot in the MAC Tournament, along with Buffalo.

CMU won the first matchup of the season, defeating BSU 53-38 on Jan. 13 at Rose Arena. The Chippewas held the Cardinals to 24.4 percent shooting and allowed the lowest point total CMU has given up in conference play since joining the MAC in 1972.

Seniors Jordan Bitzer, Robbie Harman and Chris Kellermann all finished with double-digit points, scoring 12, 12 and 14 respectively.

However, the Cardinals have improved since that game. They are 5-2 in their last seven and have gained two games on CMU during that stretch.

“We got them here at home,” Harman said. “We played pretty well that game … We just need to play our game and not play to them.”

BSU has been led by a balanced attack in conference play. It has four players averaging 9.7 points per game or more.

“It’s going to be huge test for us to go in there and try to impose our will and do the things that we want to do defensively,” Zeigler said.

Scorers

Leading BSU in scoring through conference play is sophomore guard Randy Davis (5-foot-11), who averages 11.2 points per game. Sophomore forward Jarrod Jones (6-foot-9) averages 10.6 and freshman guard Jauwan Scaife (6-foot-2) and senior forward Terrence Watson (6-foot-5) average 9.7 each.

Ball State (13-11, 7-5 MAC) beat Northern Illinois 71-66 Saturday in DeKalb, Ill., avenging a loss from earlier in the season.

CMU (12-12, 7-5 MAC) comes off a 63-46 win against Toledo Sunday at Rose Arena — CMU held UT to 35.7 percent shooting — that snapped a three-game losing streak.

But in Rose Arena that day, it was the first half that lacked offensive play — the team shot just 35 percent.

Despite that, the team won 63-46 thanks to strong defensive play.

During the team’s three-game losing streak, snapped by the team’s win against the Rockets, CMU led by three against Kent State, was tied with Akron and led by three at Ohio going into the second half. But it let the game slip away in each.

In the two home losses against Kent State and Akron, the Chippewas held late leads, but allowed the two Mid-American Conference powers to come back.

In Sunday’s win, their strong defensive effort held the Rockets to 35.7 percent shooting, and their improved offensive game in the second half made up for a lackluster opening.
But the inconsistencies can’t happen Wednesday, when the team travels to Ball State.

“I think our mental focus has to continue to improve,” said coach Ernie Zeigler. “As a coach and even as players, you want to try to strive to play your very best, and play as close as you can to perfection. And, quite honestly, we haven’t put together that perfect game offensively and defensively yet.”

Showdown in Muncie

The team plays Ball State at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Muncie, Ind., in a showdown for the MAC West. CMU (12-12, 7-5 MAC) and Ball State (13-11, 7-5 MAC) are tied for the lead in the MAC West and are tied for the last remaining bye for the MAC Tournament. Buffalo also is tied for the final bye spot.

The Chippewas defeated the Cardinals earlier this year, 53-38 in Rose Arena, holding BSU to 24.4 percent shooting and 38 points, the lowest point total CMU has allowed since joining the MAC.

But don’t expect the game to go that way again in Muncie. The Cardinals are 5-2 in their last seven games and gained two games on the Chippewas since the beginning of crossover play against the MAC East.

Ball State even avenged an early-season loss against Northern Illinois Saturday, defeating the Huskies 71-66 in DeKalb, Ill.

“The thing we have to understand is that they’re a different team than the team we played a month or so ago,” Zeigler said.

Coming into a crucial game against the hot team, the Chippewas have no room for error and need to play their most complete game of the season.

The deciding factor in whether the team returns to Mount Pleasant with the MAC West lead is if it can play its in-your-face defensive game.

In its victory against Ball State earlier in the season, CMU was able to accomplish that, and it will have to do so again.

The Chippewas held the Rockets to 35.7 percent shooting, and 3-for-10 from the 3-point line.

Junior forward Will McClure said coach Ernie Zeigler stressed defense during the team’s prior practices and pointed out where it was struggling

“We just put a lot more effort into defending,” McClure said.

The Chippewas outrebounded the Rockets 33-26, something Zeigler said correlated to the team’s defensive play.

“I think we did a really good job of imposing our will defensively,” Zeigler said

However, CMU shot 42.6% and 35% in the first half.

The victory snapped a three-game losing streak, and a two game losing streak at home.

The win completed the season sweep against Toledo, defeating the Rockets 59-48 on Jan. 9 in Toledo earlier in the season. Toledo (3-23, 0-12 Mid-American Conference) is the only team in the MAC still without a conference victory.

Senior guards Robbie Harman and Jordan Bitzer led CMU in scoring, finishing with 18 and 15 points, respectively.

Freshman guard Jake Barnett was the only Rocket to finish in double figures, scoring 10. Barnett was 3-for-12 from the field and 2-for-7 from the 3-point line.

CMU (12-12, 7-5 MAC) plays Ball State at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Muncie, Ind. The two team’s currently tied for the lead in the MAC West and the final bye spot, along with Buffalo, for the conference tournament.

Check Monday’s edition for expanded coverage.

CMU lost 89-76 against Ohio University at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio.

The senior guard scored his 200th career 3-pointer with 7:52 remaining in the first half to pass former CMU guard Giordon Watson for the CMU all-time lead in 3-pointers.

“I knew I was eventually going to hit that mark,” Harman said. “It happened to happen tonight, which is great. But we came up short.”

He finished the game with a career-high 31 points off 9-for-14 3-point shooting. His nine 3-pointers also were a career high.

Harman’s record breaking 3-pointer helped CMU lead 40-37 at halftime. But Ohio pulled away quickly in the second, outscoring CMU 27-12 to open the half.

“They did a really good job of forcing tempo,” said CMU coach Ernie Zeigler. “They came out with a lot of energy and got us on our heels.”

The Bobcats led by as many as 17, consistently keeping the Chippewas at bay. Ohio outshot CMU in the game, 49 percent to 39.3 and took advantage of its free-throw-shooting opportunities.

“It was probably the worst officiated game that I’ve ever been a part of as a former player, high school/AAU coach, assistant college coach, professional coach overseas and now the head coach here,” Zeigler said. “It was abysmal.”

The Chippewas were called for 29 fouls, allowing Ohio to shoot 35-for-48 from the free throw line. Ohio had 15 fouls and CMU was 14-for-16 from the line.

Senior guard Jordan Bitzer finished with 16 points, but shot 3-for-16 from the field before fouling out with 3:10 remaining. Senior forward Chris Kellermann finished with nine points, while junior forward Jalin Thomas had eight points and a team-leading nine rebounds. Kellermann fouled out with 1:59 remaining.

Bobcat junior guard Armon Bassett led Ohio with 25 points. Junior forward DeVaughn Washington had 24 points, 19 from the free throw line, and freshman guard D.J. Cooper had 19 and six rebounds.

Despite the loss, CMU (11-12, 6-5 MAC) is still tied for the lead in the MAC West with Ball State (12-11, 6-5 MAC). The Cardinals lost 76-42 Wednesday at MAC-leading Kent State.

Back to the West

CMU gets back to MAC West play when it hosts Toledo (3-22, 0-11 MAC) at 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Rose Arena.

Toledo is last in the MAC and has not won since Dec. 10 against Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, a 15-game losing streak.

The Rockets are coming off a 55-47 loss against Miami (OH) in Oxford, Ohio. Toledo led by three at the half, but allowed the RedHawks to shoot 68.8 percent in the second half.

Toledo is 0-11 on the road and score the lowest amount of points per game in the conference (55.4). UT also has the worst scoring margin (-12.4 points), the highest turnover margin (-4.72) and the worst rebounding margin (-1.8).

CMU defeated Toledo 59-48 in Toledo to begin the MAC season on Jan. 9. The Chippewas held the Rockets to 36.1 percent shooting and were led by Harman and Bitzer, who finished with 17 and 15 points, respectively.

Freshman guard Jake Barnett (6-foot-5) led the Rockets with 19 points. He leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.3 points per game. Junior forward Justin Anyijong (6-foot-9) leads the team in rebounding, averaging 5.3 per game.

The senior guard scored a career-high 31 points in the team’s 89-76 loss to Ohio in the Convocation Center.

Harman scored nine 3-pointers in the game, with his second being the biggest. With 7:52 left in the first half Harman scored his 200th career 3-pointer, passing former CMU guard Giordon Watson for the CMU all-time lead.

“I’m really proud of him and happy for him in being able to ascend to the top of record books and establishing himself as the best 3-point shooter in history of the school,” said CMU coach Ernie Zeigler. “Unfortunately it didn’t come in a winning cause.”

Harman’s 3-pointers in the first half helped CMU to a 40-37 lead going into the second half.

However, Ohio outscored the Chippewas 52-36 in the second half, dropping CMU (11-12, 6-5 Mid-American Conference) back into a first place tie for the MAC West lead with Ball State (12-11, 6-5 MAC).

Ohio went to the free throw line 48 times in the game, scoring 35 points from the line. CMU was 14-for-16 in the game.

The Bobcats were led by junior guard Armon Bassett, junior forward DeVaugn Washington and freshman guard D.J. Copper, who finished with 25, 24 and 19 points respectively.

CMU plays against Toledo (3-22, 0-11 MAC) at 4:30 p.m. Sunday in Rose Arena.

The Chippewas defeated the Rockets 59-48 on Jan. 9 in Toledo to open MAC play.

Check Monday’s edition for expanded coverage.

CMU entered the stretch 3-0 at home in Mid-American Conference play. Lately, that success has disappeared.

The team’s 56-52 loss against Akron on Tuesday at Rose Arena was its second consecutive at home, ending the home stretch at 1-2. Its lone home win came against Buffalo, which came into the game losing four of its past five.

CMU’s other loss came against MAC-leading Kent State on Saturday.

But more than the losses, how the team lost the two games has been a point of concern. In its loss to Kent State, CMU led by nine points with about 10 minutes remaining in the second half. But the Golden Flashes went on a 13-0 run and pulled away.

On Tuesday, it was much of the same. CMU led by as many as 11 late in the second half before faltering again. The Zips closed the game on a 8-0 run and the Chippewas shot just 28.6 percent for the game.

“We just self destructed down at the end,” said senior guard Jordan Bitzer. “Couldn’t get any stops. … They hit shots. We self destructed.”

With the loss, CMU (11-11, 6-4 MAC) is tied with Ball State (12-10, 6-4 MAC) for the lead in the MAC West.

Athens bound

CMU’s loss of the outright lead in the division makes Thursday’s game against Ohio, the final against MAC East teams, even more important now.

Ball State plays Wednesday at Kent State. While the Golden Flashes are leading the MAC and defeated CMU at home, there is no guarantee they will beat Ball State. The Cardinals are 4-1 against MAC East teams this year.

CMU needs to win Thursday to guarantee at least a share of the lead in the division. The team probably will have to win five of its final six MAC games to win the division outright.

The importance of winning the MAC West will mean more than just a banner this season, too. The top four seeds in the MAC get a bye in the first round of the conference tournament and, the way things are shaking out, only one MAC West school will receive one.

Kent State (8-2), Akron (7-3) and Miami (7-3) are the top three teams in the conference right now, leaving one spot for a bye.

While the Chippewas’ past two losses have been hard to take, they still control their own destiny for the rest of the season and can’t allow the setbacks to end their season prematurely.

“Every game from here on out is a must-win now,” said senior guard Robbie Harman. “We screwed ourselves with these last two games. Could have won, had some room to work with. But we got to take care of business on the road and at home now.”

The Chippewas are coming off a 68-63 loss Saturday to East-leading Kent State in front of 3,142 fans, their first home MAC loss of the season.

“They were able to establish themselves in the second half, particularly offensively,” said CMU coach Ernie Zeigler. “And we just really struggled to guard and get stops and, ultimately, it was too hard to stand.”

Akron (17-7, 7-3 MAC) beat Ball State 75-70 in overtime the same day in Muncie, Ind.
Sophomore guard Anthony Hitchens led the Zips with 17 points. Hitchens was one of four Akron players to score in double figures.

Sophomore forward Nikola Cvetinovic and senior forward Jimmy Conyers finished with a team-leading 10 rebounds.

McKnight leads the team in scoring this year, averaging 10.2 points per game, while Conyers is the leading rebounder, averaging 6.6 per game.

The Zips have the second-best defense in the MAC, giving up 62.8 points per game. They also lead the conference in scoring margin, scoring 7.7 more points than their opponent per game.

CMU is 1-2 against Akron under Zeigler; its lone win came at home in 2007-08.
CMU (11-10, 6-3 MAC) is a half-game ahead of Ball State (12-10, 6-4 MAC) in the MAC West.

Saturday

CMU senior guard Jordan Bitzer made a 3-pointer with 12:44 remaining Saturday and the noise inside Rose Arena reached its pinnacle, sending Kent State reeling.
But the Golden Flashes, down 48-39, did not panic.

The perennial Mid-American Conference power called a timeout, regrouped and began to control the play, coming back to defeat the Chippewas.

“They’re a team that’s been in big games throughout their entire program, and getting down by nine points when we made that little run was nothing to them,” Bitzer said.

The Golden Flashes outshot CMU 58.1 percent to 48.9, including 68.2 percent in the second half.

“We were trying to switch up defense on them and keep them guessing, but they did a great job attacking our defenses and putting the pressure on us,” Bitzer said.

The win snapped a seven-game home winning streak for CMU and allowed Kent State (17-7, 8-2 MAC) to keep the conference lead.

CMU played without senior guard Robbie Harman for all but six minutes of the first half after he picked up two early fouls.

In the second, CMU maintained its lead and junior guard Amir Rashid and Bitzer hit back-to-back field goals, forcing Kent State to take its timeout.

The Golden Flashes went on a 13-0 run following, going up by four.

“We were just not able to get stops,” said CMU coach Ernie Zeigler.

CMU battled back, however, and took the lead briefly after a steal and dunk by junior guard Antonio Weary.

But Kent State went on another 6-0 run and did not relinquish the lead since.

Bitzer led the Chippewas with 19 points, while Thomas had 12 and Weary had 10. The Golden Flashes were led by forward Justin Greene, who scored 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting.

The Chippewas lost 68-63 against Kent State in front of 3,142.

The Golden Flashes (17-7, 8-2 MAC) came into the game a half game ahead of CMU (11-10, 6-3 MAC) in the MAC standings.

“You had two really good teams battle here,” said CMU coach Ernie Zeigler.

The turning point in the game came with less than 13 minutes remaining. With CMU leading by nine, KSU called a timeout and regrouped.

The Golden Flashes came out with a 13-0 run, taking the lead. CMU came back to lead by one, but KSU responded with a 6-0 run.

Kent State shot 58.1 percent, including 68.2 in the second half. The second-half shooting helped the Golden Flashes overcome a 31-28 first-half deficit.

“I think they were able to establish themselves in the second half, particularly offensively,” Zeigler said. “We just really struggled to guard and get stops.”

Senior guard Jordan Bitzer led CMU with 19 points. Junior forward Jalin Thomas scored 12 and junior guard Antonio Weary had 10, despite battling in foul trouble most of the game.

Forward Justin Green led the Golden Flashes with 22 points while guards Chris Singletary and Rodriguez Sherman each finished in double figures, scoring 19 and 13 points, respectively.

KSU outscored CMU in the paint 32-24.

CMU, however, still maintains a half game lead atop Ball State (12-10, 6-4 MAC), which lost against Akron in overtime Saturday in Muncie, Ind.

The loss snapped the Chippewas seven-game home winning streak and was its first home loss in MAC play.

The Chippewas host Akron at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Rose Arena.

Check Monday’s edition for expanded coverage.