CMU wins against NIU, 94-72
Greg BurghardtCLEVELAND – The CMU men’s basketball team is one win away from qualifying for its first NCAA Tournament bid since 1987.
“This is huge,” said junior guard T.J. Meerman, whose team will face off with Kent State in Saturday’s MAC Tournament Championship. “We haven’t been there in a long time. I’m really excited. We just need to stay focused.”
Focus was not a problem for much of Central’s 94-72 semifinal victory Friday over Northern Illinois. The Chippewas (23-6) continued their hot shooting, hitting 60 percent of their shots including 67 percent of their three-pointers.
“To have that kind of outside play (from the guards) with the added inside presence of a future pro (center Chris Kaman) is hard to stop,” said NIU Head Coach Rob Judson.
CMU will face the No. 2-seeded Golden Flashes, who defeated No. 11 Ohio 73-70 in the second semifinal.
“We’re excited and looking forward to it,” said senior guard J.R. Wallace, who scored 22 points in Friday’s game. “We have to keep doing the stuff that we’ve been doing.”
Kaman overcame his earlier struggles against the Huskies, tallying 23 points and 14 rebounds. Senior forward Mike Manciel added 18 points in the team’s balanced attack, while Meerman scored a career-high 12 points, all in the first half.
“I haven’t seen a game with that kind of disparity (between guard and post play),” Judson said. “They might be a poor man’s version of the Duke teams with (Carlos) Boozer, (Jay) Williams and (Shane) Battier.”
The Chippewas hit seven of 11 three-pointers in the first half, which led to a 48-37 lead.
NIU played strong in the beginning of the second half, cutting the lead to as close as five points. A putback and deep three-pointer by Manciel, however, gave the Chippewas a safe lead.
Jay Bates had 29 points for NIU (17-14) while P.J. Smith chipped in 15 points.
CMU has never defeated Kent State during Head Coach Jay Smith’s reign. The last time the Chippewas defeated the Golden Flashes was during the 1996-97 season.
Kent won an 82-78 game at home in January.
Judson said even if Central were to lose to the Golden Flashes, they should get into the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid.
“Tell Jay (Bilas), Dick (Vitale) and Digger (Phelps) that they need to be in the tournament,” Judson said. “No matter what happens tomorrow.”
ESPN 2 will televise the MAC Tournament Championship at 7 p.m. today.
