Then, with a grin at his disposal, the Central Michigan men’s basketball coach name-dropped, oh-so cleverly, drawing attention to something written late last week by another media guy — an at times cocky, untouchable, know-it-all columnist/reporter.

“You know, a little bit to that,” he said with a laugh. “Andrew was at the practice the other day and he wrote about his story on tension, and (Coimbra) does contribute to tension. I’ll just say that.”

Tension?

Zeigler and CMU had just won, beating Bowling Green 69-64 Saturday night at McGuirk Arena.

There is no tension after wins, no lack of leadership or animosity.

Zeigler has been tested this year.

“We’ve had trouble with leadership early in the season and in the middle of the season,” he acknowledged.

But leadership starts with Zeigler — the message he delivers, the recruits he takes in.

His fingerprints are all over the team’s leadership: The good, the bad and the ugly.

But he’s hopeful.

“Hopefully, we’re going to start getting better with our leadership as we move forward down the stretch,” he said.

That’s a must, but is it out of the realm of possibility? Perhaps not.

Last week at practice, senior Jalin Thomas said it was time “to be right on board with Coach Z.”

With three of the final five Mid-American Conference games at home, now is the ideal time. CMU is 4-1 at home in the MAC as it prepares for another home game Wednesday against Eastern Michigan.

Zeigler subtly criticized the fact that CMU has yet to play back-to-back conference home games.

He attributed some of the road struggles to a little-recognized obstacle: CMU is the fourth-youngest team in the nation.

“When you go on the road, there’s a mindset of toughness that you got to have to fight through when the calls aren’t going your way,” he said, “to fight through when the crowd gets into it, to fight through when you make a mistake and you can’t drop your head, you got to keep playing.”

But CMU has opportunity, somehow. Toledo and Northern Illinois are the Chippewas’ final two road MAC opponents. Toledo is 1-10 in the MAC, Northern Illinois is 3-8 — the conference’s two bottom feeders who CMU already has beaten at McGuirk Arena.

The remaining home slate calls for EMU, Ball State and Western Michigan. All three previous games against the trio could have gone either way. EMU beat CMU at home by three. WMU needed overtime to beat the Chippewas. Against Ball State, CMU seemed in control until Thomas went down with the same sprained ankle that has hindered his game since.

It’s doubtful CMU could make up enough ground on WMU (6-4 MAC) and Ball State (6-5) to make a run at the West Division again, but the schedule — and the success CMU has had at home, for that matter — makes a small run possible, at least for jockeying position in the MAC tournament.

Ernie, what do you think?

“If we can take care of business at home and just keep getting better here down the stretch, you know, who knows what’s going to happen?”

For now, let’s put the ‘what ifs” aside.

Bask in something positive, instead. It’s been badly needed.

For at least a few days, leadership of any form won’t be called into question.