Men’s hoops happy to be back home after loss to KSU
Central Michigan University’s men’s basketball team looks to shake off Tuesday’s 63-53 loss as the Chippewas prepare to take on the Ohio University Bobcats at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday at McGuirk Arena.
The Bobcats have experienced a fair amount of success, not only in the Mid-American Conference, but on the national circuit as well.
With 14 regular season championships, six MAC tournament titles and 13 NCAA Tournament appearances under the program’s belt, Ohio has a rich college basketball tradition.
“Ohio has got such a great winning tradition, with the NCAA Tournament runs and MAC Championships but our guys don’t really know that, ” Head Coach Keno Davis said.“Our guys are young and they only look back to the last couple of years to see what Ohio has done.”
Ohio will come to McGuirk Arena with an overall record of 7-11 (2-5 in MAC) but, as Davis said when his team defeated Eastern Michigan University last week, their record is not the most accurate depiction of where the team is at right now.
“The MAC is an equal league where it stands right now,” Davis said. “A lot of games in this league you can throw out who you get beat by. I don’t see much separation in the MAC from the top to the bottom.”
Junior guard Chris Fowler said he views Saturday’s game as an opportunity to get back on the right track. Playing in front of the home crowd again will give him and his teammates a boost of confidence.
“At midnight, no matter the outcome, you forget the game and move onto the next one,” Fowler said. “As sad as you might be after a loss, you have to bring yourself up.”
Fowler said he hopes Saturday’s gameday environment will be similar to the one a week ago, where more than 4,000 people showed up to watch CMU top EMU 65-51.
“We feel comfortable in this atmosphere. We’re looking forward to build off of the energy the crowd gave us last time,” Fowler said.
A Southfield-native, Fowler is averaging 14.2 points per game and 6.1 assists per game, both of which lead the Chippewas.
“Every team in the MAC has some kind of history,” he said. “We know who Ohio is-they’ve made the NCAA Tournament, but we want to play everyone the same way, like it’s a championship.”
Green light special
Braylon Rayson, a sophomore guard from Dallas, has had the green light to shoot from virtually wherever he pleases so far this season.
If he feels he is open, there’s no hesitation-he is going to take the shot. This was not always the case for Rayson.
“I’ve been (shooting from all around) since I was young,” he said. “I had to gain the trust of my coaches though.”
Shooting from any spot within reason as a Chippewa has been a work in progress for him.
“Last year I wasn’t able to just take any shots I wanted,” Rayson said. “They knew I could score but I gained their trust once I started making the shots.”
Rayson is averaging 4.7 three-point field goal attempts per game, putting him at third on the team behind juniors John Simons and Josh Kozinski.
“I know if a shot is right to take. It depends on who is guarding me because if a guy my height is guarding me, it’s a bucket. If a bigger guy is guarding me, I’ll try to get a block or step back so I can take the shot.”
