Preview: Men’s basketball sees rival EMU as chance to end recent slump
Central Michigan men’s basketball began its season with a promising 13-2 start, but has dropped three-straight and four of its past five contests.
The Chippewas (14-6, 3-4 Mid-American Conference) look to reverse the negative trend against in-state rival Eastern Michigan (9-11, 3-4 MAC).
No stranger to dry spells, EMU had also lost three consecutive games in the MAC before throttling Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, 93-67, on Jan. 26. The Eagles have had a rough season thus far, but showed signs of proficiency in the win over WMU and a 34-point drubbing of Kent State.
The Eagles have played against two of college basketball’s best programs this year -- No. 11 Kansas and No. 2 Duke. Having shared a court with perennial powerhouses, EMU will presumably be unintimidated by a road game against CMU.
EMU boasts an experienced nucleus of players. Senior forward Elijah Minnie leads the Eagles with 14.1 points per game, while senior point guard Paul Jackson adds 13.1 points per game and senior forward James Thompson IV averages 11.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
Coming off a 76-72 loss at Toledo, CMU hopes to counter EMU’s experience with an up-tempo attack that keeps the Eagles on their heels. The Chippewas rank 14th in the nation with a scoring average of 84.6 points per game, whereas EMU prefers a slower pace, averaging 71.5 points on offense but allowing a mere 70.5 points on the defensive side.
Senior guard Larry Austin, Jr. has been a bright spot for CMU during their slump, scoring 17.3 points per game in the Chippewas’ three-game losing streak. Over the same time frame, senior guard Shawn Roundtree, Jr. averaged 13.7 points, but shot a disappointing 10-of-35 from the field in that span.
In order for Roundtree to lead his team over the Eagles, he must find the offensive rhythm that’s been missing for him in recent games. Matched up against EMU’s Jackson, the battle between the two explosive floor generals may well be the game’s deciding factor.
Though both Roundtree and Jackson average double digits in points, they are also essential to the success of their teammates. Roundtree is second on CMU in assists with 65 on the season, while Jackson has dished out 89 assists for EMU, 54 more than the next-closest Eagle in that category.
Roundtree looks to reassert himself as the Chippewas’ offensive catalyst against the Eagles in a 7 p.m. rivalry game at McGuirk Arena on Jan. 29.
