Three takeaways from CMU's 87-60 win over EMU
Central Michigan's 87-60 win over Eastern Michigan was the largest win over the Eagles since 1987, and CMU's largest Mid-American Conference win since a 75-51 victory over Ball State on Feb. 27, 2018.
Much has changed since the 2017-18 season, along with the graduation or exit of every player who played in that game against the Cardinals.
After suffering a 76-61 loss to Western Michigan in its MAC opener, CMU took the court against the Eagles on Tuesday with the look of a different team. Where the Chippewas struggled offensively against the Broncos, they found angles and diced up the Eagles' zone. Where CMU struggled in the paint against WMU, it dominated against EMU.
Despite seeing a double-digit first-half lead trimmed to just five points at the buzzer, coach Keno Davis praised his team's ability to respond. A 20-4 run midway through the second half blew the doors off the game, paving the way to an easy win.
"Our guys, they weren't despondent coming in at half time," Davis said. "They felt really good. They thought this is a team that we matchup with and if we play hard, we can beat anybody on our schedule. Now, we have to play well, but our fans are gonna see why I was so optimistic about this team."
Here are three takeaways from CMU's blowout win over EMU
Not your typical Keno Davis team
In past years, the Chippewas have gained the reputation for being an up-and-down the floor team, playing with lots of possessions and taking a high number of 3-pointers. Led by top-tier guards in Marcus Keene and Braylon Rayson and sharpshooters like David DiLeo and John Simons, the Chippewas won games by simply outshooting their opponents.
That won't be the product that takes the floor for CMU in 2020-21.
Those sharpshooters would've had a field day against the Eagles' zone defense. While the Chippewas have five regulars who shoot above 35 percent from beyond the arc, they have an inside presence unlike the one they've had in years past.
In junior Malik Muhammad and freshman Aundre Polk, the Chippewas have two players capable of playing low-post basketball and banging around with the big boys. That was on display against EMU, as the duo combined for 18 points and 10 rebounds. The Chippewas outscored the Eagles 44-22 in the paint.
Junior guard Meikkel Murray also had his fair share of success playing the role of slasher. On multiple occasions, Murray found holes in the zone and cut to the basket. He finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, his sixth straight game in double digits.
Against a zone defense that is content giving up the 3-ball as opposed to more efficient looks at the rim, the Chippewas still hit their fair share of 3-pointers on the strength of solid nights from senior guard Travon Broadway Jr. and junior guard Matt Beachler. However, what CMU did inside the arc stood out in the win.
Murray and Broadway emerging as go-to players
Early in the season, the Chippewas lacked a go-to scorer in big situations. Junior guard Caleb Huffman would hit shots off the bench, but they didn't have a bona fide option to go to in crunch time.
As the season moves toward its halfway point, Broadway Jr. and Murray are looking like those options for the Chippewas.
The duo is responsible for 35 percent of CMU's total possessions this season, where a possession is defined as either a shot or a turnover committed by the player. Broadway Jr. has been the more efficient player, averaging 1.046 points per possession. After a rough start to the season from the field, Murray has rebounded to shoot above 46 percent and now averages .832 points per possession.
With the Chippewas needing a strong offensive performance after their clunker against the Broncos, Davis drew up the game plan to feature a lot of both Broadway Jr. and Murray. This test was passed by both players with flying colors as both players tied career-highs in scoring, including Broadway Jr. pouring in a game-high 21 points.
"They both had great games," Davis said of Broadway and Murray. "In the most important spot against Eastern Michigan, (our) two guys played the best. I think that was the story of our offense."
Broadway Jr. and Murray now rank first and third, respectively, in points per game; with Huffman ranking second. There's no doubt that there will be solid performances by surrounding role players such as junior wing Ralph Bissainthe and Beachler, but the Chippewas will need consistency from Murray and Broadway Jr. to be successful in conference play.
Polk and Muhammad play without fouling, contribute in big ways
Defensively, the Chippewas held the Eagles to just 38 percent shooting. Outside of a stretch that saw EMU hit five straight 3-point attempts, the Chippewas allowed just four triples. Senior forward Ty Groce did his thing, scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds Outside of Groce, the Eagles were rendered largely ineffective for most of the second half.
The performance is a major step in the right direction for a defensive unit that allowed 92 points to a Division II Flagler College team a month ago.
The big difference from then to now is the inside presence. Muhammad didn't play in the game against Flagler, and he's proven to be as-advertised as a rim protector. He's nearly blocked a shot per game and had the team's only rejection against the Eagles.
Polk also appears to be playing with more confidence. He's a thunderous dunker around the rim offensively and gives up very little on defense. The key with him, and also with Muhammad, is to play without fouling. Early in the season, both struggled with foul trouble. It's understandable as both were getting their first taste of Division I basketball, and it appears both are starting to settle in.
Their low-post abilities give the Chippewas a post presence they haven't had in years past. In Muhammad, Polk, redshirt freshman Caleb Hodgson and graduate transfer Braden Burke, the Chippewas have a lot of frontcourt depth. However, Davis has yet to have a game in which all four were active. Burke has missed the last five games, and it appeared that Hodgson was dressed but did not play.
Being able to develop the newcomers in the frontcourt will go a long way for CMU, as having an inside-out attack will diversify the offense and make it tougher for opponents to defend. The success the Chippewas had should be heeded by both them and their opponents.
