Preview: CMU women's basketball looking to make run in Cleveland
The Central Michigan University women's basketball team huddles up after halftime against Bowling Green State University in McGuirk Arena on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. The team went on to win 77-65. (CM-Life | Trevor Sparks)
On Feb. 14, the Chippewas clinched a spot in the 2026 Mid-American Conference Tournament. Now, the time has come for them to "make some noise" at Rocket Arena.
The Central Michigan women's basketball team heads to Cleveland this week to compete in the MAC Tournament. The first game is scheduled for approximately 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, and it will take on the No. 5-seeded Ohio Bobcats (17-12, 11-7).
The Chippewas, who are 18-11 overall and 12-6 in the conference, continue to improve under the leadership of Haynie. This is the best record CMU has seen since the 2020-21 season, when they won the MAC Tournament.
In its last meeting on Dec. 31, Central Michigan fell 85-83 to Ohio in an overtime thriller.
“I’m glad we have this time to prepare for them, because they do run a different [defensive] system,” head coach Kristin Haynie said about Ohio. “We just gotta not let that system affect us and not let us be stagnant and hesitant on the offensive end.”
After a disappointing first-round exit last year, the Chippewas are not interested in dropping this matchup.
“They don’t want to feel how they felt in the locker room last year,” Haynie said. “They remember that feeling.”
The 78-56 loss to Toledo in the 2025 MAC Tournament became fuel for the Chippewas this season, as they wrote “Revenge Tour” on the board in the spring.
“That loss was definitely a lesson,” senior guard Taylor Anderson said. “But I know that this year, we’re gonna play all 40 minutes. We’re going to play hard basketball because who wants to just go down there for one day?”
Sophomore guard Madi Morson, who is an integral part of the team and the Chippewas’ leading scorer, channels the anger she felt after last season’s abrupt end.
“I use that as fuel for a lot of my games; I know some of the other girls do too,” Morson said. “Things like that, like the revenge tour, just brings out the fight in us a little bit more.”
Morson averages 20 points per game and comes off an impressive 29-point performance in their regular-season finale against Bowling Green. She plans to carry this momentum with her into the tournament, but isn’t feeling any added pressure.
“I just try to go into every game with the same mindset,” Morson said. “You just gotta go into it, same mindset, same attitude.”
For Haynie, success in Cleveland will come from the core values they’ve maintained throughout the season.
“We feel like our defense has been up and down this year, but we gotta be able to defend to make some noise in the tournament,” Haynie said. “We gotta be able to be aware, be alert, know our personnel, and be able to dictate.”
Rebounding, the identity of this Chippewa team, will also be key. They are currently first in the MAC for offensive rebounds and rebounding margin, while they are second for team rebounds.
As one of the two seniors, Anderson explained how she will lead her team to a tournament run.
“Just keeping everybody composed,” Anderson said. “Teams are going to go on runs, [so] just to keep our heads in the game and just continue to fight and continue to stop the bleeding if they do go on those runs.”
Should the Chippewas defeat Ohio in the first round, they will play either Miami (Ohio) or Kent State for a stab at the championship.
“When we get to Cleveland, anything can happen,” Haynie said. “We got to play with the chip on our shoulder.”
