Central Michigan University Athletics
Game Notes: CMU at Minnesota in an ESPN Game
12/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game Notes in PDF Format | Live Stats |
Central Michigan (4-4, 0-0 Mid-American)
at
Minnesota (10-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
Tuesday, December 13 | 8 p.m. CST | Minneapolis, Minn. | Williams Arena (14,625)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Radio: WCFX-FM 95.3 & WUPS-FM 98.5 — Don Chiodo and Don Helinski
Television: ESPN — Clay Matvick and Dickey Simpkins
Live Audio: CMU Sports Zone (free) — wcfx.com
Webcast: ESPN3 (free) — espn3.com
PREVIEW
Central Michigan looks to snap a two-game skid on Tuesday night, Dec. 13, when the Chippewas travel to Minnesota to face the Gophers on ESPN. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. (8 p.m. CST).
CMU (4-4) is wrapping up a seven-game road trip while the Gophers (10-1) have only left campus once, for the three-game Old Spice Classic. Minnesota is 8-0 at home this season and has won five straight. The Gophers' only loss was an 86-70 setback to Dayton in the Old Spice Classic championship game.
| PROBABLE STARTERS | ||||||||||
| Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | GP-GS | PPG | RPG | Other | Notes | ||
| (1) G | 2 | Austin McBroom | 6-0 | 162 | Fr. | 8-8 | 10.9 | 2.9 | 3.5 APG | Has hit a 3-pointer in every game this season while shooting .500 from the arc |
| (2) G | 23 | Derek Jackson | 6-0 | 171 | So. | 8-8 | 10.4 | 2.6 | 2.0 SPG | Started 21 consecutive games, longest active streak on the team |
| (3) G | 0 | Trey Zeigler | 6-5 | 203 | So. | 8-7 | 17.8 | 8.3 | 2.4 APG | Has led CMU in scoring the last three games |
| (4) F | 25 | Olivier Mbaigoto | 6-7 | 225 | Jr. | 8-8 | 7.5 | 6.6 | 1.3 BPG | Averaging 11.3 points in wins and 3.8 points in losses |
| (5) F | 10 | Andre Coimbra | 6-9 | 235 | Sr. | 8-8 | 9.3 | 6.0 | 2.1 BPG | Averaging 18.0 ppg over last two contests |
NEWS AND NOTES
CMU is 0-2 all-time against Minnesota while head coach Ernie Zeigler is 0-1.
• CMU fell 77-63 on Dec. 11, 2004. The Chippewas led by six, 53-47, with 10:19 left but the Gophers erased the deficit with an 18-0 run.
• Minnesota posted a 77-59 win in The Barn on Nov. 24, 2007. CMU led by two points with two minutes left in the first half but Minnesota closed the frame on an 8-0 run and then rolled to the win.
Last Meeting
An 8-0 Minnesota run to close the first half sparked the Gophers to a 77-59 win over the Chippewas on Nov. 24, 2007. CMU used a 6-0 spurt to take a 29-27 lead with just over two minutes left in the first half but Spencer Tollackson tied the score with a jumper 30 seconds later and he beat the halftime buzzer with a three-pointer from just inside midcourt that sent the Gophers into the break with a 35-29 lead. It was all Minnesota in the second half as Tubby Smith’s squad broke the game open with a 15-3 run over a 4:12 stretch early in the frame and the home team led by as many as 24 moments later. Giordan Watson scored 22 points while handing out five assists and tallying five steals. Robbie Harman came off the bench to match a career high with 10 points. Three Gophers hit twin figures with Tollackson finishing with 14 points and six rebounds. The two teams combined for 47 turnovers compared to 43 field goals.
Against the Big Ten
The Chippewas are 3-8 against the Big Ten since 2000. The victories were at Purdue (67-66) on a buzzer-beating layup by Todd Schrotenboer on Nov. 21, 2000, an 85-78 triumph at Michigan on Dec. 3, 2002 when Chris Kaman had 30 points and 21 rebounds, and a 78-67 win at Michigan on Dec. 15, 2007 when Giordan Watson had 22 points.
• Ernie Zeigler is 1-2 against Big Ten teams, defeating Michigan and losing to Minnesota and Purdue.
Tennessee State Recap
Central Michigan saw a 13-point first-half lead disappear quickly in a 65-57 loss at Tennessee State on Saturday afternoon. CMU led 24-11 with 4:47 to go in the first before the Tigers would make a 31-point swing over the next 10 minutes of play. TSU whittled the Central lead down to two at the half, 28-26, before the Tigers rattled off a 20-0 run to start the second. After CMU trailed by as many as 18, the Chippewas managed to cut the deficit down to five when Derek Jackson drained a trey with 4:26 left, but CMU would get no closer. Trey Zeigler led the Chippewas with 17 points and six rebounds while Andre Coimbra turned in his second straight double-figure game with 14 points, five boards and three blocked shots. Robert Covington led TSU with 19 points and eight rebounds.
Minnesota Ties
• Both head coaches, Ernie Zeigler and Tubby Smith, have/had the opportunity to coach their sons in college. Saul Smith, now an assistant coach at Minnesota, played for his father at Kentucky. The two-year starter ranks 10th on the Wildcats’ career assists lists. Trey Zeigler is in his second season playing for his dad at CMU.
• CMU first-year assistant coach Pat Miller played basketball and football (punter) at Michigan State. He played two career games in The Barn, scoring 7 points and grabbing six boards in 1970 and 12 points and four rebounds in 1971. His Spartans were 0-2 in those contests. Miller also was an assistant coach at MSU.
• Minnesota associate head coach Ron Jirsa spent four seasons as the head coach at Marshall. The Thundering Herd were in the Mid-American Conference the first two years and Jirsa was 1-1 in his career against the Chippewas. Marshall then left the MAC for Conference USA.
Olivarez Visits the White House
CMU Director of Basketball Operations Marcelo Olivarez attended a holiday reception hosted by President Barack Obama at the White House this past Friday. He attended the event with his grandmother and then joined the team in Nashville on Friday evening. When Olivarez told the Commander in Chief that he was a basketball coach at CMU, the President replied “The Chippewas! How is the season going.”
• Coincidentally, head coach Ernie Zeigler’s first collegiate coaching victory came against President Obama’s brother-in-law, Craig Robinson, who was the head coach at Brown at the time. Robinson is currently the head coach at Oregon State.
In Need of a Bench Boost
CMU’s starters account for 81 percent of the team’s scoring this season. Over the last three games, the bench has only averaged 6.7 points per game. The Chippewas had only one player score off the bench at Tennessee State (Finis Craddock) and two at Temple (Craddock and Austin Keel).
Contesting Shots
CMU ranks 11th nationally in field goal percentage defense, allowing the opponents to shoot just .358 against the Chippewas. Only once this season has the opponent shot better than 40 percent, when Temple hit .519 (28-for-54).
Zeigler in the Top 85, Twice
Sophomore Trey Zeigler is in the top 75 nationally in both scoring and rebounding. His 17.8 points per game rank 74th while his 8.6 rebounds are 82nd.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
CMU is playing its seventh straight game away from home when it meets Minnesota on Tuesday. For this two-game trip, CMU has been on the road since Friday when it left Mount Pleasant for Saturday’s game at Tennessee State.
• The Chippewas have now traveled 11,520 miles since their last home game on Nov. 15.
• During its seven-game junket, CMU has played in four different time zones (Eastern, Central, Pacific and Alaskan) and has set foot in eight different states (Arizona and Washington for airplane connections).
• The Chippewas are in a stretch of games that has CMU playing 10 of 11 on the road.
• By comparison, Minnesota will be playing its ninth home game against CMU and only has left campus once, for the three-game Old Spice Classic Tournament.
Coh-eem-BLOCK
Andre Coimbra has three blocked shots in each of the last two games to raise his season total to 17. The senior ranks third in the MAC with 2.1 blocks per game. This year he is on pace to rank in the top five on CMU’s single-season list.
Balanced Options
In CMU’s eight games this season, five different Chippewas have led or tied for the team lead in scoring — Trey Zeigler (five times), Andre Coimbra (once), Austin Keel (once), Olivier Mbaigoto (once) and Austin McBroom (once).
• Of those five players, three are newcomers this season, including two freshmen.
• The only starter who hasn’t led CMU in scoring is guard Derek Jackson who is averaging 10.4 points per game.
.400 is the Magic Mark
The Chippewas held the opposition below .400 shooting from the floor in the first six games this season before Temple hit 52 percent of its field goal attempts.
• The string of six straight sub-.400 games was the most in the Ernie Zeigler era, breaking the old mark of three.
• CMU is 30-11 (.732) under Ernie Zeigler when holding the opponent under 40 percent shooting.
Moving the Ball
The Chippewas are sharing the ball more this year than any season under head coach Ernie Zeigler. CMU has an assist on 56 percent of its field goals this season. Below is a year-by-year look at the Chippewa assist percentage.
| Year | Assists/FGs | Assist Percentage |
| 2006-07 | 305 assists/653 FGs | 48 percent |
| 2007-08 | 317 assists/769 FGs | 41 percent |
| 2008-09 | 306 assists/680 FGs | 45 percent |
| 2009-10 | 321 assists/651 FGs | 49 percent |
| 2010-11 | 271 assists/661 FGs | 41 percent |
| 2011-12 | 103 assists/185 FGs | 56 percent |
80-Point Plateau
The Chippewas scored a season-high 82 points against UC Irvine. During the Ernie Zeigler era, the Chippewas are 12-2 when scoring 80 or more points.
Two Hit 20
The Temple game marked the second time this season that the Chippewas had two players tally 20 or more points. Both Trey Zeigler and Andre Coimbra had 22 points in the road loss. In the Chippewas’ win over UC Irvine in the Great Alaska Shootout, Olivier Mbaigoto had 23 points and Zeigler 21.
Alphabet Soup
With three different Austin/Austons on the team and one difficult name to pronounce, the Chippewa coaching staff commonly refers to four players by nicknames. They include:
AB - Auston Barnes AK - Austin Keel A-MAC - Austin McBroom OV - Olivier Mbaigoto
Overtime Unkind
The Chippewas have now dropped six straight overtime games and stand 3-8 in extra sessions under head coach Ernie Zeigler. The Chippewas are 2-1 in multiple-overtime games under the current Chippewa mentor.
Voss Injured
Colin Voss is out indefinitely with a hand injury suffered in practice on Thursday, Nov. 10. The sophomore averaged 6.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in the two exhibition games this season.
Rookie Leads in Debut
Austin Keel scored a team-high 12 points in his collegiate debut for CMU. The last time a Chippewa newcomer led CMU in scoring in their first game was 2007-08 when Jeremy Allen scored 17 at Missouri, edging out fellow freshman Chase Simon who had 14 against the Tigers.
High Scoring Freshman
CMU’s Trey Zeigler was the nation’s third-leading freshman scorer among Division I schools last season. He also ranked third overall among all Mid-American Conference scorers with 16.3 points per game. The only two freshmen to average more were Kentucky’s Brandon Knight (17.3 ppg) and Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger (17.2 ppg).
MAC Poll
After finishing third in the MAC West Division last season, CMU was picked to finish third again this season by a MAC news media panel. Western Michigan (West) and Kent State (East) were both predicted to defend their respective division titles.
Fastbreak Buckets
• Two Chippewas were high school teammates of National Player of the Year honorees. Austin McBroom played his freshman season at Campbell Hall High School with 2008 Gatorade Player of the Year Jrue Holiday (UCLA/Philadelphia 76ers). Austin Keel played his senior season at Winter Park High School with 2011 Naismith Prep Player of the Year Austin Rivers (Duke).
• CMU signed 6-8, 210-pound forward John Simons (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac HS) to a National Letter of Intent during the early signing period. As a junior at Cadillac High School, Simons averaged 23 points and eight rebounds while leading the Vikings to a 20-5 record and a Class B regional championship. He was named second team all-state by the Detroit Free Press.
Thursday, June 25
Wednesday, June 24
Thursday, March 05
Monday, February 23