Central Michigan University Athletics
Game Notes: Road Trip Continues at Tennessee State
12/9/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game Notes in PDF Format | Live Stats |
Central Michigan (4-3, 0-0 Mid-American)
at
Tennessee State (3-6, 0-0 Ohio Valley)
Saturday, December 10 | 2 p.m. CST | Nashville, Tenn. | Gentry Center Complex (10,500)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Radio: WCFX-FM 95.3 & WUPS-FM 98.5 — Don Chiodo and Don Helinski
Television: None
Live Audio: CMU Sports Zone (free) — wcfx.com
Webcast: OVCSports.TV (subscription) — ovcsports.tv
PREVIEW
CMU hits the road for its sixth straight game on Saturday, Dec. 10, when the Chippewas travel to Nashville, Tenn., to face the Tennessee State University Tigers. Tipoff in the Gentry Center Complex is set for 3 p.m. (2 p.m. CST).
The meeting is a return trip from a 2010 ESPN Bracketbusters matchup that the Chippewas won in Mount Pleasant, 79-73. Even though it was just two seasons ago, no active Chippewa played in the game.
Tennessee State has lost two straight, including a 75-62 setback at Belmont on Tuesday night. The Chippewas are looking to bounce back from an 86-74 loss at Temple last Saturday. CMU has been idle since then because of final exams.
The Chippewas head right from Nashville to Minneapolis for Tuesday night's ESPN game with the Minnesota Gophers (9 p.m.; 8 p.m. CST). CMU's seven-game road junket then ends with a home game against Illinois-Chicago next Friday, Dec. 16.
| PROBABLE STARTERS | ||||||||||
| Name | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. | GP-GS | PPG | RPG | Other | Notes | ||
| (1) G | 2 | Austin McBroom | 6-0 | 162 | Fr. | 7-7 | 11.4 | 2.9 | 3.6 APG | Ranks second in the MAC in assist/turnover ratio |
| (2) G | 23 | Derek Jackson | 6-0 | 171 | So. | 7-7 | 10.3 | 2.3 | 2.0 SPG | Leads the MAC in free throw percentage (.950) |
| (3) G | 0 | Trey Zeigler | 6-5 | 203 | So. | 7-6 | 17.9 | 8.6 | 2.6 APG | Has scored 20+ points in three straight games |
| (4) F | 25 | Olivier Mbaigoto | 6-7 | 225 | Jr. | 7-7 | 8.3 | 6.7 | 1.4 BPG | Averaging 11.3 points in wins and 4.3 points in losses |
| (5) F | 10 | Andre Coimbra | 6-9 | 235 | Sr. | 7-7 | 8.6 | 6.1 | 2.0 BPG | Scored a career-high 22 points at Temple in CMU's last game |
NEWS AND NOTES
Series History
The series is tied 1-1. TSU won a neutral site game, 79-76, at the Illinois Classic in 1996 and the Chippewas won a home, 79-73, ESPN Bracketbusters pairing during the 2009-10 season. This game is the return trip from the Bracketbusters pairing after the two schools did not play last season. No current Chippewa played in the last meeting with the Tigers.
Last Meeting
Marko Spica was 5-for-5 from the floor and scored a team-high tying 17 points off the bench while helping the Chippewas to a 79-73 victory over Tennessee State on Feb. 20, 2010. A high-flying dunk by Antonio Weary sparked an 11-2 run that gave CMU just its second lead of the game with 4:01 to play. The Chippewas never trailed after that as Robbie Harman also had 17 points. Jeremiah Crutcher scored a game-high 21 points for the Tigers with Wil Peters adding 19 and Robert Covington 12.
Against the Ohio Valley
The Chippewas are 31-30 all-time against teams currently in the Ohio Valley Conference. CMU has faced Eastern Illinois (25-26), Eastern Kentucky (0-2), Morehead State (4-0), Southeast Missouri State (0-1), Tennessee State (1-1) and Tennessee-Martin (1-0). CMU and Eastern Illinois were in the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) together back in the 1950s and 60s. Ernie Zeigler is 2-0 against OVC schools, defeating both Morehead State and Tennessee State.
Temple Recap
Andre Coimbra scored a career-high 22 points but scorching shooting by Temple to start the game was too much for CMU to overcome in an 86-74 road loss last Saturday afternoon. The Owls hit a whopping 82 percent of their shots over the game’s first 13 minutes, draining 14 of their first 17 attempts with all three misses coming behind the arc. The Chippewas trailed by as many as 24 in the first half and by 14 at the break. CMU started the second on 6-0 run to get within eight, 51-43, but Temple pushed it back up to double digits where it would remain the rest of the game. Trey Zeigler also had 22 points and Austin McBroom tied a career-high with 15. Khalif Wyatt notched a game-high 23 points for the Owls and Aaron Brown added 21 off the bench.
Semester Over
CMU has been idle the past week because of final exams.
Improving at the Line
The Chippewas are shooting .745 from the line in the last two games after starting the year with a .563 free throw percentage through the first five contests.
CMU ranks 10th nationally in field goal percentage defense, allowing the opponents to shoot just .353 against the Chippewas. Temple was the first team to shoot better than 40 percent from the floor against CMU this season.
Minnesota Game Moved to “The Mothership”
Because of the NBA lockout, the broadcast of CMU’s game at Minnesota on Tuesday, Dec. 13 has been moved from ESPNU to ESPN. Tipoff is set for 9 p.m. (8 p.m. CST).
Olivarez Visits the White House
CMU Director of Basketball Operations Marcelo Olivarez was invited to attend a holiday reception hosted by President Barack Obama at the White House on Friday afternoon, Dec. 9. He is attending the event with his grandmother. Olivarez will join the team in Nashville on Friday evening.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
The TSU game marks CMU’s sixth straight road contest and the Chippewas head right from Nashville to Minneapolis for Tuesday’s game against the Minnesota Gophers.
• When the Chippewas arrive in Nashville, they will have traveled a total of 10,820 miles since their last home game.
• CMU will have played in four different time zones on the trip (Eastern, Central, Pacific and Alaskan) and have set foot in seven 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.
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.
Coh-eem-BLOCK
Andre Coimbra added three more blocked shots at Temple to raise his season total to 14. The senior ranks third in the MAC with 2.0 blocks per game. This year he is on pace to rank in the top five on CMU’s single-season list. By comparison, the Chippewas’ opponents have just 19 blocks against CMU this season.
Zeigler in the Top 75, Twice
Sophomore Trey Zeigler is in the top 75 nationally in both scoring and rebounding. His 17.9 points per game rank 75th while his 8.6 rebounds are 70th.
Balanced Options
In CMU’s seven games this season, five different Chippewas have led or tied for the team lead in scoring — Trey Zeigler ( four 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 10.3 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 30-10 (.750) 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 57 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 | 91 assists/162 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.
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.
Double Dipping
Trey Zeigler recorded back-to-back double-doubles in CMU’s first two games. He had 11 points and 12 rebounds in the opener and then 22 points and 15 boards against Charlotte. He became the first Chippewa to record a double-double in back-to-back games since Marcus Van accomplished the feat toward the end of the 2009 season. Before that, you’d have to go back to Chris Kaman in 2003 to find a Chippewa with a back-to-back double-double. That year, Kaman led the nation with 25 double-dips, including a string of nine straight.
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).
New MAC Tournament Format
The Mid-American Conference Tournament had some drastic changes made to the format for this season. Most notably is the fact that the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds receive byes to the semifinals while the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds receive byes to the quarterfinals. Also, seeding will be based on conference winning percentage, regardless of division. So this year, the top two seeds could come from the same division. Seeds No. 5 through No. 12 will play first round games on campus sites with those four winners advancing to the second round in Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena.
Traveling Across the Land
With a visit to four new states this season, the Chippewas will have traveled to almost half (24) of the 50 states in the USA during Ernie Zeigler’s six seasons as head coach at CMU. The Chippewas will add Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska and Tennessee to the itinerary this year. The states the Chippewas have visited the past five years under Zeigler include: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
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.
Another BracketBusters Appearance
The Chippewas will play in the ESPN/Sears BracketBusters event for the ninth straight year. CMU will host a wildcard opponent the weekend of Feb. 17-19. The Chippewas are 5-3 all-time in the series. All five wins have come in home matchups while all three losses were when CMU was a road team. Past opponents have included Evansville, Cleveland State, Morehead State, Illinois-Chicago, Missouri State, Fairleigh Dickinson, Tennessee State and Niagara.
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.
