MAC Tournament Preview: Chippewas Prepare to Defend Title

Central Michigan (20-10) | MAC Tournament Semifinal
Friday, March 14 | 2:30 p.m.
Cleveland, Ohio | Quicken Loans Arena

Broadcast Information
Live Audio: www.cmuchippewas.com
Radio: 91.5 wmhw-fm; Jared Sandler (play-by-play), Matt Pocket (color) and Colin Hinmant
Live Stats: MAC-Sports.com | Twitter: @CMUWBBall | Facebook: /CMUWBBall

Probable Starters (Based on previous game)
		Name	Ht.	Yr.	GP-GS	PPG	RPG	Other
G	3	Jessica Green	5-10	Jr.	30-27	11.7	2.4	3.7 APG
G	12	Kerby Tamm	5-10	Jr.	30-30	6.9	3.8	57 3FGM
G	24	Niki DiGuilio	5-8	Sr.	30-30	13.7	1.9	97 3FGM
F	32	Jas'Mine Bracey	6-2	Jr.	30-30	10.9	10.5	0.8 BPG
F	44	Taylor Johnson	5-11	Sr.	30-0	7.8	4.4	43 3FGM

CMU Hoops Quick Hitters

• Central Michigan is looking to repeat as MAC Tournament Champions. The Chippewas finished the conference season 16-2 and enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed. 

•Four players earned All-MAC honors Monday, led by first-team selection Crystal Bradford. Niki DiGuilio and Jas’Mine Bracey earned third-team honors, while Jessica Green wasn an honorable mention selection.

•Bradford is the first player in program history to earn MAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors.

•Senior Taylor Johnson is the first player in conference history to earn MAC Sixth Player of the Year honors twice. 

•CMU is 6-1 in its last seven contests at Quicken Loans Arena dating the last two seasons. 

• The Chippewas went a perfect 5-0 versus potential semifinal opponents during the regular season, sweeping season series versus Toledo and Western Michigan, while defeating Akron in the lone meeting on Jan. 29, 109-83.

Defending Champs
CMU is looking to repeat as the MAC Tournament Championships after claiming the title last season in dominant fashion. The Chippewas outscored their opponents by 18.6 points per game en route to claiming the first title since the 1983-84 season. A MAC title would mark the second time in program history that CMU accomplished the feat in back-to-back seasons.

Semifinal Opponents
CMU was a perfect 5-0 against potential semifinal opponents, sweeping season series over Western MIchigan and Toledo while defeating Akron by 26 in the only meeting Jan. 9, 109-83. 

For the First Time
Junior Crystal Bradford became the program’s first ever MAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year earlier this week. The junior broke the CMU single-season scoring record with 588 points while also leading the team in rebounds (12.2), assists (4.6), steals (1.7) and blocks (1.3). Unfortunately, Bradford will be unable to play in the MAC Tournament due to an injury sustained during practice Tuesday.

Saving Her Best For Last
Senior Taylor Johnson has notched double figures in each of her last three games entering the MAC Tournament, averaging 21.6 points per game and shooting 54 percent (14-for-26) from beyond the arc during the stretch. Johnson became the first two-time MAC Sixth Player of the Year Monday after averaging 7.8 points and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 38.1 percent from three in 30 games off the bench during the regular season. 

Niki D For 3
Senior Niki DiGuilio set a new CMU and MAC single-season record for three-point field goals with 97 during the regular season. DiGuilio earned third-team All-MAC honors. She is the program’s all-time leading three-point shooter with 282 made triples and has made at least one trey in 35-straight contests.

Double-Double Trouble
Junior Jas’Mine Bracey earned All-MAC Third Team honors after a breakout season in which she ranked second in the MAC with 12 double-doubles and was one of only two players to average double figures in scoring (10.9) and rebounding (10.5). Bracey has pulled down 10-plus rebounds in 17 games, including a career-high 21 versus Ball State on Feb. 27.  

Green Pastures
Junior Jessica Green returned to the lineup following offseason knee surgery to earn All-MAC honorable mention honors. Green has scored in double figures 18 times this season and is averaging 11.7 points and 3.7 assists per game.  She missed last season’s MAC Tournament run, but averaged 11.4 points per game in the 2012 MAC Tourney.  

Four-Straight 20-Win Seasons
The Chippewas claimed their 20th victory of the season versus Western Michigan March 5, marking the fourth-straight season in which they have won 20-plus games. The streak is the longest in program history, while the 81 wins over the last four seasons is the third most in a four-year span. 

How the West Was Won
Central Michigan claimed its first MAC West title in program history with a 16-2 by outscoring its opponents by an average of 11.9 points per game. CMU was the league’s top scoring offense during MAC play with 83.5 points per game and also led in three-point field goal percentage (.366), rebounding (46.7) and three-point field goals per game (9.6) 

Home Away From Home
Central Michigan has found a comfort level in playing inside Quicken Loans Arena the last two seasons, posting a 6-1 record with back-to-back trips the MAC Tournament Championship. CMU’s lone loss at ‘The Q’ the last two years came in the 2012 Championship versus Eastern Michigan, 72-71.

One of 12 with Four 1,000-point Scorers
Central Michigan became just the 12th program in NCAA history to feature four different 1,000-point scorers on its’ roster when junior Jessica Green reached the milestone versus Ball State on Feb. 27.

Three-Point Streaks to Watch
The Chippewas have made at least one three-point field goal in all 215 games coached under head coach Sue Guevara. DiGuilio also enters Saturday’s game with streak of 35 consecutive games with at least one made shot from behind the arc.

None Tougher
No team in the country played a non-conference schedule as tough as Central Michigan according to the Jeff Sagarin/CBN Women’s College Basketball Rankings. CMU played three top-25 opponents, while 10 of its’ 12 games were against 2013 postseason teams.

Central Michigan University Athletics

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