Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewas Look to Keep the Fire Stoked
1/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Clearly, there is a major upside for the Central Michigan men's basketball team.
The Chippewas displayed just how good they can be on Wednesday when they made almost seven out of every 10 shots they attempted in routing Miami, 105-77, at McGuirk Arena.
Coach Keno Davis would happily embrace that kind of shooting - what coach wouldn't? - but, realistically, he knows replicating those kinds of numbers is unlikely.
"I'd love to see (again) the shooting display that we put on, but more so I want to see the effort and the drive be there each and every night, even on the nights when the shooting isn't as good," Davis said.
The Chippewas (12-2, 2-1 Mid-American Conference) play at Akron (11-5, 2-1) in a MAC game on Saturday night. CMU is 1-1 on the road in MAC games, having knocked off league preseason favorite Toledo before falling at Ball State last weekend.
The Toledo win was big, both in terms of the conference race and in the big picture. That victory, certainly one of the highlights of CMU's best start in some four decades, was a signal that the Chippewas can contend in the MAC after they won just one league road game in Davis' first two years as the coach.
"If nothing else it was a turn-the-page from last year," Davis said. "We didn't have any conference road wins last year. So when you beat the best team on the road, it's `OK, we can do it.'
"Doesn't mean we can do it every night or will do it every night, but it means that we right now have the talent to win those games (without) having to play your best basketball."
The Chippewas' best has been pretty darned good. CMU is ranked 22nd in the mid-major top 25 by collegeinsider.com and leads the MAC in nine of the 21 team statistical categories that the league tracks, including scoring (85.9 points per game). That number ranks second nationally. CMU is also second in the nation with 11.4 three-pointers per game, and ranks fifth in field goal percentage (.506).
Yet it's to the defense that the Chippewas owe their marked improvement since last season, when they won just 10 games, Davis said.
The Chippewas are surrendering an average of 66.2 points per game, which ranks sixth in the MAC. A year ago, they allowed an average of 73.8, and finished last in the conference in that category for the second straight year.
"The thing that has allowed us to be 12-2 is that we've gone from being a poor defensive team to being an average defensive team," said Davis, adding that the Chippewas are still a long way from being what he would consider a good defensive team. "Last year we were poor and this year we've made great strides.
"But for us to be a great team, we've got to not just be great offensively, we've got to become great defensively and that's going to continue to be a team concept, but also individual improvement."
The addition of size in the post has helped immeasurably with 6-foot-11 Luke Meyer, 6-8 DaRohn Scott, and 7-footer Milos Cabarkapa. All three are freshman.
The Chippewas have recorded 46 blocks this season - Scott has 16 while averaging just over 10 minutes per game, and Meyer has 11 - after collecting just 36 throughout the entire 2013-14 season.
"I think there are two keys" to the defensive improvement, Davis said. "One is just improvement by our players, by having the work ethic that they've had. The guys who played last year, the vast majority of them have returned and so when you work that hard you're going to develop and get better.
"And the addition of our three freshmen at the center position not only gives us a presence inside, it not only gives us shot-blocking (capability), but it allows a John Simons, an Austin Stewart, a Blake Hibbitts to slide and play more of a true position."
The Chippewas will look to buck a trend on Saturday at Akron, just as they did last week at Toledo. CMU had not beaten the Rockets on the road since 2011, and they haven't won at Akron since 2002.
Zips coach Keith Dambrot, who coached CMU from 1991-93, is 11-1 against the Chippewas. Akron is 141-21 at home under Dambrot, who led the Zips to two of the last three MAC regular-season championships and three league tournament titles since 2009.
"Really talented team," Davis said of the Zips. "Seems like they are every year. When you talk about who's got a chance to win the conference, Akron, over the last decade, is right at the top of the list or really close to it. They get great fan support and it's a tough place to play."
