Central Michigan University Athletics
Expect Fireworks
11/28/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CENTRAL MICHIGAN (5-2) vs. WILLIAM & MARY (3-2)
Tuesday, Nov. 29 • 7 p.m. • McGuirk Arena • Mount Pleasant, Mich.
Game Notes: Central Michigan | William & Mary
Watch: ESPN3
Listen: Central Michigan IMG Sports Network
Live Stats:
Twitter: @CMUMensBball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Another entertaining game, another good test for the Central Michigan men's basketball team.
The Chippewas (5-2) play host to William & Mary (3-2) Tuesday at 7 p.m. at McGuirk Arena in a battle of two explosive offensive teams.
Both teams won on Saturday, CMU 89-77 at Green Bay; the Tribe 79-70 at home against Liberty. The losses for William & Mary, which returns three starters from a team that posted 20 wins for the third straight season in 2015-16, have come to No. 12 Louisville and No. 3 Duke.
"That's kind of been the story of our scheduling so far, we haven't played many easy games," CMU coach Keno Davis said. "We're playing really high Division I competition in our schedule early, and this will be another test for us.
"A team that not only is very talented but also with their system -- the back cuts, spreading the court -- is a tough game to prepare for. But it's a game that should help us down the road in preparing for a specific type of team."
William & Mary defeated the Chippewas, 88-84, last season in an entertaining game in Williamsburg, Va. The Tribe was picked to finish third in the Colonial Athletic Association.
Central Michigan ranks 10th in the nation in scoring at 91 points per game and junior guard Marcus Keene leads the country in scoring at 29.6 points per game. Keene has scored 30 or more points in five of the Chippewas' seven games.
"Over a small sample size, obviously his numbers are great and we believe his numbers will continue to be very high," Davis said. "But more important to us as a team and for him as an individual is that he can lead our team to wins, not to scoring titles.
"He's put up big scoring numbers, but he's also put up good assist numbers as well. I think when you see (opponent's) give him more and more focus you're going to see his assist numbers go up and you're going to see our team improve."
Keene ranks fifth in the Mid-American Conference with 4.4 assists per game.
William & Mary is no slouch offensively. The Tribe averages 77.8 points per game, which ranks in the upper one-third of all NCAA Division I teams, and is knocking down nine 3-pointers per game, which ranks 61st nationally.
Omar Prewitt leads the Tribe in scoring at 13.4 points per game. Prewitt, a 6-foot-7 senior swingman, was a First Team All-Colonial Athletic Association preseason selection. Guard Daniel Dixon and 6-9 forward Jack Whitman are the Tribe's other starters who average in double figures, Dixon 11.8 and Whitman 11.2.
Whitman has scored in double figures in each of his last three games, averaging 15 points per game over that stretch. He scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the Tribe's win over Liberty.
The Chippewas, as expected, have proven to be a deep team through their first seven games. Davis has regularly gone as many as 10 deep on his bench and nine CMU players are averaging at least nine minutes per game.
"Everybody wants to play and wants to play more," Davis said. "When you have a team as deep as ours there's not as many minutes to go around, or as many shots as everybody would like.
"But I think that's why it's important for individuals to continue to come in the gym early and stay late and continue to work on their game combined with the understanding from coaches that we have to continue to evaluate our players: Who deserves more opportunities on the court, or who deserves more opportunities to get on the court?
"It's a good problem to have."
