Chippewa Men Head to Big Sky Country
12/20/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CENTRAL MICHIGAN (8-3) at MONTANA STATE (5-7)
Wednesday, Dec. 21 • 9 p.m. ET • Worthington Arena • Bozeman, Mont.
Game Notes: Central Michigan | Montana State
Watch: Big Sky
Listen: Central Michigan IMG Sports Network
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @CMUMensBball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - The calm before the storm. With a few rumblings here and there.
The Central Michigan men's basketball team will play its first game in 11 days on Wednesday (9 p.m.) when it travels to Montana State for a nonleaguer.
The Chippewas (8-3) saw their win streak end at four games with a 92-73 loss on Dec. 10 at Illinois. The 73 points was CMU's second-lowest output of the season. The Illini hit nine 3-pointers, six of them in the first half, and held a near 2-to-1 rebounding edge as they exploited their size advantage.
"The Illinois game didn't change my mind about where we are as a team or what we need to do to improve as a team," CMU coach Keno Davis said. "It focused us in on what we have to improve on and to be better prepared for the next time we see a team of their frontcourt makeup."
The Chippewas will break for Christmas after the Montana State game, then return to the court for their final nonconference tuneup on Dec. 30 at home against Chicago State. The stretch between games gives the Chippewas a chance to rest and heal as they head into the grueling Mid-American Conference schedule that begins on Jan. 3 at Eastern Michigan.
"It's a good opportunity when classes aren't in session and their focus is really on basketball to work on individual improvement for those guys who want to come in early or come back late to improve on their game," Davis said. "When we focus on the individual improvement you can see the collective improvement as a team as you move in to conference."
Wednesday's game is the last for Montana State (5-7) before it begins play in the Big Sky Conference. The Bobcats have lost five straight games, the last of which was an 80-68 decision at home to South Dakota.
The Bobcats rank sixth in the nation in 3-pointers per game (10.8) and they are making triples at a 38.3-percent clip. The Chippewas are third in the nation in 3-pointers per outing (12.4) and are shooting 34.5 percent from long range. CMU is sixth nationally in points per game (90). Montana State averages 80.2 points per game, which ranks second in the Big Sky.
Montana State star Tyler Hall, a 6-foot-4 sophomore guard, poses a defensive challenge. He leads the Big Sky in scoring (23.5) and is the Bobcats' top rebounder (5.8). Zach Green, another 6-4 guard, averages 12.5 points per game, while 6-1 Harald Frey averages 10.2 per game.
Hall has scored 30 or more points four times this season. He scored a career-high 42 in an 83-78 loss to Milwaukee on Dec. 5.
"It's a tough matchup for us on paper," Davis said. "He's been a tough matchup for whoever he's played throughout the year. We have to have more of a mindset of the entire team knowing where he is on the court and take turns individually and defend him. Those players around him are very good players as well so we can't lose sight of any of them and become so focused on one individual."
CMU junior guard Marcus Keene continues to lead the nation in scoring at 30.8 points per game, while backcourt mate Braylon Rayson is averaging 17.8. Keene is making 51.1 percent of his field goal attempts including 42.9 percent from 3-point range.
