Final Nonleaguer for CMU Men
12/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CENTRAL MICHIGAN (9-3) vs. CHICAGO STATE (4-11)
Friday, Dec. 30 • 5:30 p.m. • McGuirk Arena • Mount Pleasant, Mich.
Game Notes: Central Michigan | Chicago State
Watch: ESPN3
Listen: Central Michigan IMG Sports Network
Live Stats:
Twitter: @CMUMensBball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Open The Coach's Manual and on the first page, you're certain to find this one: Don't overlook an opponent. Any opponent.
That's where Central Michigan men's basketball coach Keno Davis is as he prepares his team for its nonconference finale, which is Friday (5:30 p.m.) at McGuirk Arena against Chicago State.
The Cougars are 4-11 and have lost seven of their last eight starts. They have an RPI of 261. The Chippewas are 9-3, having won five of their last six. They won a 106-103 shootout at Montana State nine days ago. Their RPI is 148.
CMU opens Mid-American Conference play on Tuesday, Jan. 3, at Eastern Michigan, then goes to Northern Illinois for a league game on Saturday, Jan. 7.
It would be easy to look past Chicago State to Eastern Michigan and then NIU.
"It's pretty important to not look ahead even though it's human nature to be thinking about the conference season," Davis said. "You have to focus on the opponent in front of you and that's kind of what we've done throughout the entire nonconference.
"They're all important. We know Chicago State's a very dangerous team. They're a team that plays a lot of different players and is improving rapidly. We expect a great game and know that's the best thing to prepare us for the conference season. We have the attitude of talking about Chicago State and not anybody else."
Marcus Keene scored a career-high 44 points in leading the Chippewas to their win at Montana State. It marked the fourth time that the Chippewas, who rank sixth among the 347 NCAA Division I teams in scoring at 91.3 points per game, have surpassed the century mark this season.
The 44-point effort boosted Keene's per-game average to 31.9, which is tops in the nation.
The Cougars are led in scoring by 6-foot-4 sophomore guard Fred Sims Jr. and 6-6 senior guard/forward Trayvon Palmer, who are averaging 17.5 and 14.6 points per game, respectively. Chicago State averages 66.2 points per game and is surrendering 78.7 per start.
"Chicago State does a really good job of controlling and changing the tempo of the game," Davis said. "They can do that through running and they can go that by slowing the game down in the half court.
"They change defenses with zone, with man-to-man, and combinations of both. It's a game that we're better prepared to play now than we were a month, month-and-a-half ago and it will prepare us for the different looks we'll get through an 18-game MAC season."
