CMU Men Face Green Bay in Rematch
12/5/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CENTRAL MICHIGAN (7-2) vs. GREEN BAY (4-4)
Tuesday, Dec. 6 • 7 p.m. • McGuirk Arena • Mount Pleasant, Mich.
Game Notes: Central Michigan | Green Bay
Watch: ESPN3
Listen: Central Michigan IMG Sports Network
Live Stats:
Twitter: @CMUMensBball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Now, the rematch.
The Central Michigan men's basketball team will play Green Bay for the second time in nine days on Tuesday when the Phoenix comes to McGuirk Arena for a nonconference game (7 p.m.).
The Chippewas won at Green Bay, 89-77, on Nov. 26. In a relatively tight game, the Chippewas trailed by as many as eight points early in the second half, then took the lead for good with about 11 minutes remaining. They made nine of their 10 free throw attempts in the final three-plus minutes to wrestle away the win.
"It helps you prepare much like you would in conference, seeing an opponent for second or third time," CMU coach Keno Davis said of playing a nonleague opponent twice so close together on the calendar. "Pretty tough game up there. I think we expect more of the same. ... That game could have gone either way. We made some nice shots in a stretch to change the momentum of the game."
Marcus Keene scored 31 points to lead the Chippewas in that game, which started a three-game win streak. CMU is 7-2 and coming off back-to-back home wins over William & Mary and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Keene, the nation's leading scorer at 30.4 points per game, was named on Monday the Mid-American Conference West Player of the Week for his performances against William & Mary and Pine Bluff.
CMU is averaging 90 points per game, which ranks eighth nationally. Green Bay (4-4) is coming off a 78-77 overtime victory over Toledo.
Davis said Green Bay, which plays in the Horizon League, compares favorably to teams the Chippewas will see throughout the season in the MAC schedule.
"They're a very talented team that plays very physically," he said. "I think that's good for us because we know that as conference play comes, and with the importance of all those games, that we're going to have to be able to react to physical play both on the perimeter and in the post.
"It's two equally matched teams and we know that with them having lost (to us) they're going to have us well scouted and well prepared for and know they're going to come in here expecting nothing but to win. We're going to have to have our best effort to be able to continue our win streak and be able to beat a really good team that should be playing in the postseason this year."
Charles Cooper, a 6-foot-4 senior guard, scored 20 points to lead Green Bay in the last meeting, while Khalil Small, a junior guard, added 14. Cooper leads the Phoenix in scoring at 13.3 points per game.
