Central Michigan University Athletics
Western Next For CMU Men
2/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CENTRAL MICHIGAN (14-12, 7-6 MAC) vs. WESTERN MICHIGAN (10-16, 4-9 MAC)
Saturday, February 20 • 2:00 p.m. • University Arena
Game Notes: Central Michigan | Western Michigan
Watch: ESPN3
Listen: Central Michigan IMG Sports NetworkLive Stats: www.WMUBroncos.com
Twitter: @CMUMensBball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - When you're in the hunt, they're all big.
Ditto when the opponent is Western Michigan.
The Central Michigan men's basketball team goes to Kalamazoo on Saturday (2 p.m.) for a Mid-American Conference battle with the rival Broncos.
CMU, 14-12, 7-6 MAC, snapped a three-game losing streak with a 77-69 win over Toledo on Tuesday at McGuirk Arena. CMU is one of seven MAC teams with a league record of 8-5 or 7-6. East-leading Akron is the league's overall leader at 10-3.
"Quite honestly, this year, everybody in our conference worries me," CMU coach Keno Davis said Tuesday after the win over Toledo.
Davis' "worry list" would include the Broncos, who are 10-16, 4-9, and have lost four of their last five starts. Three of those four losses have come by four points or less. One of Western's league victories came over Eastern Michigan, a team that has twice beaten the Chippewas, both in convincing fashion.
"The quality of this conference continues to improve," Davis said. "The top is as strong as it's ever been. There is no bottom anymore. I think the rest of us are in the middle of the pack and that doesn't make playing an 18-game schedule easy."
It hasn't been easy for the Chippewas, who won the regular season title in 2014-15 and were picked in the preseason poll to repeat, and to win the MAC Tournament in Cleveland in March.
Getting up off the canvas after a loss has been, and continues to be, critical to CMU's chances, as it is for any and all who hope to contend in the league. It truly is one at a time, even when the opponent is your archrival, CMU senior tri-captain Chris Fowler said.
"Of course the intensity and focus heighten, but we believe in what we're doing," Fowler said after the Toledo game. "We're working hard in the gym and we're going to continue to work hard in the gym, and hopefully that translates into winning.
"I'm excited just like I was excited to play Toledo. It's going to be fun, it's a rivalry game. We appreciate the rivalry. They're well-coached and they're going to play hard no matter what their record might say.
"They've lost a lot of close games and they've won a lot of games people didn't think they would win. They have some talented basketball players over there and they're going to be ready for a fight and we're going to go down there with a lot of focus."
The Chippewas can count on one hand the number of regular-season games remaining. All are against MAC West opponents. They'll host Western to close the regular season on March 4. In between, they will entertain Northern Illinois, and they'll travel to Toledo and then to Ball State.
Ball State leads the West at 8-5. CMU is tied with Toledo and Northern Illinois for second at 7-6.
