Jan. 27, 2017
CENTRAL MICHIGAN at KENT STATE
|  |  | 13-7, 3-4 MAC
| 11-9, 3-4 MAC |
|
| GAME INFO | | Saturday, Jan. 28 | 12 p.m. | | Kent, Ohio | MAC Center | | BUY TICKETS |
|
GAME DAY INFO | WATCH: CBS Sports Network | TALENT: Dave Ryan (PxP), Steve Wolf (analyst) | LISTEN: Central Michigan IMG Sports Network ** | TALENT: Don Chiodo (PxP), Rob Flaska (analyst) | | |
| TALE OF THE TAPE | CMU | KSU | | Points Per Game | 88.9 | 78.6 | | Opponent Points Per Game | 83.1 | 71.4 | | Field Goal Pct. | .426 | .434 | 3-Point Field Goal Pct.
| .359 | .336 | | Free Throw Pct. | .778 | .714 | | Rebounds | 40.0 | 41.8 | | Assists | 12.1 | 13.1 | | Turnovers | 10.7 | 14.2 | | Steals | 6.2 | 6.7 | | Blocks | 2.9 | 4.1 |
|
|
GAME PREVIEW
• Central Michigan (13-7, 3-4 MAC) will begin a two-game road trip versus MAC East opponents this weekend when it visits Kent State (11-9, 3-4 MAC) on Saturday, Jan. 28 for a 12 p.m. contest at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center.
• The Chippewas are coming off an 82-76 home win over Bowling Green on Jan. 24 while Kent State bested Northern Illinois, 73-66, in DeKalb in its last outing.
• Central Michigan is 3-4 on the road this season while Kent State owns a 7-3 record at home.
• CMU possesses a 31-45 record in the all-time series with Kent State, including a 2-3 mark under head coach Keno Davis.
• A year ago, the Chippewas snapped a two-game losing streak to the Golden Flashes, winning 88-61 in Mount Pleasant, but CMU has not won at Kent State since the 1996-97 season.
•CMU owns a 256-339 all-time record in MAC play, including a 33-49 mark during the Davis era.
• The game will feature three of the MAC's top four scorers in Central Michigan's Marcus Keene (No. 1, 29.8 ppg) and Braylon Rayson (No. 3, 19.8 ppg) and Kent State's Jimmy Hall (No. 4, 18.1 ppg).
•Central Michigan is ranked No. 145 in the nation in the RPI (5th in the MAC) while Kent State is positioned at No. 233 (9th in the MAC).
** For Saturday's game only, from 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m., the radio broadcast of can only be heard on the TuneIn and CMU Gameday apps. At 1 p.m., 98.5 WUPS will resume normal broadcast of the game.
TRENDING
• CMU is ranked in the top 15 nationally in seven stat categories -- No. 2 in 3-point field goals per game (12.6), No. 3 in total 3-point field goals made (252) and 3-point field goal attempts (702), No. 5 in scoring offense (89.0), No. 8 in free throw percentage (.778), No. 12 in turnovers per game (10.7) and No. 13 in free throws made (389).
• Junior guard Marcus Keene ranks No. 1 in the NCAA in points per game (29.8).
• Keene, who has scored at least 30 points in 11 games, also leads the NCAA in total points scored (595).
• Keene tops the MAC in 3-pointers (5th nationally, 77) and free throws made (2nd nationally, 136) and ranks third in assists (5.3 apg).
• Keene needs to average nearly 14 points per game over the course of the remainder of the season to break the program record for points in a season (759), held by CMU Hall of Famer Dan Majerle.
Keene's 595 points thus far in 2016-17 ranks seventh on CMU's single season scoring list, with at least 12 games remaining.
• Senior guard Braylon Rayson ranks No. 2 in the MAC among career active scorers, behind only Eastern Michigan's Raven Lee.
• Rayson has scored 20 or more points in six consecutive MAC games.
• With 27 points versus Bowling Green, Rayson breached the 1,600-point barrier for his career and needs 27 points to move into sixth place on the CMU career scoring list.
• Rayson recently moved into the top spot on the CMU career 3-point attempts list (664)
Keene (29.8 ppg) and Rayson (19.8) comprise the nation's highest scoring guard tandem, averaging a combined 49.6 points per game.
• Rayson (81) and Keene (71), who each stand 5-9, are two of CMU's top defensive rebounders, combining for 27% of the team's defensive boards.
• Junior forward DaRohn Scott, who averages 12.6 minutes per game this season, ranks second in the MAC in blocked shots (26) and eighth on the CMU career list (85).
• Only one team that has played as many games as CMU (20) has more 3-pointers than the Chippewas' 252 (Savannah State, 281).
• Three-pointers account for 42% (756-1,779) of Central Michigan's points and 52% (702-1,337) of its field goal attempts.
• CMU has seven players with 56 or more defensive rebounds.
SCOUTING KENT STATE
• Led by six-year head coach Rob Senderoff, Kent State enters Saturday's game riding a two-game winning streak and coming off a big 73-66 road victory over Northern Illinois on Jan. 24.
• The wins over Toledo (85-61 on Jan. 21) and NIU put a prior four-game conference losing streak in the distance and got the Golden Flashes back into the MAC East race.
• Kent State is currently tied with Buffalo for third in the MAC East Division with identical 3-4 records.
• Kent State's hallmark is rebounding, as the Golden Flashes rank No. 2 in the NCAA in offensive rebounds per game (16.2) and total rebounds per game (41.8).
• The Golden Flashes are led by the threesome of senior forward Jimmy Hall, sophomore guard Jaylin Walker and senior guard Deon Edwin.
• Hall, a First Team All-MAC selection in 2016, is a dominant inside force for Kent State, ranking second in the MAC in rebounding (10.7 rpg) and fourth in scoring (18.1 ppg).
• Hall, a three-time MAC East Player of the Week honoree this season, also leads the team in assists with 49.
• Jaylin Walker scores 14.9 points per game and leads KSU in 3-pointers by a wide margin with 42.
Deon Edwin averages double figures in scoring (12.8 ppg), is tied for the team lead with 24 steals and is second in assists (45), rebounding (4.8) and 3-pointers (23).
• Sophomore 7-0, 261 lb. center Adonis De La Rosa, who has started 14 games this season, averages 4.7 points and 4.6 rebounds in 15.5 minutes per game and leads the team in charges taken.
• Junior guard Kevin Zabo (5.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg), junior guard Desmond Ridenour (6.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg), freshman forward Danny Pippen (4.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg), sophomore guard Jalen Avery (3.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg) and freshman guard Mitch Peterson (4.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg) have also been key contributors this season.
UP NEXT FOR THE CHIPPEWAS
• Central Michigan will open the fifth week of MAC play on the road when it travels to face Buffalo (9-11, 3-4 MAC) on Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. at the Bulls' Alumni Arena.
• CMU owns a 14-16 record in the all-time series with Buffalo, including a 2-5 mark under head coach Keno Davis.
• Last season, playing without leading scorer Braylon Rayson, CMU fell to the Bulls, 74-61, in Buffalo.
Buffalo suffered a narrow 75-74 road loss to Miami on Jan. 24 and faces MAC frontrunner Akron on the road before hosting the Chippewas.
• Central Michigan will return home later next week to host archrival Western Michigan (6-13, 2-5 MAC) on Friday, Feb. 3 in a 6:30 p.m. game.
• A year ago, the Broncos swept the season series from the Chippewas, winning 92-85 in Kalamazoo and 91-82 in overtime in Mount Pleasant.
| 
|
