Chippewas Visit Akron for Rematch

Tuesday, January 22

Akron, Ohio

7:00 p.m. ET

Central Michigan University

Akron

Photo by: Allissa Rusco

1/21/2019 3:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Central Michigan Game Notes Akron Game Notes ESPN+Live Stats Listen Live

CMU is 2-0 in MAC road games this season

GAME PREVIEW
• Central Michigan (14-4, 3-2 MAC) will open a two-game conference road swing on Tuesday, Jan. 22 when it visits Akron to clash with the Zips in a 7 p.m. game at James A. Rhodes Arena.
• The Chippewas dropped an 83-72 decision to Ball State on Saturday night in McGuirk Arena while Akron fell to Miami (Ohio) in Oxford, 68-61, last weekend.
• Despite the setback on Saturday, Central Michigan remains atop the MAC West standings, tied with Toledo and Northern Illinois for first place.
• Central Michigan owns an 4-1 record on the road this season while Akron is 8-1 at home in 2018-19.
• Tuesday's game in rematch of the January 8 meeting between the two teams, won by CMU, 88-86, in overtime in Mount Pleasant.
• The Chippewas are 15-33 in the all-time series versus Akron. CMU has not won at the J.A.R. since the 2002-03 season. A year ago, CMU fell to the Zips, 69-63, in Akron.

CHIPPEWAS TO WATCH
• Senior guard Larry Austin Jr. leads CMU and ranks No. 4 in the MAC in scoring, averaging 17.5 points per game. Austin also ranks first in the MAC in assists (5.8) and second in steals (2.4). He is one of just 12 players in Division I to average 17.0 or more points and 2.0 steals per game.
• Senior guard Shawn Roundtree Jr. ranks second on the team in scoring (16.0 ppg) and assists (56), tied for second in 3-pointers (29) and leads CMU (No. 2 in the MAC) in minutes played per game (33.9).
• Through 18 games, junior forward David DiLeo leads the Chippewas (tied for 2nd in the MAC) with 50 3-pointers and is fourth on the team in rebounding (5.2 rpg).
• Junior Kevin McKay leads CMU in rebounding (No. 11 in the MAC, 7.1 rpg) and averages 12.4 points per game. He also ranks third in the MAC in steals (1.7 spg).
• Junior forward Rob Montgomery leads CMU with 22 blocked shots and ranks third on the team in rebounding (5.5 rpg). He has scored in double figures in five of the last six games, including a team-high 19 points against Ball State.

TRENDING
• CMU is 2-0 on the road to open Mid-American Conference play for the first time since 2006-07. It has never started 3-0 in the history of the program.
• Larry Austin Jr. and Shawn Roundtree Jr. comprise the MAC's highest scoring backcourt, averaging 33.5 points per game.
• Central Michigan ranks prominently in five national stat categories:
   - No. 5 in free throw attempts (516)
   - No. 9 in scoring offense (86.3)
   - No. 9 in free throws made (337)
   - No. 20 in steals per game (8.6)
   - No. 27 in total steals (154)
• Senior guard Larry Austin Jr. ranks highly nationally in three stat categories -- No. 21 in total steals (43), No. 24 in steals per game (2.39) and No. 28 in assists per game (5.8).
• Junior forward David DiLeo resides in fifth place on the CMU 3-pointers rankings. He has 210 for his career. He also ranks sixth on the career attempts list (563).

SCOUTING AKRON
• Led by second-year head coach John Groce, Akron enters Tuesday's contest having lost three of its last four games. The lone win in that span was a two-point home victory over Eastern Michigan on Jan. 15.
• Akron is led by the trio of junior forward Daniel Utomi (14.8 ppg, 6.0 rpg), senior guard Jimond Ivey (13.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and redshirt sophomore guard Loren Christian Jackson (12.9 ppg, 61 assists).
• Utomi, Akron's top scorer and second-leading rebounder, ranks tied for No. 1 in the MAC in 3-pointers made with 53.
• Ivey leads the Zips in rebounding (6.6 rpg) and assists (62).
• Jackson ranks second on the team with 39 3-pointers and 61 assists.
• Junior guard Tyler Cheese, a transfer who has played in all 18 games this season, ranks fourth on the team in minutes played (26.3) and in scoring (9.6 ppg).
• Another transfer, junior guard Channel Banks, averages 8.0 points per game. He is a deep threat with 27 3-pointers to his credit this season.
• Junior center Deng Riak (5.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg) has also been a solid contributor for Akron, playing just over 22 minutes per game.
• As a team, Akron ranks No.1 in the MAC (No. 16 in the NCAA) in scoring defense (62.4 ppg) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.310).

UP NEXT FOR THE CHIPPEWAS
• Central Michigan will finish out its two-game conference road trip on Saturday, Jan. 26 when it visits Toledo (15-3, 3-2 MAC) for a 7 p.m. contest at the Rockets' Savage Arena.
A year ago, CMU fell to the Rockets, 93-82, in Mount Pleasant and then 89-76 in Toledo.
• Toledo opened MAC play with back-to-back double-digit losses but since has won three-straight conference games and travels to Kent State before hosting the Chippewas.
• Toledo is led by senior guard Jaelan Sanford (16.7 ppg), senior forward Nate Navigato (12.6 ppg, 53 3-pointers), junior center Luke Knapke (10.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg), senior guard Chris Darrington (10.4 ppg), sophomore guard Marreon Jackson (10.1 ppg) and junior forward Willie Jackson (9.7 ppg, 10.1 rpg).