Chippewas Head to Toledo for MAC West Clash

GAME PREVIEW
• Central Michigan (14-5, 3-3 MAC) will wrap up a two-game conference road stretch on Saturday, Jan. 26 when it visits Toledo (15-4, 3-3 MAC) for a 7 p.m. MAC West showdown at the Rockets' Savage Arena.
• The Chippewas fell to Akron, 70-67, on Tuesday evening while Toledo let a double-digit second-half lead slip away at Kent State, suffering an 87-85 setback.
• CMU and Toledo sit tied for second place in the MAC West standings, one game behind 4-2 Northern Illinois.
• Central Michigan owns an 4-2 record on the road this season while Toledo is 9-1 at home in 2018-19.
• A year ago, CMU fell twice to Toledo, 92-83 at home and 89-76 on the road.
The Chippewas are 39-61 in the all-time series versus Toledo.
• After winning two-straight at Toledo, dating back to the 2014-15 season, CMU has lost the last two meetings at Savage Arena.

CHIPPEWAS TO WATCH
• Senior guard Larry Austin Jr. leads CMU and ranks No. 4 in the MAC in scoring, averaging 17.6 points per game. He has scored in double figures in 18 of 19 games. Austin also ranks first in the MAC in assists (5.6) and second in steals (2.3).
• Senior guard Shawn Roundtree Jr. ranks second on the team in scoring (15.7 ppg) and assists (63) and third in 3-pointers (32). He leads CMU (No. 2 in the MAC) in minutes played per game (33.9).
• Through 19 games, junior forward David DiLeo leads the Chippewas (tied for 2nd in the MAC) with 53 3-pointers and is fourth on the team in rebounding (5.3 rpg).
• Junior Kevin McKay leads CMU in rebounding (No. 10 in the MAC, 7.1 rpg) and averages 11.8 points per game. He also ranks fourth in the MAC in steals (1.7 spg).
• Junior forward Rob Montgomery, in Mid-American Conference play, leads CMU in rebounding (6.5 rpg) and ranks second in scoring, averaging 15.8 points per game.

TRENDING
• Larry Austin Jr. and Shawn Roundtree Jr. comprise the MAC's highest scoring backcourt, averaging 33.3 points per game.
• Central Michigan ranks prominently in four national stat categories:
- No. 2 in free throw attempts (535)
- No. 8 in free throws made (347)
- No. 12 in scoring offense (85.3)
- No. 24 total steals (157)
• Senior guard Larry Austin Jr. ranks highly nationally in three stat categories -- No. 22 in total steals (43) and free throw attempts and No. 28 in steals per game (2.26).
• Junior forward David DiLeo resides in fifth place on the CMU 3-pointers rankings. He has 213 for his career. He also ranks fifth on the career attempts list (570).
• Against Bowling Green, DiLeo went over the 900-point plateau for his career. He currently has 937 points and is in line this season to become the 32nd Chippewa in program history to score 1,000 career points.

SCOUTING TOLEDO
• Led by nine-year head coach Tod Kowalczyk, Toledo enters Saturday's contest winners of three of its last four games.
• The Rockets saw a three-game winning streak come to an end in its last outing, surrendering a double-digit second half lead in an 87-85 road loss to Kent State.
• Toledo is led by senior guard Jaelan Sanford, senior forward Nate Navigato and junior center Luke Knapke.
• Sanford is Toledo's leading scorer (16.7 ppg) and ranks second in 3-pointers with 34. He leads the MAC in free throw percentage (.878).
• Navigato is the MAC's top 3-point shooter with 55 and is second in the conference in 3-point percentage (.491).
• Knapke averages 11.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. He shoots .544 from the field.
• Sophomore guard Marreon Jackson, who scores 10.2 points per game, leads the Rockets in steals (27) and assists (92).
• Junior forward Willie Jackson is Toledo's top rebounder (No. 3 in the MAC, 10.1 rpg) and scores 9.7 points per game.
• Senior guard Chris Darrington averages 9.9 points per game, shoots 82.2% from the line and has made 25 3-pointers.
• As a team, Toledo ranks No. 1 in the MAC in free throw percentage (.785), blocked shots (5.3), assists (17.5) and 3-point field goals made (10.2).

UP NEXT FOR THE CHIPPEWAS
• Central Michigan opens a two-game home stand on Tuesday, Jan. 29 when it hosts MAC West rival Eastern Michigan (8-11, 2-4 MAC) for a 7 p.m. contest at McGuirk Arena.
• A year ago, CMU dropped a pair of five-point decisions to the Eagles, falling 79-74 in Ypsilanti and 72-67 at home.
• Eastern Michigan has lost three-straight games and will travel to face Western Michigan before visiting Mount Pleasant.
• Eastern Michigan is led by senior guard/forward Elijah Minnie (13.2 ppg), senior guard Paul Jackson (13.1 ppg) and senior forward James Thompson IV (11.2 ppg, 10.1 rpg).
• The Chippewas will continue at home on Saturday, Feb. 2 when Western Michigan (6-13, 0-6 MAC) visits McGuirk Arena for a 4:30 p.m. clash.

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Players Mentioned

Larry Austin Jr.

David DiLeo

Kevin McKay

Rob Montgomery

Shawn Roundtree Jr.