Chippewas Host Eastern Michigan Tuesday

GAME PREVIEW
• Central Michigan (14-6, 3-4 MAC) will open a two-game home stand against MAC West instrastate rivals on Tuesday, Jan. 29 when it hosts Eastern Michigan (9-11, 3-4 MAC) for a 7 p.m. game at McGuirk Arena.
• The Chippewas fell to Toledo at Savage Arena, 76-72, on Saturday while Eastern Michigan routed Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, 93-67, in its last outing.
• CMU and EMU are tied for third place in the MAC West standings, one game behind Northern Illinois and Toledo.
• Central Michigan owns an 8-2 record at home season while Eastern Michigan is 2-7 on the road in 2018-19.
• CMU has more wins against Eastern Michigan (97) than any other school in program history, including both conference and nonconference opponents.

CHIPPEWAS TO WATCH
• Senior guard Larry Austin Jr. leads CMU and ranks No. 5 in the MAC in scoring, averaging 17.6 points per game. He has scored in double figures in 19 of 20 games. Austin also ranks first in the MAC in assists (5.7) and second in steals (2.3).
• Senior guard Shawn Roundtree Jr. ranks second on the team in scoring (15.7 ppg) and assists (65) and third in 3-pointers (32). He leads CMU (No. 3 in the MAC) in minutes played per game (34.0).
• Through 20 games, junior forward David DiLeo leads the Chippewas (tied for 3rd in the MAC) with 55 3-pointers and is fourth on the team in rebounding (5.2 rpg).
• Junior Kevin McKay leads CMU in rebounding (No. 10 in the MAC, 7.1 rpg) and averages 11.6 points per game. He also ranks fourth in the MAC in steals (1.6 spg).
• Junior forward Rob Montgomery, in Mid-American Conference play, ranks on the team second in rebounding (6.3 rpg) and in scoring, averaging 15.0 points per game.

TRENDING
• Seniors 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 three national stat categories:
   - No. 3 in free throw attempts (555)
   - No. 11 in free throws made (360)
   - No. 14 in scoring offense (84.6)
• Larry Austin Jr. ranks highly nationally in three stat categories -- No. 21 in total steals (46), No. 24 in steals per game (2.30) and No. 28 in free throw attempts (143).
• Currently with 46, Austin is on pace to threaten or break the Central Michigan single-season steals record, held by Dave Grauzer (63, 1978-79). Kevin McKay fell one short of the record last season when he recorded 62.
• Junior forward David DiLeo resides in fifth place on the CMU 3-pointers rankings. He has 215 for his career. He also ranks fifth on the career attempts list (575).
• DiLeo is in line this season to become the 32nd Chippewa in program history to score 1,000 career points. He currently has 947 points.
• DiLeo is having a career season from the field. He is shooting .436 overall and .423 from 3-point range, both career highs.
• The Chippewas have recorded double-digit wins at home for four consecutive years, totaling 49 during that time frame. CMU went 11-5 at home in 2017-18 and is 8-2 in McGuirk Arena thus far this season.

SCOUTING EASTERN MICHIGAN
• Led by eight-year head coach Rob Murphy, Eastern Michigan enters Tuesday's contest coming off a dominating 93-67 road win over rival Western Michigan, which emphatically ended a three-game losing streak.
• Five of the Eagles' seven MAC games have been decided by double digits, including two wins by 34 and 26 points and two losses to nationally-ranked Buffalo.
• Eastern Michigan is led by senior guard/forward Elijah Minnie, senior guard Paul Jackson and senior forward James Thompson IV.
• Minnie leads EMU in scoring (14.1 ppg) and steals (27), is its top 3-point threat (49) and ranks third on the team in rebounding (4.8 rpg).
• Jackson scores 13.1 points per game and has a team-high 89 assists.
• Thompson averages a double-double (11.3 ppg, 10.7 rpg). He ranks second in the MAC in rebounding and his 4.4 offensive rebounds per game ranks No. 2 nationally.
• Redshirt junior center Boubacar Toure shoots .676 from the field and scores 9.5 points and pulls down 7.9 rebounds per game.
• Sophomore guard Kevin McAdoo (8.7 ppg, 26 3-pointers), redshirt sophomore Ty Groce (5.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and junior guard Damari Parris (4.1 ppg, 35 assists) have also been key contributors for the Eagles.

UP NEXT FOR THE CHIPPEWAS
• Central Michigan will finish out a two-game conference home stand on Saturday, Feb. 2 when it hosts rival Western Michigan (6-14, 0-7 MAC) in a MAC West battle at 4:30 p.m. in McGuirk Arena as part of #PackMcGuirk Weekend.
• Last season, CMU split with the Broncos, falling 83-81 in overtime in Kalamazoo before winning, 84-71, in Midland, Mich. at Northwood University.
• Western Michigan has opened its Mid-American Conference schedule winless, dropping seven consecutive, and will host Kent State before visiting Mount Pleasant.
• Western is led by senior center Seth Dugan (15.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg), sophomore guard Michael Flowers (15.6 ppg, 69 assists, 42 3-pointers) and senior guard/forward Josh Davis (12.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg).

Central Michigan University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Larry Austin Jr.

David DiLeo

Kevin McKay

Rob Montgomery

Shawn Roundtree Jr.

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