Chippewas Face Akron in MAC Home Opener

GAME PREVIEW
• Winners of six straight, Central Michigan (12-2, 1-0 MAC) will open Mid-American Conference play at home on Tuesday, Jan. 8 when it hosts East Division foe Akron (9-5, 1-0 MAC) in a 7 p.m. game at McGuirk Arena.
• The Chippewas began MAC competition last weekend by claiming a big road win over Miami (Ohio) in Oxford, 84-77, while Akron kicked off conference play with a 56-48 home victory over Western Michigan.
• CMU is bidding to start MAC play 2-0 for the first time since the 2011-12 season when it opened with a home win over Toledo and a road victory over Eastern Michigan.
• Central Michigan owns an unblemished 7-0 record at home this season while Akron is winless on the road with a mark of 0-2.
• ONE TO WATCH: Tuesday night's matchup will pit the Mid-American Conference's top scoring offense in Central Michigan (87.7 ppg) against the No. 1-ranked scoring defense in Akron (60.4 ppg).

CHIPPEWAS TO WATCH
• Senior guard Larry Austin Jr. leads CMU and ranks No. 3 in the MAC in scoring, averaging 18.6 points per game. He has scored in double figures in all 14 games this season, including 20+ points five times and a career-high 30 against Weber State. Austin ranks second in the MAC in steals (2.4) and third in assists (5.0).
• Senior guard Shawn Roundtree Jr. ranks second on the team in scoring (15.5 ppg), second in 3-pointers (22) and leads CMU (No. 4 in the MAC) in minutes played per game (32.8).
• Through 14 games, junior forward David DiLeo leads the Chippewas (4th in the MAC) with 38 3-pointers and is fourth on the team in rebounding (5.3 rpg).
• Junior Kevin McKay ranks No. 26 in the NCAA in offensive rebounding (3.36). He is the only guard who appears in the top 65 nationally. McKay leads CMU in rebounding (No. 11 in the MAC, 7.4 rpg) and averages 13.3 points per game. He also ranks third in the MAC in steals (1.9 spg).
• Junior forward Rob Montgomery leads CMU with 18 blocked shots and ranks second on the team in rebounding (5.6 rpg). In the MAC opening win over Miami, he posted career bests in points (18) and rebounds (9).

TRENDING
• Central Michigan ranks prominently in seven stat categories nationally:
   - No. 2 in free throw attempts (432)
   - No. 8 in scoring offense (87.7)
   - No. 9 in free throws made (278)
   - No. 20 in steals per game (9.1)
   - No. 20 win-loss percentage (85.7)
   - No. 21 in turnover margin (4.4)
   - No. 25 in offensive rebounds per game (13.1)
• Senior guard Larry Austin Jr. ranks highly nationally in three "hustle" stat categories -- No. 21 in the NCAA in steals per game (2.1), No. 24 in total steals (24) and No. 24 in free throw attempts (107).
• Against Miami, junior forward David DiLeo moved into sixth place on the CMU 3-pointers rankings. He has 198 for his career, just one shy of tying Giordan Watson for fifth place. He also ranks eighth on the career attempts list (537).
• 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 7-0 in McGuirk Arena thus far this season.

SCOUTING AKRON
• Led by second-year head coach John Groce, Akron enters Tuesday's contest winners of three of its last four games. The lone loss in that span was a six-point road setback to No. 6-ranked Nevada.
• The Zips impressed in their MAC opener, shutting down the Western Michigan offense en route to a 56-48 home win.
• Akron is led by the trio of junior forward Daniel Utomi (15.5 ppg, 6.6 rpg), redshirt sophomore guard Loren Christian Jackson (13.7 ppg, 55 assists) and senior guard Jimond Ivey (13.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg).
• Utomi, Akron's top scorer and second-leading rebounder, ranks No. 1 in the MAC in 3-pointers made with 43.
• Jackson is fifth in the MAC in assists, averaging 3.9 per game, and ranks second on the team with 32 3-pointers.
• Ivey leads the Zips in rebounding and steals (17) and is second with 47 assists.
• Junior guard Tyler Cheese, a transfer who has played in all 14 games this season, ranks fourth on the team in minutes played (24.9) and in scoring (8.9 ppg).
• Another transfer, junior guard Channel Banks, also averaged 8.9 points per game. He is a deep threat with 24 3-pointers to his credit this season.
• Junior center Deng Riak (6.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg) has also been a solid contributor for Akron.
• Akron ranks No.1 in the MAC (No. 9 in the NCAA) in scoring defense (60.4 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (No. 19 in the NCAA) (.386).
• Offensively, the Zips are positioned at No. 1 in the MAC (No. 19 in the NCAA) in 3-pointers per game (10.0).

UP NEXT FOR THE CHIPPEWAS
• Central Michigan will remain at home for its next MAC contest, hosting Bowling Green (9-5, 1-0 MAC) on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 4:30 p.m. in McGuirk Arena.
• CMU head football coach Jim McElwain will address the crowd at halftime of the game. Also, the first 500 fans in attendance will receive a Coach Mac poster.
• A year ago, the Chippewas swept the Falcons, winning 84-75 at Bowling Green and 81-77 in overtime at home.
• Bowling Green opened MAC play with a 86-64 road rout of Kent State, its fifth-straight win, and hosts Ohio before visiting Mount Pleasant.
• Bowling Green is led by the triple threat of redshirt sophomore guard Justin Turner (18.9 ppg, 54 assists), MAC Player of the Year candidate senior forward Demajeo Wiggins (15.3 ppg), the conference leader in rebounding (12.4 rpg), and junior guard Dylan Frye (10.9 ppg).

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Players Mentioned

Larry Austin Jr.

David DiLeo

Kevin McKay

Rob Montgomery

Shawn Roundtree Jr.